Manitowoc, WI 54220 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Manitowoc, WI?
Around 04/27 is the usual last spring frost, about 242 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/21, about 175 frost-free days later.
Manitowoc sits in USDA Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 8 weeks of growing season left in Manitowoc before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/27 isn't a guarantee
04/27 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/14 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/10 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Manitowoc compares
At roughly 175 frost-free days, Manitowoc places 26,754 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within WI, it ranks 84 of 860.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Manitowoc can differ from the 54220 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Manitowoc's frost date answer different questions.