When to plant in Fitchburg, WI
Planting dates worked out from Fitchburg's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 7
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 24
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 15
1 year in 10 by Sep 29
Frost-free days
177
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Charmany Farm · 11.0 km away · station 319 m, town 310 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 12 – Mar 26 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 1 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 6 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 3 – Mar 10 | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | May 17 |
| Peas | — | Apr 7 – May 5 | Jun 1 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 30 – May 21 | Jun 19 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 17 – May 29 | Jun 16 |
| Beet | — | Apr 17 – May 29 | Jun 6 |
| Potato | — | Apr 17 – May 8 | Jun 26 |
| Kale | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | May 27 |
| Broccoli | Feb 24 – Mar 10 | Apr 7 – Apr 28 | Jun 6 |
| Cucumber | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 7 – May 21 | Jun 26 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 7 – May 21 | Jun 21 |
| Winter squash | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 26 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 30 – May 21 | Jun 29 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 7 – Apr 28 | Jul 6 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 1 – Oct 29 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 7 – May 5 | May 15 |
| Basil | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | May 7 – May 21 | Jul 3 |
Fitchburg'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 |
|---|---|
| 1964 | Apr 15 |
| 1965 | Apr 28 |
| 1966 | May 11 |
| 1967 | May 12 |
| 1968 | Apr 25 |
| 1969 | Apr 30 |
| 1971 | May 3 |
| 1972 | Apr 25 |
| 1973 | Apr 14 |
| 1974 | May 8 |
| 1976 | May 18 |
| 1977 | May 10 |
| 1978 | May 6 |
| 1979 | May 1 |
| 1981 | May 11 |
| 1982 | Apr 28 |
| 1983 | May 26 |
| 1984 | May 29 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | May 3 |
| 1987 | May 5 |
| 1988 | May 25 |
| 1989 | May 8 |
| 1990 | May 10 |
| 1991 | Apr 22 |
| 1992 | Apr 27 |
| 1993 | Apr 26 |
| 1994 | May 2 |
| 1995 | Apr 25 |
| 1996 | Apr 30 |
| 1997 | Apr 19 |
| 1998 | Apr 17 |
| 1999 | Mar 27 |
| 2000 | Apr 13 |
| 2001 | Apr 18 |
| 2002 | May 19 |
| 2003 | Apr 10 |
| 2004 | May 3 |
| 2005 | May 3 |
| 2006 | May 11 |
| 2007 | Apr 13 |
| 2009 | Apr 13 |
| 2010 | Apr 10 |
| 2011 | May 4 |
| 2012 | Apr 17 |
| 2013 | Apr 21 |
| 2014 | Apr 19 |
| 2015 | Apr 28 |
| 2016 | May 16 |
| 2017 | Apr 28 |
| 2018 | Apr 29 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1964 | 173 |
| 1965 | 178 |
| 1967 | 139 |
| 1968 | 162 |
| 1969 | 166 |
| 1971 | 181 |
| 1972 | 172 |
| 1973 | 200 |
| 1974 | 136 |
| 1976 | 126 |
| 1977 | 153 |
| 1978 | 154 |
| 1981 | 143 |
| 1983 | 118 |
| 1984 | 110 |
| 1985 | 178 |
| 1986 | 155 |
| 1987 | 149 |
| 1989 | 137 |
| 1990 | 153 |
| 1991 | 150 |
| 1992 | 154 |
| 1993 | 156 |
| 1994 | 177 |
| 1995 | 150 |
| 1996 | 163 |
| 1997 | 183 |
| 1998 | 187 |
| 1999 | 190 |
| 2000 | 175 |
| 2002 | 146 |
| 2003 | 174 |
| 2004 | 154 |
| 2005 | 176 |
| 2006 | 153 |
| 2007 | 207 |
| 2009 | 179 |
| 2010 | 201 |
| 2011 | 183 |
| 2012 | 177 |
| 2013 | 181 |
| 2014 | 185 |
| 2016 | 179 |
| 2017 | 183 |
| 2018 | 152 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1964 | 18.1 °C |
| 1965 | 17.3 °C |
| 1966 | 16.6 °C |
| 1967 | 16.2 °C |
| 1968 | 17.3 °C |
| 1969 | 17.1 °C |
| 1971 | 17.6 °C |
| 1972 | 17.1 °C |
| 1973 | 17.3 °C |
| 1974 | 16.4 °C |
| 1975 | 17.2 °C |
| 1976 | 16.1 °C |
| 1977 | 16.9 °C |
| 1978 | 16.1 °C |
| 1981 | 16.0 °C |
| 1982 | 15.4 °C |
| 1983 | 16.1 °C |
| 1984 | 14.9 °C |
| 1986 | 16.3 °C |
| 1987 | 16.6 °C |
| 1989 | 16.3 °C |
| 1990 | 16.1 °C |
| 1991 | 17.3 °C |
| 1992 | 15.3 °C |
| 1993 | 15.7 °C |
| 1994 | 16.6 °C |
| 1995 | 17.2 °C |
| 1996 | 15.8 °C |
| 1997 | 16.0 °C |
| 1998 | 18.4 °C |
| 1999 | 17.7 °C |
| 2000 | 16.9 °C |
| 2001 | 17.8 °C |
| 2002 | 17.6 °C |
| 2003 | 17.0 °C |
| 2004 | 16.6 °C |
| 2005 | 18.6 °C |
| 2006 | 17.8 °C |
| 2007 | 18.2 °C |
| 2009 | 16.5 °C |
| 2010 | 18.3 °C |
| 2011 | 17.1 °C |
| 2012 | 18.7 °C |
| 2014 | 16.6 °C |
| 2015 | 16.9 °C |
| 2016 | 17.6 °C |
| 2017 | 17.1 °C |
| 2018 | 17.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1964, Fitchburg's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 5 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Charmany Farm (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.