Growing Parsnips in Wisconsin: Will They Sweeten?
Yes, if you let the roots sit through freezing weather before pulling them. Wisconsin’s coldest month averages a nightly minimum of 17.2°F, cold enough…
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.
Why Peppers Fail to Set Fruit in Wisconsin
Peppers stop setting fruit in Wisconsin for one of two reasons: a stretch of days pushing past 90 F that stresses the plant into dropping blossoms, or…
Growing Spinach in Wisconsin: When Will It Bolt?
In Wisconsin, spinach bolts fast once the calendar rolls into late May or June, long before the state’s heat ever gets serious.
Growing Pumpkins in Wisconsin: Will They Ripen in Time?
Yes, most years, but the margin is thinner than you’d think. Wisconsin’s first fall frost lands anywhere from October 17 to October 29 depending on where…
When to Plant Potatoes in Wisconsin: Counting Back From Your Last Frost
Potatoes go into Wisconsin soil weeks before the last frost, not after it. The trigger is soil temperature, not the calendar: once soil hits 50°F, seed…
Harvesting and Storing Potatoes in Wisconsin
Wisconsin gardeners should dig their potatoes before the first fall frost hits, which lands anywhere from October 17 to October 29 depending on where in…
Potato Varieties That Suit Wisconsin
Wisconsin gardeners get the best results by matching a potato’s season class, early, mid-season, or late, to the state’s frost window rather than chasing…
When to Sow Carrots in Wisconsin: Counting Back From the Last Frost
Wisconsin gardeners sow carrot seed directly in the ground once the soil can be worked in spring, weeks ahead of the last frost, because carrot seedlings…
Will Carrots Fork in Wisconsin Soil?
Short answer: probably not much. Wisconsin’s state soil, the Antigo series, is a well-drained silt loam with very little clay, and low-clay, well-drained…
When to Sow Beets in Wisconsin
In most of Wisconsin, beets go into the ground two to three weeks before the last spring frost, which falls between April 16 and April 29 depending on…