Wayne, NE planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 5a−20 to −15 °F
- Last frost
- Apr 29avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Oct 11avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 163days
Wayne, Nebraska is in USDA plant hardiness zone 5a. Its average last spring frost is around April 29 and the first fall frost around October 11, giving a growing season of about 163 days (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, 32°F, median). Start tender crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors weeks before the last frost and set them out afterward; sow hardy crops such as peas, spinach, and lettuce before it. The planner below turns those frost dates into a printable per-crop planting calendar.
Wayne planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Wayne's average frost dates. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees.
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | May 6 – May 13 | Jul 5 – Jul 25 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | May 13 – May 20 | Jul 12 – Aug 11 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 25 – Jul 15 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 20 – Jul 5 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 25 – Jul 5 | Aug 12 – Aug 22 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 28 – Jul 28 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 5 – Jun 20 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 16 – May 31 | Jul 29 – Aug 13 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | May 12 – May 27 | Jul 19 – Aug 3 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 27 – May 7 | Aug 8 – Aug 18 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Apr 8 – Apr 15 | Jun 7 – Jun 27 | Jul 9 – Jul 29 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 26 – Jun 15 | Jul 14 – Aug 3 |
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Frost & freeze dates
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00259045. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 (p10 for spring, p90 for fall) — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 7 | May 20 | Oct 1 | Oct 13 | 145 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 29 | May 12 | Oct 11 | Oct 22 | 163 |
| 28°F | Apr 19 | May 4 | Oct 21 | Nov 2 | 184 |
| 24°F | Apr 10 | Apr 23 | Oct 30 | Nov 11 | 202 |
32°F is the standard "freeze" line that damages tender crops; lighter 36°F frost can nip the most cold-sensitive plants, while hardy crops shrug off light frost down toward 28°F. Use the threshold that matches what you are protecting.
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. Warm-season crops need a long, warm GDD total; a short, cool GDD total favors greens and brassicas.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 3,027 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 5,096 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 5a
Wayne sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 5a on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about −20 to −15 °F. That number tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here; it does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above.
Explore more places in zone 5a, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Wayne?
- Wayne, Nebraska is in USDA plant hardiness zone 5a on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature −20 to −15 °F) — from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. See the methodology page for sources.
- When is the last frost in Wayne?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around April 29, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as May 12, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Wayne?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around October 11. That leaves a growing season of about 163 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Wayne?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Mar 4 – Mar 18 and transplant them outside about May 6 – May 13, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Jul 5 – Jul 25.
- How long is the growing season in Wayne?
- About 163 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~April 29) and the average first fall frost (~October 11). Cold-hardy crops extend usable time at both ends; frost-tender crops fit inside it.
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 for station USC00259045 (Wayne, 3 km away). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.