Gardening in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
This metro spans USDA zones 4a to 5a, so there is no single zone for Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI and anyone who gives you one is rounding. 52% of its ZIP codes are zone 5a; the rest are not.
Which zone you are in depends where you are
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI covers 3 hardiness zones. A guide that gives the metro one zone has picked whichever is largest and rounded everyone else into it — which is fine for the 52% in zone 5a and wrong for the other 48%. Here is the actual split.
| Zone | ZIP codes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5a | 115 | 52% | |
| 4b | 98 | 45% | |
| 4a | 7 | 3% |
Zones are published per ZIP code, so yours is exact even though the metro's is not. The hardiness tool will tell you which one you are in.
Your freeze dates
Those are the earliest and latest medians among the 43 stations serving this metro — not an average, and not one station standing in for the rest. Half of years freeze later than a station's own median.
The spread is the point. Even in a metro that is one hardiness zone throughout, its stations disagree about the last spring freeze. Hardiness zone and frost date measure different things — a zone is the average annual coldest night, a freeze date is when the season turns — and a place can be uniform in one and varied in the other. Use the tools below with your own ZIP rather than the ends of this range.
Your growing season
NOAA publishes a growing-season length for each station, and across the 43 stations serving Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI it runs 128–178 days . That figure is published, not computed from the two freeze dates — subtracting one from the other gives the wrong answer wherever a season crosses New Year. Mean summer high (June–August) runs 76–84 °F , below the 90 °F point where cool-season crops reliably bolt.
When to start seeds in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
Every spring job for 63 crop dates, counted from this metro's own last spring freeze. Each is a range across all 43 stations — the earliest and latest that job falls anywhere in the metro — because no one station speaks for the whole area.
| Crop | Job | When | Offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Onions | Start indoors | February 25 – March 24 | 8 weeks before |
| Peppers | Start indoors | February 25 – March 24 | 8 weeks before |
| Broccoli | Start indoors | March 11 – April 7 | 6 weeks before |
| Cabbage | Start indoors | March 11 – April 7 | 6 weeks before |
| Collards | Start indoors | March 11 – April 7 | 6 weeks before |
| Kale | Start indoors | March 11 – April 7 | 6 weeks before |
| Leaf Lettuce | Start indoors | March 11 – April 7 | 6 weeks before |
| Peas | Direct sow | March 11 – April 7 | 6 weeks before |
| Spinach | Direct sow | March 11 – April 7 | 6 weeks before |
| Sweet Potato | Start indoors | March 11 – April 7 | 6 weeks before |
| Tomatoes | Start indoors | March 11 – April 7 | 6 weeks before |
| Bok Choy | Start indoors | March 18 – April 14 | 5 weeks before |
| Kohlrabi | Start indoors | March 18 – April 14 | 5 weeks before |
| Swiss Chard | Start indoors | March 18 – April 14 | 5 weeks before |
| Arugula | Direct sow | March 25 – April 21 | 4 weeks before |
| Baby Salad Greens | Direct sow | March 25 – April 21 | 4 weeks before |
| Beets | Direct sow | March 25 – April 21 | 4 weeks before |
| Green Onions | Direct sow | March 25 – April 21 | 4 weeks before |
| Mustard Greens | Direct sow | March 25 – April 21 | 4 weeks before |
| Okra | Start indoors | March 25 – April 21 | 4 weeks before |
| Radishes | Direct sow | March 25 – April 21 | 4 weeks before |
| Turnips | Direct sow | March 25 – April 21 | 4 weeks before |
