What are the best vegetables to grow in Illinois spring?
Finding the best vegetables to grow in Illinois spring was not as easy as I thought. Some require extensive care, others are prone to pests, and lots are just not simple & quick enough to grow.
That’s why I created a list of the 10 Best Vegetables to Grow in Illinois Spring!
This ultimate guide will give you the best vegetables to grow, why you should grow them, and even how to grow them.
Read THIS Before Growing Vegetables in Illinois Spring
Knowing what hardiness zone Illinois is in is critical to understanding the best vegetables that can be grown in the spring.
It can be the difference between your vegetable garden thriving and providing a bountiful yield or producing nothing.
Illinois is mostly considered Hardiness Zone 5, while some of the lower-level regions are Hardiness Zone 6.
10 Best Vegetables to Grow in Illinois Spring
#1. Lettuce
Popular Varieties: Butterhead, Boston, Loose Leaf
Why Grow Lettuce in Illinois Spring?
Cold Hardy:
- Lettuce thrives in Illinois’s cooler spring months. Unlike other vegetables, this plant can grow even when there is snow or frost on the ground.
Low-Maintenance:
- Lettuce may be the easiest vegetable to grow. You do not need to fertilize it, only need to water it once a week, and it can be planted in any soil.
Perfect for ANY Garden:
- Lettuce is perfect for urban gardening and even gardeners with little space. It is great in gardening containers, raised garden beds, and even indoors.
Harvested All Year:
- Lettuce can be harvested all year. The more you harvest lettuce the more it will grow.
THESE Could Harm Your Lettuce
Pests:
- Deer, Rabbits, & Squirrels LOVE Lettuce. If left unprotected these pests will eat your vegetable before it can even grow.
Slugs:
- You’ll most likely find slugs on your lettuce in spring when the weather is cool or wet. If you plant it in the shade where the soil is damp you should expect slugs too.
Extreme Heat:
- While rare in Illinois Spring, this can cause your lettuce to flower and become inedible. Make sure to plant your lettuce in partial shade to avoid this.
Additional Resources
Learn How To Grow Lettuce HERE
#2. Kale
Popular Varieties: Curly, Lacinato, Red Russian, Ornamental
Why Grow Kale in Illinois Spring?
Cold Hardy:
- Kale is the hardiest vegetable when it comes to cold in Illinois. Unlike any other vegetable on this list, Kale can be grown throughout the entire year.
Ornamental:
- Kale is the only vegetable on this list that can also be considered an ornamental plant. This means it can add color, features, and beauty to any type of garden.
Perfect in Pots:
- If there is any vegetable that can be grown in gardening pots in Illinois, it’s Kale. This is one of the most adaptive vegetables, making it perfect for beginner gardeners in Illinois.
THESE Could Harm Your Lettuce
Aphids
- Like many other vegetables, aphids are one insect you don’t want. Aphids are especially prevalent in Illinois and can stunt or kill your kale.
Extreme Heat
- Like lettuce Kale does not tolerate extreme heat. After just a week in temperatures over 90 degrees, Fahrenheit and direct sunlight Kale can flower and become inedible.
Additional Resources
Learn How To Grow Kale HERE
#3. Peas
Popular Varieties: Snow peas, sugar snap, english peas
Why Grow Peas in Illinois Spring?
Thrives in Cold:
- While some vegetables are cold-hardy, Peas thrive in Illinois’s cold spring weather. If you want the tastiest peas you should grow them in late fall or early spring.
Great for Vertical Gardening:
- Peas are one of the few vegetables that are perfect for vertical gardening. Vertical Gardening is popular in the cities of Illinois and even in the suburbs where land for horizontal growing is scarce.
Perfect in Raised Garden Beds:
- Peas do not need much room. They also grow great among other vegetables and plants. This makes it perfect for raised garden beds, which is one of the most popular techniques of gardening in Illinois.
THESE Could Harm Your Peas
Pests:
- Deer, Rabbits, & Squirrels LOVE start to come out and become hungry in spring. One of the first plants they eat is peas. Whether protected or unprotected pests pose a risk to growing peas in Illinois.
Any temperature but cold:
- While most vegetables grow in Illinois’s summer heat, peas cannot. Any temperature, but cold will pose a risk to growth & tastiness.
Additional Resources
Learn How to Grow Peas HERE
#4. Green Beans
Popular Varieties: Bush and Bean
Why Grow Green Beans in Illinois Spring?
Drought-Resistant:
- Green Beans are one of the few vegetables that are drought-resistant. It does well in summer through the heat, lack of rain, and even in soil that does not retain water well.
Versatile:
- No matter where you live you can grow green beans. In small garden spaces or with urban gardening you can grow green beans vertically. In large fields or rural or suburban gardening, you can use bush beans.
THESE Could Harm Your Green Beans
Pests:
- Rabbits, Deer, Chipmunks, and birds all love to eat green bean flowers. Not only this, but insects have been known to devour leaves and even green bean vegetables.
Additional Resources
Learn how to grow Green Beans in Illinois HERE.
#5. Arugula
Popular Varieties: Astro, Rocket, Italian Cress
Why Grow Arugula in Illinois Spring?
Thrives in the heat & cold:
- Arugula is one of the most versatile vegetables. Some varieties can be grown in cold weather, some can be grown in warmer weather, and some are perfect to be grown in both types of weather. This makes it ideal for planting and growing in the spring.
