Celery · Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States

When to plant celery in Hoffman Estates

Main outdoor window

13 May - 3 Jun

A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.

Timed from last spring frost

26 April

In Hoffman Estates, on your chosen risk.

Ready to pick

1-21 Aug

If you plant at the start of the window.

The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.

Cautious Balanced Bold

Estimated soil-warming check. The historical frost estimate is 10 May. An air-temperature model suggests soil suitable for celery may warm to about 15°C (59°F) around 13 May. This is a planning estimate, not a soil measurement. The calendar uses the later date; measure your bed at sowing depth and check the forecast before planting.

Step by step in Hoffman Estates

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.

Start indoors

15 Feb - 8 Mar

Ten weeks before your last frost, under cover or on a windowsill.

Plant out

13 May - 3 Jun

Delayed by a soil-warming estimate derived from historical air temperatures. The frost-only date would be 10 May. Measure your soil before planting.

Harvest

1-21 Aug

Frost tolerance

Half-hardy

Damaged below

-3°C (26.6°F)

Days to maturity

80–100

Min soil temp

15°C (59°F)

Spacing

25 cm

Sowing depth

3 mm (0.1 in)

Sun

Full

Celery through the year

Against the frost risk in Hoffman Estates

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Celery

Frost risk Start indoors Plant out Harvest Today

Open My Garden

Seasonal context

Rainfall and the growing season in Hoffman Estates

May has the highest average precipitation (121 mm); January has the lowest (44 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.

Jan 44 mm

Feb 51 mm

Mar 63 mm

Apr 94 mm

May 121 mm

Jun 112 mm

Jul 100 mm

Aug 105 mm

Sep 87 mm

Oct 91 mm

Nov 58 mm

Dec 58 mm

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 Hoffman Estates

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.

NASA POWER climate averages, 1995–2024
Month	Average low	Average high	Frost days
January	-9.8°C (14.4°F)	-1.5°C (29.3°F)	29.4
February	-8.2°C (17.3°F)	1.1°C (33.9°F)	26.6
March	-2.4°C (27.6°F)	7.7°C (45.9°F)	23.1
April	2.6°C (36.7°F)	14.5°C (58.1°F)	8.7
May	8.8°C (47.8°F)	20.7°C (69.3°F)	0.3
June	14.7°C (58.5°F)	26.3°C (79.3°F)	0.0
July	17.6°C (63.8°F)	28.7°C (83.6°F)	0.0
August	17.2°C (63°F)	28.3°C (83°F)	0.0
September	12.9°C (55.2°F)	24.7°C (76.4°F)	0.0
October	5.9°C (42.7°F)	17°C (62.6°F)	3.2
November	-0.7°C (30.7°F)	8.4°C (47.2°F)	18.0
December	-6.3°C (20.6°F)	1.4°C (34.5°F)	27.5

For celery, 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 celery for Hoffman Estates

May is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 121 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 celery

Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.

Measure the soil at sowing depth. Aim for at least 15°C (59°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.
Harden off plants raised indoors: gradually expose them to outdoor light, wind and temperature before their final move into the bed.
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.

Arrange water before committing to a celery crop

Start seedlings in suitable conditions and transplant sturdy plants without letting the roots dry out. A container needs especially reliable watering as the leaf canopy expands.

Harvest usable stems and check the bases for damage. If the crop is tough or growth stalls, review water supply, establishment conditions and variety choice rather than simply extending the growing period.

What to record this season

Were watering and growth steady from transplanting to usable stems? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.

Further reading: RHS celery growing guide . General crop guidance; local dates on this site are calculated separately. Source checked 19 September 2026 by Safe to Plant; this is not an expert review.

The RHS guide is written for UK growing conditions. Use its cultivation advice with local cultivar and seasonal guidance; its calendar months are not worldwide recommendations.

How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy

Why these dates

Start seedlings in suitable conditions and transplant sturdy plants without letting the roots dry out. A container needs especially reliable watering as the leaf canopy expands.

Protect tender growth from frost and wait for suitable growing warmth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: duration, wind, plant age and acclimatisation affect damage.

This calendar uses frost-relative offsets as a starting point. Celery are timed from 10 weeks before that frost for an indoor start, with planting out 2 weeks after it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for Hoffman Estates.

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 179 days, against 80 to 100 days to maturity for this crop counted from planting out. That margin is what decides whether a late sowing is worth attempting.

See every crop timed for Hoffman Estates →

Nearby

Celery in places close by

Schaumburg 1 km Palatine 8 km Arlington Heights 10 km Mount Prospect 12 km Des Plaines 16 km Elgin 17 km

Also in Hoffman Estates

Other vegetables to time

Tomatoes tender Lettuce half hardy Potatoes half hardy Courgettes tender Sweet peppers tender Carrots hardy Cucumbers tender Green beans tender Peas hardy Garlic very hardy Chilli peppers tender Sweetcorn tender

Growing celery in Hoffman Estates

Can I grow celery in Hoffman Estates?

The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. May is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 121 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 celery in Hoffman Estates?

Aim for 13 May - 3 Jun in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 26 May - 16 Jun - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.

Can I plant celery earlier in Hoffman Estates?

The historical frost estimate is 10 May. For Celery, an air-temperature model estimates soil warmth of about 15°C (59°F) around 13 May. 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 celery be ready to harvest in Hoffman Estates?

The estimated period is 1-21 Aug, based on 80 to 100 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 celery tolerate?

Protect tender growth from frost and wait for suitable growing warmth. The catalog cold-damage figure is a reference, not a guarantee: duration, wind, plant age and acclimatisation affect damage.