Wausau Pilot & Review Where Locals Look First For News
Wausau, Wisconsin
A reader tool from your local newsroom · prototype

The Wausau Grower

What to plant, when to plant it, and how to keep it alive in central Wisconsin — built for Marathon County’s short, stubborn growing season.

USDA Hardiness ZoneZone4b / 5a
Last spring frost dateLast frost~May 15
First fall frost dateFirst frost~Oct 1
Frost-free seasonFrost-free~139 days
What these meanZone 4b / 5a and frost dates

Zone 4b / 5a: Wausau sits on the line between the two on the 2023 USDA map. By ZIP code, Wausau and Schofield–Weston are 4b; Rothschild and Mosinee are 5a.

~May 15 and ~Oct 1: the frost dates the tool plans around. NOAA’s medians for the Wausau airport are May 6 and Oct 4, but in one year out of ten, frost comes after May 21 in spring or by Sep 21 in fall, so the tool leans toward the safe side. The calendar shades that risk, fading as the odds fall.

~139 days is the span between those two dates. NOAA’s median frost-free season is 150 days.

How we chose these dates

Wausau Planting Calendar

Timing tuned to our ~May 15 last frost and ~Oct 1 first frost. Tap or click a plant’s name or bar for its full guide — the List view spells out every date.Choose any plant for its full guide.

Start seeds indoorsStart indoors Transplant / plant outPlant out Direct sow outdoorsDirect sow Harvest / bloom Frost risk and frost datesFrost risk Today

Plant Guides

The guides cover 79 flowers, vegetables, and herbs that earn their keep in zone 4b/5a. Open any card for the full growing guide, and star the plants you grow — your list is remembered on this device.Choose any card for its full growing guide.

Plant list expanded with suggestions from the North Central Wisconsin Master Gardeners Association.

This Week in the Garden

Wausau, Wisconsin

Seven-day forecast

Wausau’s local news, in your inbox. The day’s top stories, weather advisories, local sports scores and more, every morning, afternoon or both — free from Wausau Pilot & Review.
Join the newsletter

Community Garden

Show off what’s growing. Readers share photos, swap advice, and cheer each other on through the season.

Prototype note: these posts are demo content, and likes and comments stay on this device. The live version would accept reader photo submissions with light moderation by Pilot & Review staff.

Ask a Gardener

Stuck on something in your yard? Send a question and a local expert answers it — and the best ones run in Wausau Pilot & Review’s Ask a Master Gardener column.