When to plant in Altoona, WI

Planting dates worked out from Altoona's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.

Last spring frost

Early · riskyApr 269 years in 10 still get a later frost
TypicalMay 9about half of years get a later frost
Safe to plant outMay 201 year in 10 gets a later frost

Hardy crops like peas and spinach are timed from the typical date. Wait for the safe date before planting out tomatoes, peppers and squash.

First fall frost

EarlySep 201 year in 10 has frost by then
TypicalOct 1about half of years have had frost
LateOct 149 years in 10 have had frost by then

A typical year has 145 frost-free days. Plan for tender crops to be ripe by the early date.

Station used: Chippewa Valley Rgnl Ap · 7.8 km away · station 269 m, town 273 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

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Planting dates for common crops

Crop	Start indoors	Plant out or sow	Harvest from
Tomato	Mar 25 – Apr 8	May 20 – Jun 3	Jul 14
Sweet pepper	Mar 11 – Mar 25	May 20 – Jun 3	Jul 19
Lettuce (leaf)	Mar 7 – Mar 14	Apr 11 – Apr 25	May 21
Peas	—	Apr 10 – May 8	Jun 4
Bush beans	—	May 13 – Jun 3	Jul 2
Carrot	—	Apr 20 – Jun 1	Jun 19
Beet	—	Apr 20 – Jun 1	Jun 9
Potato	—	Apr 20 – May 11	Jun 29
Kale	Mar 6 – Mar 20	Apr 17 – May 1	May 30
Broccoli	Feb 28 – Mar 14	Apr 11 – May 2	Jun 10
Cucumber	Apr 22 – Apr 29	May 20 – Jun 3	Jul 9
Summer squash and zucchini	Apr 22 – Apr 29	May 20 – Jun 3	Jul 4
Winter squash	Apr 22 – Apr 29	May 20 – Jun 3	Aug 8
Sweet corn	—	May 13 – Jun 3	Jul 12
Onion (from sets)	—	Apr 11 – May 2	Jul 10
Garlic	—	Sep 17 – Oct 15 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Apr 10 – May 8	May 18
Basil	Apr 8 – Apr 22	May 20 – Jun 3	Jul 16

Plan all 65 crops for Altoona

Altoona'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
1950	May 2
1951	May 11
1952	Apr 24
1953	May 13
1954	May 9
1955	May 8
1956	May 16
1957	May 16
1958	Apr 29
1959	May 15
1960	May 12
1961	May 26
1962	Apr 23
1963	May 23
1964	Apr 18
1965	May 29
1966	May 29
1967	May 22
1968	May 10
1969	May 12
1970	May 6
1971	May 27
1972	Apr 27
1973	May 17
1974	May 13
1975	Apr 22
1976	May 8
1977	Apr 8
1978	May 2
1979	May 4
1980	May 12
1981	May 19
1982	Apr 27
1983	May 17
1984	May 4
1985	Apr 28
1986	May 3
1987	May 4
1988	May 25
1989	May 9
1990	May 11
1991	May 3
1992	May 6
1993	Apr 26
1994	May 6
1995	Apr 25
1996	May 13
1997	May 21
1998	Apr 28
1999	Apr 25
2000	May 19
2001	Apr 25
2002	May 20
2003	May 21
2004	May 15
2005	May 16
2006	May 6
2007	May 17
2008	May 12
2009	Apr 28
2010	May 10
2011	May 16
2012	Apr 27
2013	May 13
2014	May 16
2015	May 20
2016	May 18
2017	May 7
2018	Apr 29
2019	May 11
2020	May 13
2021	May 29
2022	May 23
2023	May 3
2024	Apr 25

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1950	144
1951	139
1952	160
1953	122
1954	150
1955	126
1956	126
1957	133
1958	153
1959	124
1960	143
1961	121
1962	149
1963	112
1964	162
1965	119
1966	118
1967	128
1968	146
1969	152
1970	144
1971	119
1972	155
1973	125
1974	112
1975	154
1976	138
1977	178
1978	158
1979	155
1980	133
1981	131
1982	171
1983	128
1984	144
1985	149
1986	155
1987	143
1988	131
1989	136
1990	150
1991	139
1992	145
1993	155
1994	156
1995	149
1996	141
1997	145
1998	162
1999	148
2000	127
2001	152
2002	139
2003	129
2004	139
2005	143
2006	156
2007	120
2008	143
2009	154
2010	144
2011	121
2012	148
2013	153
2014	141
2015	148
2016	143
2017	155
2018	152
2019	155
2020	127
2021	144
2022	127
2023	166
2024	172

Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1950	14.5 °C
1951	14.9 °C
1952	16.2 °C
1953	15.8 °C
1954	15.7 °C
1955	17.9 °C
1956	14.9 °C
1957	15.9 °C
1958	15.5 °C
1959	17.0 °C
1960	16.0 °C
1961	15.3 °C
1962	15.4 °C
1963	16.5 °C
1964	16.9 °C
1965	15.3 °C
1966	15.5 °C
1967	14.9 °C
1968	16.0 °C
1969	16.3 °C
1970	16.6 °C
1971	15.9 °C
1972	15.7 °C
1973	16.2 °C
1974	15.4 °C
1975	15.9 °C
1976	16.6 °C
1977	17.7 °C
1978	16.6 °C
1979	15.4 °C
1980	16.8 °C
1981	16.1 °C
1982	16.2 °C
1983	16.6 °C
1984	16.4 °C
1985	16.8 °C
1986	16.8 °C
1987	17.9 °C
1988	18.2 °C
1989	16.1 °C
1990	16.6 °C
1991	17.5 °C
1992	15.1 °C
1993	15.0 °C
1994	16.6 °C
1995	16.7 °C
1996	15.6 °C
1997	15.9 °C
1998	18.3 °C
1999	17.2 °C
2000	16.4 °C
2001	16.9 °C
2002	16.9 °C
2003	16.6 °C
2004	15.8 °C
2005	17.7 °C
2006	18.0 °C
2007	17.4 °C
2008	15.9 °C
2009	15.8 °C
2010	17.6 °C
2011	16.4 °C
2012	17.8 °C
2013	16.1 °C
2014	16.1 °C
2015	16.9 °C
2016	17.2 °C
2017	16.6 °C
2018	16.7 °C
2019	16.0 °C
2020	16.6 °C
2021	17.6 °C
2022	16.6 °C
2023	17.6 °C
2024	17.4 °C

What this means for you: Since 1950, Altoona's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Chippewa Valley Rgnl Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

Seymour (near Altoona)Eau Claire Lake Hallie Fall Creek Chippewa Falls Lake Wissota