What Grows in Gibbsville, Wisconsin

USDA Zones 5b · 546 acres

Gibbsville, Wisconsin, sits in USDA hardiness zone 5b — a zone band wide enough that plant choice, not possibility, is the interesting question.

Growers here do well with cabbage, cranberry, lavender, and collard greens — with the usual caveat that any single yard's soil, sun, and drainage cast the deciding vote.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Gibbsville, no two yards are alike.

A low spot, a south-facing slope, or a stand of trees moves the frost date and sun across a single Gibbsville lot. Enter your address and we'll score 1,086 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.

We read public map data around Gibbsville — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Gibbsville — the short answer

Gibbsville, Wisconsin: USDA zone 5b, about 192 days between hard freezes, across 546 acres of town.

USDA zone
5b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 18
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 27
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~192
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
546 acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. Hard-freeze dates are this town’s own 28°F normals: light frosts run a few weeks past them, and tender transplants usually wait 2–3 weeks after the last hard freeze.

Hardiness Zone Range

5b5b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 5b is Gibbsville's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Gibbsville's 192-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Gibbsville

Each reading below is measured for Gibbsville itself — here is what it means for a garden here, and the move an experienced grower makes about it.

Season length

Measured

Gibbsville runs about 192 days between hard freezes — a moderate growing season.

There is room for the full run of cool-season crops plus a warm-season main crop, but the calendar is tight enough that a late spring or early fall frost still decides how much finishes.

Time warm-season transplants to your last hard freeze, and a few weeks of season extension turns a near-miss harvest into a sure one.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Gibbsville sits in USDA hardiness zone 5b.

The zone sets which perennials, shrubs, and fruit trees live through an average winter here — a plant rated for a colder zone is a safe bet, one rated warmer needs winter protection or gets treated as an annual.

Match perennials and fruit to the zone before you buy, so nothing you plant is a gamble against the cold.

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Gibbsville is in

Gibbsville sits in the Southeastern Wisconsin Till Plains — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Gibbsville's own centroid rather than borrowed from Sheboygan County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Gibbsville

Every plant below cleared Gibbsville's own zone 5b and its 192-day season. Each card opens that plant's Wisconsin profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in WisconsinZones 2–11Gibbsville's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
cranberry, photograph
Wisconsin cranberry guideZones 2–7Gibbsville's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in WisconsinZones 5–8Gibbsville's 5b is its exact cold limit.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Wisconsin growing notesZones 2–11Gibbsville's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Growing hazelnut in WisconsinZones 4–9Gibbsville's 5b — 1 zone of cold margin.
St. Johns wort, photograph
Wisconsin st. johns wort guideZones 3–8Gibbsville's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in WisconsinZones 2–10Gibbsville's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
blueberry, photograph
Blueberry: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–8Gibbsville's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in WisconsinGibbsville's 192 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Wisconsin kale guideZones 2–11Gibbsville's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Blackberry in WisconsinZones 5–8Gibbsville's 5b is its exact cold limit.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Wisconsin growing notesZones 2–11Gibbsville's 192 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Growing okra in WisconsinZones 2–12Gibbsville's 192 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Wisconsin potato guideZones 2–11Gibbsville's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Pumpkin in WisconsinZones 3–11Gibbsville's 192 days clear the ~40 it needs.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–8Gibbsville's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in WisconsinZones 2–11Gibbsville's 192 days clear the ~70 it needs.
azalea, photograph
Wisconsin azalea guideZones 4–8Gibbsville's 5b — 1 zone of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in WisconsinZones 3–8Gibbsville's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–10Gibbsville's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in WisconsinGibbsville's 192 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Wisconsin lilac guideZones 4–10Gibbsville's 5b — 1 zone of cold margin.
American bittersweet, photograph
American bittersweet in WisconsinZones 3–8Gibbsville's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Canada anemone, photograph
Canada anemone: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–8Gibbsville's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in WisconsinZones 3–9Gibbsville's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Wisconsin alfalfa guideZones 2–10Gibbsville's 192 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in WisconsinZones 2–7Gibbsville's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
blue spruce, photograph
Blue spruce: Wisconsin growing notesZones 2–8Gibbsville's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
annual ryegrass, photograph
Growing annual ryegrass in WisconsinZones 3–10Gibbsville's 192 days clear the ~90 it needs.
Canada wild rye, photograph
Wisconsin canada wild rye guideZones 3–8Gibbsville's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Gibbsville?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 21; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 18 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 27 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. The tail of the season still works: sixty-day crops into late summer, quick greens after, garlic last of all.

What's on the federal record near Gibbsville

Closest first, within ~10 miles of Gibbsville. Listing isn't leaking, and distance isn't exposure.

