When to Plant Sesame in Illinois
Illinois spans USDA hardiness 5a to 7a (zones 5a to 7a on this page). Plant sesame by your local frost date, not the calendar — pick your zone below for exact start-indoors, transplant, and harvest dates.
Jump to: Zone 5a · Zone 5b · Zone 6a · Zone 6b · Zone 7a
Sesame planting calendar for Illinois, Zone 5a
Average last spring frost
May 5
Average first fall frost
October 1
Direct sow
May 19
Projected first harvest
Aug 27
Sesame is ready to harvest in about 100 days. Full zone 5 guide (both 5a and 5b) →
Sesame planting calendar for Illinois, Zone 5b
Average last spring frost
April 30
Average first fall frost
October 5
Direct sow
May 14
Projected first harvest
Aug 22
Sesame is ready to harvest in about 100 days. Full zone 5 guide (both 5a and 5b) →
Sesame planting calendar for Illinois, Zone 6a
Average last spring frost
April 25
Average first fall frost
October 10
Direct sow
May 9
Projected first harvest
Aug 17
Sesame is ready to harvest in about 100 days. Full zone 6 guide (both 6a and 6b) →
Sesame planting calendar for Illinois, Zone 6b
Average last spring frost
April 20
Average first fall frost
October 15
Direct sow
May 4
Projected first harvest
Aug 12
Sesame is ready to harvest in about 100 days. Full zone 6 guide (both 6a and 6b) →
Sesame planting calendar for Illinois, Zone 7a
Average last spring frost
April 15
Average first fall frost
October 20
Direct sow
Apr 29
Projected first harvest
Aug 7
Sesame is ready to harvest in about 100 days. Full zone 7 guide (both 7a and 7b) →
Not sure which half-zone you're in? Set your ZIP in HomeSown for dates tuned to your exact location.
Varieties to grow
1 variety of sesame in the HomeSown library. Tap any for its full grow guide.
Common problems with sesame
What to watch for, with identification and treatment for each
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