Last and first frost dates in Milwaukee

When is the last frost in Milwaukee?

The last frost in Milwaukee 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 1 November, about 188 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 Milwaukee?

The official USDA map (2023, 1991–2020 data) puts the centre of Milwaukee (ZIP 53288) in zone 6a. Zone 6a stands for an average coldest night of -10 to -5 °F (-23.3 to -20.6 °C), so perennials hardy to zone 6a or a colder zone should come through a typical winter here.

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

When the soil warms up in Milwaukee

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 4 days before the last spring frost and 15 °C 22 days after it.

Frost dates near Milwaukee

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 Milwaukee

Within 15 km of Milwaukee OpenStreetMap lists 9 garden centres, 10 markets and 1 farm shop (collected 20 October 2026). The nearest garden centre to the city centre is Fred's Garden Center, 8 km away.

• Fred's Garden Center — garden centre
  West Appleton Avenue 6238, 53210 Milwaukee · Mon–Sat 10:00–14:00 · 8 km
• Cathedral Square Market — market
  Jun 01–Oct 10 Sat 09:00–12:30 · 1 km · easttown.com
• Stein's Garden and Home — garden centre
  South 27th Street 5400, 53221 Milwaukee · 11 km
• Milwaukee Public Market — market
  North Water Street 400, 53202 Milwaukee · Mon–Wed 06:30–20:00; Thu–Fri 06:30–21:00; Sat 08:00–21:00; Sun 10:00–18:00 · 1 km · milwaukeepublicmarket.org
• Bluemel's Garden and Landscape Center — garden centre
  West Loomis Road 4930, 53220 Greenfield · Mon–Sat 07:00–18:00 · 11 km · bluemels.com
• Fondy Farmer's Market — market
  West Fond du Lac Avenue 2200, 53206 Milwaukee · 3 km · fondymke.org

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

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Weather in Milwaukee by month

Average weather in Milwaukee over 2016–2025: the warmest month is July. Months that average 20 °C or more by day: June–September (23.4–27.6 °C). Nights average below 0 °C in December–March (-8.2–-1.7 °C). About 974 mm of rain falls in a year, on 118 days; June is the wettest month (116 mm) and February the driest (47 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).