When to plant in Stratford, WI

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

Safe to plant out

May 19

1 year in 10 has a later frost

Average last frost

May 6

about a 50% chance of a later one

Average first fall frost

Oct 5

1 year in 10 by Sep 23

Frost-free days

150

median, 1991–2020

Station used: Marshfield Exp Farm · 18.3 km away · station 377 m, town 386 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

Plan your garden.

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Planting dates for common crops

Crop	Start indoors	Plant out or sow	Harvest from
Tomato	Mar 24 – Apr 7	May 19 – Jun 2	Jul 13
Sweet pepper	Mar 10 – Mar 24	May 19 – Jun 2	Jul 18
Lettuce (leaf)	Mar 10 – Mar 17	Apr 14 – Apr 28	May 24
Peas	—	Apr 14 – May 12	Jun 8
Bush beans	—	May 12 – Jun 2	Jul 1
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 21 – Apr 28	May 19 – Jun 2	Jul 8
Summer squash and zucchini	Apr 21 – Apr 28	May 19 – Jun 2	Jul 3
Winter squash	Apr 21 – Apr 28	May 19 – Jun 2	Aug 7
Sweet corn	—	May 12 – Jun 2	Jul 11
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 7 – Apr 21	May 19 – Jun 2	Jul 15

Plan all 65 crops for Stratford

Stratford'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
1913	Jun 8
1914	May 15
1915	May 30
1916	May 17
1917	May 24
1918	May 13
1919	May 9
1920	May 14
1921	May 16
1922	Apr 28
1923	May 17
1924	May 25
1926	May 13
1927	Jun 12
1928	May 12
1929	Jun 3
1930	May 30
1931	May 23
1932	May 28
1933	May 10
1934	May 25
1935	May 14
1936	Apr 23
1937	May 14
1938	May 12
1939	May 12
1940	May 16
1941	May 10
1942	May 16
1943	May 13
1944	May 6
1945	Jun 4
1946	May 17
1947	May 29
1948	May 8
1949	May 26
1950	May 16
1951	May 11
1952	May 29
1953	May 14
1954	May 20
1955	May 17
1956	May 24
1957	May 16
1958	May 23
1959	May 15
1960	May 11
1961	May 26
1962	Apr 23
1963	May 23
1964	Apr 26
1965	May 29
1966	May 29
1967	May 22
1968	May 10
1969	May 21
1970	May 6
1971	May 27
1972	Jun 10
1973	May 17
1974	May 13
1975	May 16
1976	May 12
1977	May 9
1978	May 10
1979	May 5
1980	May 15
1981	May 19
1982	Apr 28
1983	May 26
1984	May 15
1985	Apr 17
1986	May 3
1987	Apr 30
1988	May 25
1989	May 12
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	May 19
2001	Apr 24
2002	May 21
2003	May 3
2004	May 15
2005	May 13
2006	May 6
2007	Apr 16
2008	May 4
2009	Apr 22
2010	May 9
2011	May 4
2012	Apr 27
2013	May 13
2014	Apr 27
2015	May 20
2016	May 15
2017	May 3
2018	Apr 29
2019	Apr 28
2020	May 13
2021	May 28
2022	May 4
2023	Apr 30
2024	Apr 25
2025	Apr 17

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1913	105
1914	116
1915	88
1916	120
1917	108
1918	119
1920	138
1921	139
1922	163
1923	118
1924	126
1926	134
1927	102
1928	133
1930	120
1931	141
1932	118
1933	147
1934	124
1935	137
1936	161
1937	127
1938	159
1939	136
1940	131
1941	141
1942	131
1943	126
1944	157
1945	116
1946	108
1947	115
1948	146
1949	97
1950	130
1951	139
1952	126
1953	121
1954	125
1955	116
1956	118
1957	132
1958	130
1959	118
1960	144
1961	122
1962	149
1963	112
1964	138
1965	119
1966	119
1967	110
1968	146
1969	125
1970	149
1971	119
1972	103
1973	125
1974	113
1975	131
1976	132
1977	145
1978	140
1979	136
1980	133
1981	126
1982	146
1983	119
1984	136
1985	160
1986	155
1987	147
1988	130
1989	133
1990	151
1991	138
1992	127
1993	136
1994	156
1995	150
1996	142
1997	150
1998	176
1999	149
2000	139
2001	164
2002	138
2003	148
2004	139
2005	146
2006	156
2007	151
2008	151
2009	160
2010	146
2011	149
2012	162
2013	156
2014	160
2015	146
2016	162
2017	177
2018	152
2019	166
2020	142
2021	146
2022	146
2023	174
2024	173
2025	189

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

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1913	15.3 °C
1914	15.2 °C
1915	14.3 °C
1916	15.0 °C
1917	13.6 °C
1918	14.4 °C
1920	14.7 °C
1921	17.6 °C
1922	15.6 °C
1923	15.1 °C
1924	12.8 °C
1925	15.7 °C
1926	14.4 °C
1927	13.9 °C
1928	14.1 °C
1929	14.3 °C
1930	15.9 °C
1931	16.6 °C
1932	15.7 °C
1933	16.8 °C
1934	16.4 °C
1935	15.0 °C
1936	16.6 °C
1937	16.3 °C
1938	15.4 °C
1939	16.0 °C
1940	14.5 °C
1941	16.8 °C
1942	15.4 °C
1943	15.4 °C
1944	16.0 °C
1945	13.9 °C
1946	15.0 °C
1947	15.0 °C
1948	16.4 °C
1949	16.0 °C
1950	13.4 °C
1951	14.3 °C
1952	15.6 °C
1953	14.8 °C
1954	14.6 °C
1955	16.9 °C
1956	14.3 °C
1957	15.0 °C
1958	14.8 °C
1959	15.7 °C
1960	15.0 °C
1961	14.7 °C
1962	14.7 °C
1963	15.3 °C
1964	15.6 °C
1965	14.1 °C
1966	14.2 °C
1967	13.4 °C
1968	15.3 °C
1969	14.7 °C
1970	16.4 °C
1971	15.1 °C
1972	15.0 °C
1973	15.4 °C
1974	14.7 °C
1975	14.9 °C
1976	15.8 °C
1977	16.7 °C
1978	15.7 °C
1979	14.7 °C
1980	16.0 °C
1981	15.5 °C
1982	14.8 °C
1983	15.8 °C
1984	15.8 °C
1985	16.3 °C
1986	16.5 °C
1987	17.3 °C
1988	17.7 °C
1989	15.8 °C
1990	16.4 °C
1991	16.9 °C
1993	15.4 °C
1994	16.7 °C
1995	16.9 °C
1996	15.8 °C
1997	14.8 °C
1998	17.2 °C
1999	16.6 °C
2000	15.4 °C
2001	15.8 °C
2002	15.8 °C
2003	15.6 °C
2004	15.0 °C
2005	16.7 °C
2006	16.3 °C
2007	16.2 °C
2008	15.2 °C
2009	15.4 °C
2010	17.0 °C
2011	15.7 °C
2012	16.7 °C
2013	15.2 °C
2014	15.2 °C
2015	16.3 °C
2016	16.1 °C
2017	15.8 °C
2018	15.9 °C
2019	15.3 °C
2020	15.4 °C
2021	16.3 °C
2022	15.2 °C
2023	16.1 °C
2024	16.3 °C
2025	15.9 °C

What this means for you: Since 1913, Stratford's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 4 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

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

Nearby towns

Marshfield Edgar Spencer Colby Marathon Abbotsford