Right now
25°C / 78°F
Overcast · wind 18 km/h · 67% RH
Soil (6 cm)
24°C / 76°F
Warm-season seeds go
Hardiness zone
6a
est. from 10-yr extreme low -23°C
Frost window
Apr 23 – Nov 1
~192 frost-free days · first frost in ~54 days
Sun
06:23 – 19:12
sunrise – sunset today
Moon
Waning Crescent
10% lit · solunar good · full 2026-09-26
7-day forecast
America/Chicago
Tue
Overcast
27° / 17°
dry
Wed
Drizzle
27° / 21°
0.05 mm
Thu
Overcast
24° / 18°
dry
Fri
Clear
25° / 17°
dry
Sat
Drizzle
28° / 19°
1 mm
Sun
Drizzle
26° / 20°
0.7 mm
Mon
Drizzle
26° / 19°
5.9 mm
This week
AI field guide · refreshed weeklyChicago Garden: Early Fall Planting & Harvest (Sept 8–14). Chicago-Area Fishing: Early Fall in the Lakes and Rivers. Early Fall Foraging in Chicago: September Nuts, Seeds & Late Berries.
Gardening
Chicago Garden: Early Fall Planting & Harvest (Sept 8–14)
Sow & harvest now
- Spinach (Bloomsdale, Space or Tyee)
- Arugula (Roquette)
- Radish (Cherry Belle, Icicle)
- Kale (Winterbor, Lacinato)
Fishing
Chicago-Area Fishing: Early Fall in the Lakes and Rivers
What's biting
- Largemouth Bass
- Smallmouth Bass
- Channel Catfish
- Crappie (Black & White)
Foraging
Early Fall Foraging in Chicago: September Nuts, Seeds & Late Berries
In season now
- Black Walnut
- Acorns (White Oak)
- Wild Grape (Vitis riparia, V. labrusca)
- Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)
Your ecological region
Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Lowlands
The mixed hardwood heartland of Ontario, Quebec, the Great Lakes states and northern New England. Four real seasons and rich soils.
Regional guide →Your hardiness zone
Zone 6a
Estimated from a 10-year average extreme low of -23°C. What grows, what bites and what to forage across your zone.
Zone guide →Get this guide for Chicago every week
Frost warnings, what's biting, what's ripening. One email, Sunday evening.