Beetroot · Berwyn, Illinois, United States
When to plant beetroot in Berwyn
Main outdoor window
10-24 Apr
A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.
Timed from last spring frost
4 April
In Berwyn, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
30 May - 19 Jun
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Berwyn
Download these planting dates (.ics)
Import into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. Dates use the selected risk level and are planning estimates, not frost alerts.
Each window is a planning range. Check the forecast, soil and cultivar before planting; a later date is not automatically safer in hot or wet conditions.
Sow for autumn
4-25 Aug
Counting back 84 days from your first frost so the crop matures in time.
Sow direct
10-24 Apr
Delayed by a soil-warming estimate derived from historical air temperatures. The frost-only date would be 14 Mar. Measure your soil before planting.
Harvest
30 May - 19 Jun
Beetroot through the year
Against the frost risk in Berwyn
Seasonal context
Rainfall and the growing season in Berwyn
May has the highest average precipitation (119 mm); January has the lowest (47 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.
During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.
Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.
Monthly growing conditions in Berwyn
Compare the planting window with the local temperature pattern. These are historical monthly averages, not this year's forecast or measured soil temperatures. Average frost days do not tell you whether a particular night will freeze.
| Month | Average low | Average high | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | -4.9°C (23.2°F)23.2°F (-4.9°C) | -0.2°C (31.7°F)31.7°F (-0.2°C) | 25.7 |
| February | -4.5°C (24°F)24°F (-4.5°C) | 0.8°C (33.5°F)33.5°F (0.8°C) | 23.6 |
| March | -0.5°C (31°F)31°F (-0.5°C) | 5.1°C (41.2°F)41.2°F (5.1°C) | 16.9 |
| April | 3.8°C (38.8°F)38.8°F (3.8°C) | 10°C (50°F)50°F (10°C) | 2.7 |
| May | 8.8°C (47.8°F)47.8°F (8.8°C) | 15.2°C (59.3°F)59.3°F (15.2°C) | 0.0 |
| June | 15.1°C (59.1°F)59.1°F (15.1°C) | 21.1°C (70°F)70°F (21.1°C) | 0.0 |
| July | 19.6°C (67.3°F)67.3°F (19.6°C) | 24.9°C (76.8°F)76.8°F (24.9°C) | 0.0 |
| August | 20°C (68.1°F)68.1°F (20°C) | 25.1°C (77.1°F)77.1°F (25.1°C) | 0.0 |
| September | 16.4°C (61.5°F)61.5°F (16.4°C) | 22°C (71.6°F)71.6°F (22°C) | 0.0 |
| October | 9.9°C (49.7°F)49.7°F (9.9°C) | 15.6°C (60°F)60°F (15.6°C) | 0.0 |
| November | 3.4°C (38.2°F)38.2°F (3.4°C) | 8.5°C (47.3°F)47.3°F (8.5°C) | 5.5 |
| December | -1.8°C (28.9°F)28.9°F (-1.8°C) | 2.7°C (36.8°F)36.8°F (2.7°C) | 18.4 |
For beetroot, also check drainage, sunlight and cultivar requirements. See the rainfall context above; humidity, irrigation and local pest pressure are not calculated.
Local growing check
Before choosing beetroot for Berwyn
- May is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 119 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
The temperature and rainfall tables on this page show the underlying climate estimates. How these suitability checks work · Record what happens in your garden.
Before you plant beetroot
Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.
- Measure the soil at sowing depth. Aim for at least 7°C (44.6°F); the calendar estimates soil warmth from air temperatures and cannot measure your bed.
- Check the local overnight forecast before planting out. Delay planting or keep protection ready if frost is forecast, even after the historical last-frost date.
- Use the maturity range on your seed packet when choosing a variety. Cold, short days and transplant stress can make harvest later than the calendar estimate.
Small sowings, tender roots
A beetroot seed cluster can produce several seedlings. Thin according to the packet so that roots have space; crowding a row does not usually give a larger harvest.
Sow modest batches at intervals within the local window instead of a whole season’s supply at once. Harvest smaller roots for tenderness, and use the packet’s expected size as a guide.
Keep moisture reasonably steady. In a hot or dry season, check the seedbed frequently; in a wet season, drainage matters more than the calendar date.
Growing in a container
Choose a compact, round-rooted variety for containers and leave enough spacing for roots to swell.
Further reading: RHS beetroot growing guide . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 18 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.
How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy
Why these dates
A beetroot seed cluster can produce several seedlings. Thin according to the packet so that roots have space; crowding a row does not usually give a larger harvest.
Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.
This calendar uses frost-relative offsets as a starting point. Beetroot are timed for direct sowing 3 weeks before it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for Berwyn.
The calendar also applies a soil-warming estimate derived from historical air temperatures. Where that estimate is later than the frost-based date, it delays the window. Soil in your own garden can warm earlier or later; a thermometer at sowing depth is a better final check. Cold, wet conditions can slow germination and increase decay risk.
The median frost-free season here is 227 days, against 50 to 70 days to maturity for this crop counted from sowing. That margin is what decides whether a late sowing is worth attempting.
Also in Berwyn
Other vegetables to time
Growing beetroot in Berwyn
Can I grow beetroot in Berwyn?
The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. May is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 119 mm. Check how your own bed drains and plan watering around actual soil moisture; monthly rain totals are not an irrigation schedule.
When should I plant beetroot in Berwyn?
Aim for 10-24 Apr in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 10-24 Apr - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
Can I plant beetroot earlier in Berwyn?
The historical frost estimate is 14 Mar. For Beetroot, an air-temperature model estimates soil warmth of about 7°C (44.6°F) around 10 Apr. This is not a soil measurement or a forecast. Check your bed at sowing depth; cold, wet conditions can slow growth and increase decay risk.
When might beetroot be ready to harvest in Berwyn?
The estimated period is 30 May - 19 Jun, based on 50 to 70 days from the modeled planting date. Cultivar, planting material and growing conditions can change this interval; check the plant as well as the calendar.
How much frost will beetroot tolerate?
Check the named variety and local forecast before exposing young growth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: plant age, acclimatisation, wind and the duration of a freeze affect damage.