When to plant in Red Wing, MN
Planting dates worked out from Red Wing's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 13
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 23
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 12
1 year in 10 by Sep 26
Frost-free days
173
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Red Wing Dam 3 · 8.0 km away · station 208 m, town 226 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 7 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 12 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 5 – Mar 12 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | May 19 |
| Peas | — | Apr 9 – May 7 | Jun 3 |
| Bush beans | — | May 6 – May 27 | Jun 25 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 18 – May 30 | Jun 17 |
| Beet | — | Apr 18 – May 30 | Jun 7 |
| Potato | — | Apr 18 – May 9 | Jun 27 |
| Kale | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 16 – Apr 30 | May 29 |
| Broccoli | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 9 – Apr 30 | Jun 8 |
| Cucumber | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 2 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 13 – May 27 | Jun 27 |
| Winter squash | Apr 15 – Apr 22 | May 13 – May 27 | Aug 1 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 6 – May 27 | Jul 5 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 9 – Apr 30 | Jul 8 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 28 – Oct 26 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 9 – May 7 | May 17 |
| Basil | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 9 |
Red Wing's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 1990 | May 3 |
| 1992 | Apr 14 |
| 1994 | Apr 30 |
| 1995 | Apr 11 |
| 1996 | Apr 28 |
| 1997 | Apr 17 |
| 1998 | Mar 25 |
| 1999 | Mar 31 |
| 2000 | Apr 23 |
| 2001 | Apr 19 |
| 2002 | May 4 |
| 2003 | Apr 13 |
| 2004 | May 16 |
| 2006 | Apr 10 |
| 2007 | Apr 16 |
| 2008 | Apr 30 |
| 2009 | Apr 10 |
| 2010 | May 10 |
| 2011 | May 4 |
| 2012 | Apr 18 |
| 2013 | May 13 |
| 2014 | Apr 19 |
| 2015 | Apr 24 |
| 2016 | May 16 |
| 2017 | Apr 28 |
| 2018 | Apr 21 |
| 2019 | Apr 16 |
| 2020 | May 13 |
| 2021 | May 12 |
| 2022 | Apr 28 |
| 2023 | Apr 26 |
| 2024 | Apr 22 |
| 2025 | Apr 9 |
| 2026 | Apr 21 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1992 | 167 |
| 1994 | 178 |
| 1995 | 187 |
| 1997 | 187 |
| 1998 | 202 |
| 1999 | 173 |
| 2000 | 166 |
| 2002 | 156 |
| 2003 | 170 |
| 2004 | 141 |
| 2006 | 184 |
| 2007 | 151 |
| 2008 | 169 |
| 2009 | 182 |
| 2010 | 171 |
| 2011 | 169 |
| 2012 | 171 |
| 2013 | 159 |
| 2014 | 173 |
| 2015 | 175 |
| 2016 | 176 |
| 2017 | 182 |
| 2018 | 173 |
| 2019 | 191 |
| 2020 | 158 |
| 2021 | 162 |
| 2022 | 162 |
| 2023 | 184 |
| 2024 | 176 |
| 2025 | 196 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 18.0 °C |
| 1992 | 15.0 °C |
| 1993 | 15.6 °C |
| 1994 | 16.7 °C |
| 1995 | 16.7 °C |
| 1997 | 16.1 °C |
| 1999 | 17.4 °C |
| 2000 | 16.9 °C |
| 2002 | 17.3 °C |
| 2003 | 17.1 °C |
| 2004 | 16.2 °C |
| 2006 | 17.9 °C |
| 2007 | 17.9 °C |
| 2008 | 16.7 °C |
| 2009 | 16.4 °C |
| 2010 | 18.4 °C |
| 2011 | 17.4 °C |
| 2012 | 18.5 °C |
| 2013 | 16.8 °C |
| 2014 | 17.1 °C |
| 2015 | 17.9 °C |
| 2016 | 18.1 °C |
| 2017 | 17.6 °C |
| 2018 | 17.6 °C |
| 2019 | 17.0 °C |
| 2020 | 17.4 °C |
| 2021 | 18.0 °C |
| 2022 | 17.2 °C |
| 2023 | 18.1 °C |
| 2024 | 18.0 °C |
| 2025 | 17.7 °C |
| 2026 | 18.0 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1990, Red Wing's last spring frost has come about 3 days later per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Red Wing Dam 3 (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.