When to plant in Washburn, WI
Planting dates worked out from Washburn's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 31
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 24
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 5
1 year in 10 by Sep 24
Frost-free days
135
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Madeline Is · 15.3 km away · station 201 m, town 211 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 | Apr 5 – Apr 19 | May 31 – Jun 14 | Jul 25 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 31 – Jun 14 | Jul 30 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 23 – Mar 30 | Apr 27 – May 11 | Jun 6 |
| Peas | — | Apr 27 – May 25 | Jun 21 |
| Bush beans | — | May 24 – Jun 14 | Jul 13 |
| Carrot | — | May 8 – Jun 19 | Jul 7 |
| Beet | — | May 8 – Jun 19 | Jun 27 |
| Potato | — | May 8 – May 29 | Jul 17 |
| Kale | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 4 – May 18 | Jun 16 |
| Broccoli | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 27 – May 18 | Jun 26 |
| Cucumber | May 3 – May 10 | May 31 – Jun 14 | Jul 20 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 3 – May 10 | May 31 – Jun 14 | Jul 15 |
| Winter squash | May 3 – May 10 | May 31 – Jun 14 | Aug 19 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 24 – Jun 14 | Jul 23 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 27 – May 18 | Jul 26 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 21 – Oct 19 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 27 – May 25 | Jun 4 |
| Basil | Apr 19 – May 3 | May 31 – Jun 14 | Jul 27 |
Washburn'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 |
|---|---|
| 1945 | Jun 6 |
| 1946 | May 12 |
| 1947 | Jun 3 |
| 1948 | Jun 6 |
| 1949 | Jun 8 |
| 1950 | Jun 17 |
| 1952 | Jun 1 |
| 1953 | May 27 |
| 1954 | Jun 6 |
| 1955 | May 17 |
| 1956 | May 25 |
| 1957 | May 17 |
| 1958 | Jun 6 |
| 1959 | May 15 |
| 1960 | May 24 |
| 1961 | May 26 |
| 1962 | Jun 12 |
| 1963 | May 23 |
| 1964 | Jun 4 |
| 1965 | May 29 |
| 1966 | Jun 10 |
| 1967 | May 29 |
| 1968 | May 13 |
| 1969 | Jun 16 |
| 1970 | May 17 |
| 1971 | Jun 9 |
| 1972 | Jun 17 |
| 1973 | May 25 |
| 1974 | May 30 |
| 1975 | May 12 |
| 1976 | Jun 1 |
| 1977 | May 10 |
| 1978 | May 21 |
| 1979 | Jun 24 |
| 1980 | Jun 10 |
| 1981 | May 27 |
| 1982 | Jun 3 |
| 1984 | May 29 |
| 1987 | May 23 |
| 1990 | May 5 |
| 1992 | Jun 20 |
| 1993 | May 22 |
| 1994 | May 27 |
| 1995 | May 26 |
| 1996 | May 30 |
| 1997 | May 27 |
| 1998 | May 22 |
| 1999 | May 14 |
| 2000 | Jun 5 |
| 2001 | May 12 |
| 2002 | May 21 |
| 2003 | May 24 |
| 2004 | May 29 |
| 2005 | May 16 |
| 2006 | May 22 |
| 2007 | May 28 |
| 2008 | May 29 |
