Witloof chicory · Oak Lawn, Illinois, United States
When to plant witloof chicory in Oak Lawn
Main outdoor window
6-27 May
A climate estimate. Check your soil, forecast and cultivar.
Timed from last spring frost
22 April
In Oak Lawn, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
1 Nov - 31 Mar
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 Oak Lawn
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 direct
6-27 May
Two weeks after your last frost.
Harvest
1 Nov - 31 Mar
Witloof chicory through the year
Against the frost risk in Oak Lawn
Seasonal context
Rainfall and the growing season in Oak Lawn
May has the highest average precipitation (114 mm); January has the lowest (51 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 Oak Lawn
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 | -7.8°C (17.9°F)17.9°F (-7.8°C) | -0.4°C (31.3°F)31.3°F (-0.4°C) | 28.4 |
| February | -6.5°C (20.3°F)20.3°F (-6.5°C) | 2.1°C (35.7°F)35.7°F (2.1°C) | 25.9 |
| March | -1.6°C (29.1°F)29.1°F (-1.6°C) | 8.2°C (46.7°F)46.7°F (8.2°C) | 21.5 |
| April | 3.4°C (38.2°F)38.2°F (3.4°C) | 14.6°C (58.3°F)58.3°F (14.6°C) | 6.7 |
| May | 9.4°C (48.9°F)48.9°F (9.4°C) | 20.4°C (68.8°F)68.8°F (20.4°C) | 0.2 |
| June | 15.2°C (59.4°F)59.4°F (15.2°C) | 25.7°C (78.2°F)78.2°F (25.7°C) | 0.0 |
| July | 18.1°C (64.6°F)64.6°F (18.1°C) | 28.1°C (82.6°F)82.6°F (28.1°C) | 0.0 |
| August | 17.8°C (64°F)64°F (17.8°C) | 28°C (82.3°F)82.3°F (28°C) | 0.0 |
| September | 13.7°C (56.6°F)56.6°F (13.7°C) | 24.7°C (76.5°F)76.5°F (24.7°C) | 0.0 |
| October | 7°C (44.6°F)44.6°F (7°C) | 17.5°C (63.4°F)63.4°F (17.5°C) | 1.4 |
| November | 0.5°C (32.8°F)32.8°F (0.5°C) | 9.2°C (48.6°F)48.6°F (9.2°C) | 14.8 |
| December | -4.7°C (23.6°F)23.6°F (-4.7°C) | 2.5°C (36.5°F)36.5°F (2.5°C) | 25.9 |
For witloof chicory, 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 witloof chicory for Oak Lawn
- May is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 114 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 witloof chicory
Use the calendar to plan ahead, then check the conditions in your own garden.
- Measure the soil at sowing depth. Aim for at least 10°C (50°F); the calendar estimates soil warmth from air temperatures and cannot measure your bed.
- Frost tolerance does not make saturated or frozen soil suitable for planting. Wait until the bed can be worked without smearing or compacting it.
- 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.
Plan a root-growing stage followed by dark forcing
First grow sound roots outdoors in suitable drained soil. At the appropriate stage, lift and prepare roots using the variety's instructions, then place them in a suitable moist medium for forcing without light.
Keep the forcing area dark and inspect for decay while the compact pale shoots develop. Harvest chicons when firm and usable, and keep them from prolonged light exposure afterwards. Record the root-growing period separately from the shorter forcing period.
What to record this season
Which root size and forcing conditions produced firm chicons without rot? Add the cultivar, sowing date and conditions to your growing record so you can compare next season.
Further reading: RHS chicory 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 reference is written for UK growing conditions. Use its cultivation advice with local seasonal guidance; UK sowing months are not worldwide planting dates.
How the dates are calculated and their limits · Keep a growing record · Report a local discrepancy
Why these dates
First grow sound roots outdoors in suitable drained soil. At the appropriate stage, lift and prepare roots using the variety's instructions, then place them in a suitable moist medium for forcing without light.
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. Witloof chicory are timed for direct sowing 2 weeks after it, and this page simply resolves those offsets against the frost date computed for Oak Lawn.
The median frost-free season here is 192 days, against 150 to 180 days to maturity for this crop counted from sowing. That margin is what decides whether a late sowing is worth attempting.
Also in Oak Lawn
Other vegetables to time
Growing witloof chicory in Oak Lawn
Can I grow witloof chicory in Oak Lawn?
The calendar estimates a planting window, not a guarantee of success. May is the wettest month in the rainfall grid, averaging about 114 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 witloof chicory in Oak Lawn?
Aim for 6-27 May in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 19 May - 9 Jun - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When might witloof chicory be ready to harvest in Oak Lawn?
The estimated period is 1 Nov - 31 Mar, based on 150 to 180 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 witloof chicory 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.