| Cabbage | Set out | April 1 – April 28 | 3 weeks before |
| Carrots | Direct sow | April 1 – April 28 | 3 weeks before |
| Collards | Direct sow | April 1 – April 28 | 3 weeks before |
| Collards | Set out | April 1 – April 28 | 3 weeks before |
| Cucumbers | Start indoors | April 1 – April 28 | 3 weeks before |
| Green Onions | Set out | April 1 – April 28 | 3 weeks before |
| Kale | Direct sow | April 1 – April 28 | 3 weeks before |
| Kale | Set out | April 1 – April 28 | 3 weeks before |
| Kohlrabi | Direct sow | April 1 – April 28 | 3 weeks before |
| Kohlrabi | Set out | April 1 – April 28 | 3 weeks before |
| Leaf Lettuce | Direct sow | April 1 – April 28 | 3 weeks before |
| Pumpkins | Start indoors | April 1 – April 28 | 3 weeks before |
| Summer Squash | Start indoors | April 1 – April 28 | 3 weeks before |
| Winter Squash | Start indoors | April 1 – April 28 | 3 weeks before |
| Zucchini | Start indoors | April 1 – April 28 | 3 weeks before |
| Bok Choy | Direct sow | April 8 – May 5 | 2 weeks before |
| Bok Choy | Set out | April 8 – May 5 | 2 weeks before |
| Broccoli | Set out | April 8 – May 5 | 2 weeks before |
| Cilantro | Direct sow | April 8 – May 5 | 2 weeks before |
| Leaf Lettuce | Set out | April 8 – May 5 | 2 weeks before |
| Swiss Chard | Direct sow | April 8 – May 5 | 2 weeks before |
| Swiss Chard | Set out | April 8 – May 5 | 2 weeks before |
| Dill | Direct sow | April 15 – May 12 | 1 week before |
| Bush Beans | Direct sow | April 29 – May 26 | 1 week after |
| Cucumbers | Set out | April 29 – May 26 | 1 week after |
| Pumpkins | Direct sow | April 29 – May 26 | 1 week after |
| Pumpkins | Set out | April 29 – May 26 | 1 week after |
| Summer Squash | Direct sow | April 29 – May 26 | 1 week after |
| Summer Squash | Set out | April 29 – May 26 | 1 week after |
| Sweet Corn | Direct sow | April 29 – May 26 | 1 week after |
| Tomatoes | Set out | April 29 – May 26 | 1 week after |
| Winter Squash | Direct sow | April 29 – May 26 | 1 week after |
| Winter Squash | Set out | April 29 – May 26 | 1 week after |
| Zucchini | Direct sow | April 29 – May 26 | 1 week after |
| Zucchini | Set out | April 29 – May 26 | 1 week after |
| Cucumbers | Direct sow | May 6 – June 2 | 2 weeks after |
| Okra | Direct sow | May 6 – June 2 | 2 weeks after |
| Okra | Set out | May 6 – June 2 | 2 weeks after |
| Peppers | Set out | May 6 – June 2 | 2 weeks after |
| Southern Peas | Direct sow | May 6 – June 2 | 2 weeks after |
| Sweet Potato | Set out | May 6 – June 2 | 2 weeks after |
The week offsets are conventional extension guidance and vary by variety; the freeze dates they are counted from are measured. For a single date rather than a range, run when do I start my seeds? with your own ZIP code.
What survives the winter changes across Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
Of 74 perennial fruits, nuts, berries, vegetables and herbs, 48 come through the winter in zone 5a and only 34 in zone 4a. That is a different garden at each end of the same metro.
| Zone | ZIPs | Survive | Fail for being too warm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4a | 7 | 34 of 74 | 0 |
| 4b | 98 | 34 of 74 | 0 |
| 5a | 115 | 48 of 74 | 0 |
The last column is the counterintuitive one, and it is why the totals do not simply rise as the winters get milder. Most temperate fruit needs a documented number of hours below about 45 °F to break dormancy and set a crop, so an apple fails in a winter that is too warm; currants and rhubarb cook in the summer heat that comes with it. See the full list with reasons.
The 43 stations behind these numbers
Every figure above comes from these, and each is named so you can check it. Distances vary by ZIP code, so the tools report yours rather than this page guessing.
