Last and first frost dates in Madison

When is the last frost in Madison?

The last frost in Madison usually comes around 27 April: that is the median of 2016–2025, so in about half of those years the last night at or below 0 °C came later. Hardy crops start before it and frost-tender ones only after it: in the table below arugula can go into open ground from 6 April, while corn waits until 4 May. The first autumn frost follows around 27 October, about 183 days later: harvest or cover frost-tender crops before then.

When to sow and plant

Planting out: a week after the last frost once the soil is warm enough for the crop; frost-hardy crops three weeks before it; an unheated greenhouse three weeks earlier. Seedlings are sown so they are ready on that day. Each window starts on the Greenly calendar date and ends on the last day that still leaves the crop’s days to harvest (from its card) before the average first autumn frost, plus six weeks of picking for crops harvested over weeks (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, watermelons, beans) — our rule; earlier in the window is safer.

What planting zone is Madison?

The official USDA map (2023, 1991–2020 data) puts the centre of Madison (ZIP 53706) in zone 5a. Zone 5a stands for an average coldest night of -20 to -15 °F (-28.9 to -26.1 °C), so perennials hardy to zone 5a or a colder zone should come through a typical winter here.

Check the official USDA map for Madison: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.

When the soil warms up in Madison

The day the top 7 cm of soil first averages each temperature over a week, median of 2016–2025 (ERA5 via Open-Meteo). The soil reaches 10 °C 6 days before the last spring frost and 15 °C 19 days after it.

Frost dates near Madison

Of the nearest cities on our list, the last spring frost ends earliest in Chicago (18 April) and latest in Green Bay (29 April).

Seeds, seedlings and markets in Madison

Within 15 km of Madison OpenStreetMap lists 8 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 3 plant nurseries, 19 markets and 1 farm shop (collected 20 October 2026). The nearest garden centre to the city centre is The Madison Greenhouse Store, 4 km away.

• The Madison Greenhouse Store — garden centre
  Williamson Street 1354, 53703 · Mon–Fri 10:00–18:00; Sat–Sun 10:00–16:00 · 4 km · madisongreenhousestore.com
• Dane County Farmers' Market — market
  Apr–Nov Sat[1] 06:15–13:45 · 1 km · dcfm.org
• Dane County Farmers' Market - Holiday Market — farm shop
  John Nolen Drive 1, 53701 Madison · Sat 07:30–12:00 · 2 km
• Jung Garden Center — garden centre
  Northport Drive 1313 · 8 km
• Monroe Street Farmers Market — market
  Monroe Street 2219, 53711 Madison · Sun 09:00–13:00 · 2 km
• Klein's Floral and Greenhouses — garden centre
  East Washington Avenue 3758, 53704 Madison · Sun 10:00–16:00; Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00; Sat 09:00–17:00 · 8 km

• Where to buy seeds and seedlings in Madison
• Selling your own harvest in the United States

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Weather in Madison by month

Average weather in Madison over 2016–2025: the warmest month is July. Months that average 20 °C or more by day: May–September (20.6–27.9 °C). Nights average below 0 °C in December–March (-9.8–-2 °C). About 922 mm of rain falls in a year, on 115 days; June is the wettest month (107 mm) and February the driest (42 mm).

Average of the daily highs and lows, rain per month and days with at least 1 mm (ERA5 via Open-Meteo, the same grid cell as the frost dates).

Planted in autumn

From a month before the first autumn frost, so the roots grow before winter, to the late-planting limit on each crop’s page (about two weeks before the ground freezes, by ten years of weather).