Provides All-Spring Harvest:
- Arugula is one of the few vegetables that you will harvest from as early as fall to early spring if planted right. This means you will be able to enjoy or store it all year long.
Ground Cover:
- Arugula is an excellent ground cover if you want an edible herb that will also prevent weeds and take up large amounts of space in your garden with very few seeds.
THESE Could Harm Your Arugula
Birds, Squirrels, Rabbits, & Chipmunks:
- These pests will generally not harm your actual squash arugula. What they will do though is immediately eat arugula leaves if you do not protect them with netting or rodent spray.
Additional Resources
Learn How to Grow Arugula HERE
#6. Carrots
Popular Varieties: Danver, Purple, Yellow, White
Why Grow Carrots in Illinois Spring?
Thrives in the heat & cold:
- Carrots are another vegetable that will thrive in spring weather that is hot but is also perfect for cooler to cold fall and early spring. You can harvest carrots even after the ground has frosted over.
Lots & Lots of Harvest:
- Carrots are one of the few vegetables that you can harvest from late summer to early spring. This means you will be able to enjoy it all year long.
Perfect for Small Spaces:
- The wonderful thing about carrots is that it is a vegetable that is perfect for small spaces. You can plant a lot of carrot seeds in a very small space.
THESE Could Harm Your Carrots
Soil:
- One of the factors that can harm your carrots is soil. If you do not have loamy, sandy soil there is a chance your carrots won’t properly grow or grow at all.
Pests:
- Pests such as rabbits and squirrels love carrot plants. These pests will generally not harm your actual carrot vegetables. What they will do though is immediately eat carrot leaves if you do not protect them with netting or rodent spray.
Additional Resources
Did you know that carrots are one of the few vegetables that you can actually store all spring making it enjoyable all year long?
#7. Spinach
Popular Varieties: Flat, Savoy, Semi-Savoy
Why Grow Spinach in Illinois Spring?
Cold-Hardy:
- Lettuce thrives in Illinois’s cooler spring months. Unlike other vegetables, this plant can grow even when there is snow or frost on the ground.
Perfect for Gardening Pots:
- Spinach is one of the few vegetables that can be grown any time of the year in pots. No matter what the weather is like you can grow spinach in gardening pots on your deck, patio, or raised garden bed and enjoy this nutritional vegetable in the spring.
THESE Could Harm Your Peppers
Pests
- Like lettuce, collard greens, and kale pests love spinach. They will particularly feast on kale in the spring months when food and vegetation start to become scarce.
Additional Resources
Learn How to Grow Spinach HERE
#8. Kohlrabi
Popular Varieties: Purple Vienna, Kossak, Azur Star
Why Grow Kohlrabi in Illinois Spring?
Thrives in Droughts:
- Unlike other vegetables, Kohlrabi does not require much water or snow during spring to grow to make this the perfect vegetable to grow in spring.
Great for Raised Garden Beds:
- Kohlrabi is the perfect vegetable to be planted in raised garden beds. When planted correctly it can grow and be harvested all year.
THESE Could Harm Your Kohlrabi
Insects:
- Kohlrabi is one of the few vegetables that require constant insect control. Insects can quickly destroy your kohlrabi leaves before flowers grow and can destroy the vegetable itself if not properly cared for.
Hot Weather:
- If the weather becomes too hot you can expect your kohlrabi to become stunted, flower, and become inedible.
Additional Resources
Did you know Kohlrabi is fast becoming one of America’s favorite vegetables to eat no matter what time of year it is?
#9. Tomatoes
Popular Varieties: Cherry, Beefsteak, Brandywine
Why Grow Tomatoes in Illinois Spring?
Thrives in the Heat:
- As the summers get warmer tomatoes continue to get bigger and more plentiful. Look no further for a low-maintenance vegetable.
Great for Vertical Gardening:
- Tomatoes are considered a vine vegetable. Because of this, you can train them to grow vertically, which is perfect for gardeners who have little space.
THESE Could Harm Your Tomatoes
Diseases:
- Tomatoes are also one of the most disease-prone vegetables, especially heirloom variants. Expect blight, fungus, and buckeye rot to affect your plant in the later summer months (even if you properly care for them).
Insects:
- Tomatoes are one of the most insect-prone vegetables. Aphids, fruit worms, and even stinkbugs love eating them. If you wait too long to harvest expect all of these insects to become a problem.,
Additional Resources
Learn How to Grow Tomatoes HERE
#10. Cucumbers
Popular Varieties: Pickling, Armenian, Persian, English
Why Grow Cucumbers in Illinois Spring?
Thrives in Heat & Cold:
- Cucumbers are another hardy vegetable. Some varieties can be grown in cold weather and some can be grown in warmer weather.
Lots and Lots of Harvest:
- Cucumbers are one of the few vegetables that you can harvest from late spring to late fall. This means you will be able to enjoy it all year long.
THESE Could Harm Your Cucumbers
Birds and Rodents:
- These pests will generally not harm your actual cucumber vegetables. What they will do though is immediately eat cucumber flowers if you do not protect them with netting or rodent spray.
Additional Resources
Learn How to Grow Cucumbers HERE
Common Growing Factors of Illinois’s Spring Best Vegetables
As a reminder, the below factors are common for the Best Vegetables to Grow in Illinois Spring:
- Thrives in Heat & Drought
- Thrives in Cold
- Can Grow in Vertical Gardens
- Hardy against Pests & Insects
- Can be planted in ALL Types of Garden
- Great Cross-Pollinator