  1. Gibbsville Cheese Co IncUnderground Storage Tanks · 2100 ft
  2. QUONSET FARMS LLPCAFO · 0.9 mi
  3. APPLEBYS AUTO SALVAGE INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.4 mi
  4. ANATEVKA DAIRYCAFO · 1.5 mi
  5. VAL ALIXSICUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.6 mi
  6. DEBLAEY EXCAVATING COUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.6 mi
  7. JOOSSE EXCAVATING INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.9 mi
  8. WICKES LUMBER COUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.9 mi
  9. Flba Of East Central WisconsinUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.1 mi
  10. OTTE BUS SERVICE INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.1 mi
  11. DIRKSE OIL COUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.1 mi
  12. Robert L ForsytheUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.2 mi

6 more sites are on the record inside the same radius. See them on the map

Measured from Gibbsville's center, not your beds. Run your own address for what's upwind of you specifically.

Environmental Intelligence

The counts behind that headline — every source type on the record near Gibbsville.

Total Sites

880

within ~10 miles of Gibbsville

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

5 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Gibbsville

High2Moderate179Low699

Highest-Severity Sites

Kohler CO
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Aka Station
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Aldrich Chemical CO LLC - Sheboygan Falls Facility
Toxics Release Inventory · 53085ldrch6100h
American Excelsior CO
Toxics Release Inventory · 53081mrcnx3127s
American Orthodontics
Toxics Release Inventory · 53081mrcnr1714c

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Gibbsville, Toxics Release Inventory runs higher than the national average — 54 sites within ~10 miles of Gibbsville. That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.

Toxics Release Inventory: TRI facilities report annual chemical releases to air, water, and land.

Check prevailing wind direction — downwind parcels face higher exposure than upwind or crosswind locations.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Gibbsville

Get exact proximity distances to contamination sources for your specific parcel — plus soil, sun, drainage, and 1,086 plant recommendations.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Gibbsville average

Your land is one point inside Gibbsville

Everything above resolves to Gibbsville as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 546 acres. Your parcel is one point inside that footprint. Slope, tree cover, a low spot that pools cold air, and what is in the soil are all resolved at the address, and none of them are visible at town scale. That is the honest boundary of this page, and the reason the next step is a reading of your own ground rather than a better local average.

Your Lot vs the Gibbsville Average

Gibbsville Average

  • USDA Zones 5b, averaged across Gibbsville
  • One soil character for all of Gibbsville
  • Frost dates read at Gibbsville's scale: Apr 18 to Oct 27

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Gibbsville's 5b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Gibbsville

Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Gibbsville, Wisconsin — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, and scored plant recommendations.

Three things about your lot that Gibbsville averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Gibbsville averages 192Your sun & shade

We read public map data around Gibbsville — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Gibbsville average

How we know this about Gibbsville

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this town’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Gibbsville’s own record; boundaries and acreage from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination records from the federal sources named in their beats above. Soil is not read at town grain anywhere on this page — there is no town-resolution survey in our data, which is why you will find no soil grid here rather than a statewide one wearing a local label. The resolution ledger below names every figure this page inherited.

Common questions about Gibbsville

When does frost risk typically end in Gibbsville?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Gibbsville typically lands around Apr 18, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — earlier than the light-frost dates most charts quote. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost — lighter frosts keep biting past it, which is why tender transplants here wait until about May 9.

When is the first frost in Gibbsville?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Gibbsville typically arrives around Oct 27, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 13, so the watching starts about Sep 27 — about 192 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Gibbsville?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Gibbsville sees about 192 frost-free days — roughly Apr 18 through Oct 27, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 9 to Oct 13, about 157 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Gibbsville?

The federal record around Gibbsville is a meaningful one — 880 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (536), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.4 miles out — so a soil test before new food beds is a sensible precaution here, not a reason to hold back from growing. Remember that proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what sits where.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Gibbsville?

From about Sep 27 the job here turns from planting to protecting — the last start even a 30-day crop can finish. As the season closes around the first 28°F hard freeze near Oct 27 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals), three moves buy time: row cover or an old sheet over tender plants on still, clear nights; water the soil the afternoon before a freeze, so it holds warmth overnight; and harvest tomatoes, peppers and basil before Oct 27. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Gibbsville's scale — its 5b band and its 192-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Gibbsville's numbers: we read soil, sun, drainage and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.

What this page reads at Gibbsville’s own scale

6 of the readings below were taken at Gibbsville's own scale — its own ~192-day season between 28°F freezes, the 546 acres it covers and 880 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Gibbsville's own USDA hardiness band, zones 5bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Gibbsville's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 18 and Oct 27 and the ~192-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 880 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Gibbsville, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.4 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Gibbsville's boundary and the 546 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 5b and a ~192-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Gibbsville's own centroid, the Southeastern Wisconsin Till PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Gibbsville's 546 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Sheboygan County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Sheboygan County
  • The growing challenges every Wisconsin grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Wisconsin
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Sheboygan County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Gibbsville's 546 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Gibbsville you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 546 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.4 miles out, measured from the town centrehow we read the record
  • Where cold air settles, which slopes face the sun, and which way the wind runs on your own ground — measured at your address, and averaged away by any Gibbsville-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address