Beaver Dam, WI planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 5a−20 to −15 °F
- Last frost
- May 2avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Oct 9avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 157days
Beaver Dam, Wisconsin is in USDA plant hardiness zone 5a. Its average last spring frost is around May 2 and the first fall frost around October 9, giving a growing season of about 157 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.
Beaver Dam planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Beaver Dam'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 7 – Mar 21 | May 9 – May 16 | Jul 8 – Jul 28 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Feb 21 – Mar 7 | May 16 – May 23 | Jul 15 – Aug 14 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | May 9 – May 16 | Jun 28 – Jul 18 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | May 9 – May 16 | Jun 23 – Jul 8 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | May 9 – May 16 | Jun 28 – Jul 8 | Aug 10 – Aug 20 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | May 2 – May 16 | Jul 1 – Jul 31 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 9 – May 16 | Jun 8 – Jun 23 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 19 – Jun 3 | Jul 27 – Aug 11 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 15 – May 30 | Jul 17 – Aug 1 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | Apr 30 – May 10 | Aug 6 – Aug 16 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Apr 11 – Apr 18 | Jun 10 – Jun 30 | Jul 7 – Jul 27 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 29 – Jun 18 | Jul 12 – Aug 1 |
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 USC00470645. 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 13 | May 27 | Sep 29 | Oct 12 | 138 |
| 32°F (freeze) | May 2 | May 16 | Oct 9 | Oct 23 | 157 |
| 28°F | Apr 22 | May 6 | Oct 20 | Nov 3 | 180 |
| 24°F | Apr 8 | Apr 23 | Oct 31 | Nov 14 | 204 |
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) | 2,374 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 4,274 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 5a
Beaver Dam 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 Beaver Dam?
- Beaver Dam, Wisconsin 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 Beaver Dam?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around May 2, 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 16, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Beaver Dam?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around October 9. That leaves a growing season of about 157 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Beaver Dam?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Mar 7 – Mar 21 and transplant them outside about May 9 – May 16, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Jul 8 – Jul 28.
- How long is the growing season in Beaver Dam?
- About 157 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~May 2) and the average first fall frost (~October 9). 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 USC00470645 (Beaver Dam Wwtp, 1.5 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.