| Station | NOAA ID | Last spring freeze | First fall freeze | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amery, WI | USC00470175 | May 5 | October 4 | 151 days |
| Andover 1N, MN | USC00210190 | May 5 | October 2 | 148 days |
| Baldwin, WI | USC00470486 | May 6 | October 2 | 148 days |
| Buffalo 2Ne, MN | USC00211107 | April 30 | October 9 | 163 days |
| Cambridge, MN | USC00211227 | May 2 | October 4 | 153 days |
| Cedar, MN | USC00211390 | May 1 | October 7 | 158 days |
| Chanhassen Wsfo, MN | USC00211448 | April 30 | October 9 | 160 days |
| Chaska 2Nw, MN | USC00211468 | May 5 | October 5 | 151 days |
| Dassel 3Se, MN | USC00212023 | April 30 | October 10 | 162 days |
| Delano, MN | USC00212088 | April 30 | October 8 | 159 days |
| Durand, WI | USC00472279 | May 1 | October 10 | 162 days |
| Elk Rvr, MN | USC00212500 | May 4 | October 5 | 154 days |
| Ellsworth 1E, WI | USC00472556 | May 13 | September 29 | 139 days |
| Faribault, MN | USC00212721 | May 5 | October 5 | 152 days |
| Farmington 3 NW, MN | USC00212737 | April 27 | October 10 | 166 days |
| Forest Lake 5Ne, MN | USC00212881 | May 3 | October 5 | 154 days |
| Grantsburg, WI | USW00014995 | May 11 | October 1 | 141 days |
| Hastings Dam 2, MN | USC00213567 | April 23 | October 19 | 177 days |
| Isle 12N, MN | USC00214103 | May 10 | October 3 | 144 days |
| Jordan 1Ssw, MN | USC00214176 | May 2 | October 5 | 153 days |
| Kimball 3N, MN | USC00214373 | May 2 | October 5 | 156 days |
| Lower St Anthony Falls, MN | USC00214884 | April 23 | October 16 | 175 days |
| Milaca, MN | USC00215392 | May 8 | October 1 | 143 days |
| Minneapolis/St Paul AP, MN | USW00014922 | April 23 | October 18 | 176 days |
| Mpls Crystal AP, MN | USW00094960 | April 30 | October 8 | 159 days |
| Mpls Flying Cloud AP, MN | USW00094963 | April 23 | October 14 | 172 days |
| New Hope, MN | USC00215838 | April 29 | October 12 | 163 days |
| Red Wing Dam 3, MN | USC00216822 | April 23 | October 14 | 173 days |
| River Falls, WI | USC00477226 | May 11 | October 1 | 143 days |
| Rosemount Rsch & Outreach Ctr, MN | USC00217107 | May 2 | October 5 | 155 days |
| Santiago 3 E, MN | USC00217502 | May 7 | September 28 | 144 days |
| St Cloud Rgnl AP, MN | USW00014926 | May 7 | September 30 | 144 days |
| St Croix Falls, WI | USC00477464 | May 4 | October 8 | 156 days |
| St Paul 3Sw, MN | USC00217379 | April 25 | October 12 | 169 days |
| St Paul Downtown AP, MN | USW00014927 | April 24 | October 16 | 174 days |
| St Paul, MN | USC00217377 | April 26 | October 12 | 166 days |
| St Peter, MN | USC00217405 | May 2 | October 4 | 153 days |
| Stillwater 1 SE, MN | USC00218037 | April 22 | October 19 | 178 days |
| Stillwater 2Sw, MN | USC00218039 | April 30 | October 11 | 163 days |
| U Of Mn St Paul, MN | USC00218450 | April 28 | October 8 | 162 days |
| Vadnais Lake, MN | USC00218477 | April 23 | October 20 | 177 days |
| Waseca S Rsch & Outreach Ctr, MN | USC00218692 | May 2 | October 4 | 155 days |
| Wild Rvr SP, MN | USC00218986 | May 19 | September 25 | 128 days |
These are medians, not averages — NOAA publishes freeze dates as a probability distribution, and half of years freeze later than the date shown.
Work out your own dates
Each of these takes a ZIP code and answers for that ZIP alone, citing the station it used and how far away it is. There is a ZIP box in the header of every page.
- What survives my winter?
Runs on the hardiness zone, so it answers for all of Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI at once — zone across 74 perennial fruits, berries, vegetables and herbs.
- When do I start my seeds?
Dates every spring job from your own last freeze — sow indoors, set out, direct sow.
- When do I sow the next round?
How often each crop is worth re-sowing, and when the next sowing is due.
- What can I still plant?
Counts the growing days left before your first fall freeze, crop by crop.
Where these numbers come from
The hardiness zone is the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, published per ZIP code by PRISM at Oregon State. The freeze dates are NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals, read from every station whose normals cover a ZIP code in this metro. Nothing here is estimated, and no station stands in for another.
This page names no single station on purpose. Picking one to represent a metro sounds reasonable and is not: the station serving the most ZIP codes is an artifact of where ZIP centroids happen to fall, and it selects a lock on the Monongahela for Pittsburgh and a far southern suburb for Chicago. A range across every station is true; a single cited date for a whole metro is not.