When to plant in Schofield, WI

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

Last spring frost

Early · riskyApr 229 years in 10 still get a later frost
TypicalMay 7about 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 221 year in 10 has frost by then
TypicalOct 5about half of years have had frost
LateOct 159 years in 10 have had frost by then

A typical year has 148 frost-free days. Plan for tender crops to be ripe by the early date.

Station used: Wausau Asos · 2.6 km away · station 366 m, town 365 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 10 – Mar 17	Apr 14 – Apr 28	May 24
Peas	—	Apr 14 – May 12	Jun 8
Bush beans	—	May 13 – Jun 3	Jul 2
Carrot	—	Apr 22 – Jun 3	Jun 21
Beet	—	Apr 22 – Jun 3	Jun 11
Potato	—	Apr 22 – May 13	Jul 1
Kale	Mar 10 – Mar 24	Apr 21 – May 5	Jun 3
Broccoli	Mar 3 – Mar 17	Apr 14 – May 5	Jun 13
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 14 – May 5	Jul 13
Garlic	—	Sep 21 – Oct 19 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Apr 14 – May 12	May 22
Basil	Apr 8 – Apr 22	May 20 – Jun 3	Jul 16

Plan all 65 crops for Schofield

Schofield'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
1942	Apr 21
1943	Jun 30
1944	May 6
1945	May 18
1946	May 13
1948	May 24
1949	May 28
1950	May 8
1951	May 11
1952	Apr 24
1953	May 14
1954	May 20
1955	Apr 15
1956	May 16
1957	May 16
1958	May 6
1959	May 15
1960	May 12
1961	May 10
1962	Apr 20
1963	May 23
1964	Apr 24
1965	May 29
1966	May 11
1967	May 22
1968	May 6
1969	Apr 30
1970	May 6
1971	May 12
1972	Apr 26
1973	May 17
1974	May 13
1975	Apr 22
1976	May 12
1977	May 9
1978	May 2
1979	May 4
1980	May 9
1981	May 11
1982	Apr 28
1983	May 17
1984	May 3
1985	Apr 17
1986	May 3
1987	Apr 8
1988	May 25
1989	May 7
1990	May 11
1991	May 3
1992	May 24
1993	May 16
1994	May 6
1995	Apr 25
1996	May 13
1997	May 16
1998	Apr 28
1999	Apr 24
2000	Apr 22
2001	Apr 18
2002	May 20
2003	May 3
2004	May 15
2005	May 12
2006	May 22
2007	Apr 16
2008	May 19
2009	Apr 22
2010	May 10
2011	May 4
2012	Apr 29
2013	May 13
2014	May 17
2015	May 20
2016	May 15
2017	May 8
2018	Apr 29
2019	Apr 28
2020	May 13
2021	May 12
2022	May 4
2023	May 3
2024	Apr 25

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1942	155
1943	72
1944	145
1946	122
1948	130
1950	137
1951	139
1952	152
1953	121
1954	125
1955	168
1956	126
1957	132
1958	147
1959	124
1960	144
1961	138
1962	183
1963	112
1964	140
1965	119
1966	137
1967	128
1968	150
1969	166
1970	156
1971	152
1972	156
1973	125
1974	130
1975	156
1976	134
1977	150
1978	157
1979	155
1980	139
1981	143
1982	174
1983	144
1984	147
1985	160
1986	155
1987	176
1988	132
1989	138
1990	150
1991	139
1992	121
1993	135
1994	156
1995	149
1996	142
1997	150
1998	175
1999	160
2000	166
2001	170
2002	139
2003	148
2004	139
2005	148
2006	140
2007	151
2008	136
2009	160
2010	145
2011	149
2012	142
2013	158
2014	144
2015	146
2016	150
2017	169
2018	152
2019	166
2020	143
2021	162
2022	156
2023	165
2024	172

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

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1942	14.9 °C
1943	14.8 °C
1944	15.5 °C
1945	14.1 °C
1946	14.7 °C
1948	16.2 °C
1950	13.5 °C
1951	14.4 °C
1952	15.8 °C
1953	15.4 °C
1954	14.7 °C
1955	17.0 °C
1956	14.3 °C
1957	15.2 °C
1958	14.8 °C
1959	16.4 °C
1960	15.2 °C
1961	15.0 °C
1962	15.0 °C
1963	15.6 °C
1964	15.6 °C
1965	14.6 °C
1966	15.1 °C
1967	14.2 °C
1968	15.3 °C
1969	15.4 °C
1970	16.1 °C
1971	15.1 °C
1972	14.9 °C
1973	15.6 °C
1974	14.6 °C
1975	15.3 °C
1976	16.1 °C
1977	16.7 °C
1978	15.6 °C
1979	14.8 °C
1980	16.1 °C
1981	15.6 °C
1982	15.0 °C
1983	15.9 °C
1984	15.5 °C
1985	15.9 °C
1986	16.1 °C
1987	17.3 °C
1988	17.2 °C
1989	15.3 °C
1990	15.5 °C
1991	16.4 °C
1992	13.9 °C
1993	14.3 °C
1994	15.9 °C
1995	16.0 °C
1996	14.9 °C
1997	15.0 °C
1998	17.9 °C
1999	16.8 °C
2000	15.9 °C
2001	16.7 °C
2002	15.8 °C
2003	15.6 °C
2004	15.0 °C
2005	17.1 °C
2006	16.5 °C
2007	16.5 °C
2008	15.4 °C
2009	15.1 °C
2010	16.7 °C
2011	15.7 °C
2012	17.2 °C
2013	15.5 °C
2014	15.1 °C
2015	16.4 °C
2016	16.7 °C
2017	15.7 °C
2018	16.1 °C
2019	15.2 °C
2020	15.5 °C
2021	17.8 °C
2022	16.8 °C
2023	16.9 °C
2024	16.7 °C

What this means for you: Since 1942, Schofield's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 3 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Wausau Asos (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

Rothschild Weston Rib Mountain Wausau Evergreen Kronenwetter