Squash bug in Wisconsin: When It Shows Up and What Stops It
Squash bugs turn up in Wisconsin gardens right around the time your zucchini plants start putting out their first true leaves, usually mid-to-late June…
Gardening in Wisconsin
Everything we have worked out for Wisconsin: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Milwaukee, the last spring freeze runs April 16 to April 29 and the first fall freeze runs October 17 to October 29, USDA zones 3b-6a, 2,808 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 26.1 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Wisconsin: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
Garden Pests in Wisconsin: What Shows Up, When, and How to Stop It
A season-by-season look at Wisconsin’s most common garden pests, how to spot their damage, and which controls actually work for home gardeners.
Wisconsin Lawn Care: What to Plant and When to Feed It
Wisconsin’s climate suits cool-season grasses only, and the seeding window, feeding schedule, and mowing height all follow from that fact.
Garlic Varieties That Suit Wisconsin Winters
Wisconsin’s winters provide plenty of cold for garlic to form cloves, so hardneck and softneck varieties both work if planted on schedule.
When to Plant Garlic in Wisconsin: Counting Back From the First Frost
Wisconsin garlic goes in from late September to early October, timed against Milwaukee’s NOAA frost data, with adjustments for lakeshore and northern counties.
Growing Garlic in Wisconsin: Planting Dates, Varieties and Winter Cold
Wisconsin’s cold winters suit hardneck garlic well, and planting in late September to early October gives cloves time to root before the ground freezes.
Tomato Pests in Wisconsin: Which Ones Actually Show Up Here
A season-by-season look at which insects actually damage Wisconsin tomato plants, how to identify each one, and what stops it.
Tomato Planting Dates in Wisconsin: Counting Back From Your Frost Window
Use Milwaukee’s NOAA frost window to work backward and forward from your last and first frost dates before you set tomato transplants outside.
Tomato Varieties That Ripen in Time in Wisconsin
Nine catalog tomato varieties are checked against Wisconsin’s frost window, from 55-day cherry tomatoes to 78-day paste types, to show which finish before frost.
Growing Tomatoes in Wisconsin: Planting Dates, Varieties and Local Pests
A practical timeline for planting, feeding and protecting tomatoes in Wisconsin, based on Milwaukee’s NOAA frost data and locally available varieties.