| 2009 | May 31 |
| 2010 | May 10 |
| 2011 | May 28 |
| 2012 | Apr 29 |
| 2013 | May 25 |
| 2014 | May 17 |
| 2015 | Jun 1 |
| 2016 | May 19 |
| 2018 | May 21 |
| 2019 | May 20 |
| 2021 | May 29 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1945 | 114 |
| 1946 | 113 |
| 1947 | 113 |
| 1948 | 118 |
| 1949 | 107 |
| 1952 | 114 |
| 1953 | 136 |
| 1954 | 108 |
| 1955 | 117 |
| 1956 | 117 |
| 1957 | 125 |
| 1958 | 120 |
| 1959 | 124 |
| 1960 | 128 |
| 1961 | 128 |
| 1962 | 129 |
| 1963 | 112 |
| 1964 | 102 |
| 1965 | 119 |
| 1966 | 123 |
| 1967 | 122 |
| 1968 | 144 |
| 1969 | 117 |
| 1970 | 145 |
| 1971 | 124 |
| 1972 | 96 |
| 1973 | 117 |
| 1975 | 119 |
| 1976 | 111 |
| 1977 | 149 |
| 1978 | 138 |
| 1979 | 104 |
| 1980 | 107 |
| 1987 | 132 |
| 1992 | 100 |
| 1993 | 130 |
| 1994 | 135 |
| 1995 | 119 |
| 1996 | 124 |
| 1997 | 140 |
| 1998 | 134 |
| 1999 | 129 |
| 2000 | 110 |
| 2001 | 135 |
| 2002 | 144 |
| 2003 | 127 |
| 2004 | 143 |
| 2005 | 144 |
| 2006 | 140 |
| 2007 | 109 |
| 2008 | 126 |
| 2009 | 121 |
| 2010 | 145 |
| 2011 | 125 |
| 2012 | 151 |
| 2013 | 147 |
| 2014 | 145 |
| 2015 | 138 |
| 2016 | 157 |
| 2018 | 143 |
| 2019 | 147 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1945 | 11.9 °C |
| 1946 | 13.2 °C |
| 1947 | 12.2 °C |
| 1948 | 13.8 °C |
| 1949 | 13.9 °C |
| 1951 | 13.5 °C |
| 1952 | 13.5 °C |
| 1953 | 12.7 °C |
| 1954 | 12.5 °C |
| 1955 | 15.0 °C |
| 1956 | 11.7 °C |
| 1957 | 13.0 °C |
| 1958 | 13.5 °C |
| 1959 | 14.7 °C |
| 1960 | 13.5 °C |
| 1961 | 13.7 °C |
| 1962 | 12.5 °C |
| 1963 | 13.9 °C |
| 1964 | 13.7 °C |
| 1965 | 12.3 °C |
| 1966 | 13.5 °C |
| 1967 | 12.5 °C |
| 1968 | 12.6 °C |
| 1969 | 13.0 °C |
| 1970 | 13.5 °C |
| 1971 | 12.4 °C |
| 1972 | 11.4 °C |
| 1973 | 13.2 °C |
| 1974 | 11.9 °C |
| 1975 | 12.6 °C |
| 1976 | 13.1 °C |
| 1977 | 13.0 °C |
| 1978 | 12.4 °C |
| 1979 | 11.4 °C |
| 1980 | 13.2 °C |
| 1981 | 12.7 °C |
| 1982 | 12.4 °C |
| 1987 | 15.3 °C |
| 1988 | 15.9 °C |
| 1989 | 14.9 °C |
| 1990 | 14.0 °C |
| 1992 | 12.5 °C |
| 1993 | 12.3 °C |
| 1994 | 13.7 °C |
| 1995 | 13.5 °C |
| 1996 | 12.5 °C |
| 1997 | 12.9 °C |
| 1998 | 15.5 °C |
| 1999 | 14.9 °C |
| 2000 | 13.5 °C |
| 2001 | 14.7 °C |
| 2002 | 14.1 °C |
| 2003 | 13.6 °C |
| 2004 | 12.7 °C |
| 2005 | 14.5 °C |
| 2006 | 14.8 °C |
| 2007 | 14.3 °C |
| 2008 | 12.8 °C |
| 2010 | 14.7 °C |
| 2011 | 13.5 °C |
| 2012 | 14.9 °C |
| 2013 | 12.4 °C |
| 2014 | 12.0 °C |
| 2015 | 14.2 °C |
| 2016 | 14.2 °C |
| 2018 | 13.5 °C |
| 2019 | 13.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1945, Washburn'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 Madeline Is (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.