What Grows in Greenville, Wisconsin

USDA Zones 5b · 23K acres

Greenville, Wisconsin, sits in USDA hardiness zone 5b — a range where zone-matched perennials and frost-aware annual timing set what succeeds.

Among the crops suited to this profile: cabbage, cranberry, lavender, and collard greens. The site-level story — soil, sun, drainage — decides the rest.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Greenville, 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 Greenville 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 Greenville — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Greenville — the short answer

Greenville, Wisconsin: USDA zone 5b, about 193 days between hard freezes, across 23K acres of town.

USDA zone
5b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 14
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 24
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~193
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
23K 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 Greenville's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Greenville's 193-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Greenville

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

Season length

Measured

Greenville runs about 193 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

Greenville 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 Greenville is in

Greenville sits in the Southeastern Wisconsin Till Plains — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Greenville's own centroid, and it is not what its county reads: Outagamie County is mostly North Central Hardwood Forests. The wider page above you is answering a different question about different ground.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Greenville

Every plant below cleared Greenville's own zone 5b and its 193-day season. Each card opens that plant's Wisconsin profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in WisconsinZones 2–11Greenville's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
cranberry, photograph
Wisconsin cranberry guideZones 2–7Greenville's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in WisconsinZones 5–8Greenville's 5b is its exact cold limit.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Wisconsin growing notesZones 2–11Greenville's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Growing hazelnut in WisconsinZones 4–9Greenville's 5b — 1 zone of cold margin.
St. Johns wort, photograph
Wisconsin st. johns wort guideZones 3–8Greenville's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in WisconsinZones 2–10Greenville's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
blueberry, photograph
Blueberry: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–8Greenville's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in WisconsinGreenville's 193 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Wisconsin kale guideZones 2–11Greenville's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Blackberry in WisconsinZones 5–8Greenville's 5b is its exact cold limit.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Wisconsin growing notesZones 2–11Greenville's 193 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Growing okra in WisconsinZones 2–12Greenville's 193 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Wisconsin potato guideZones 2–11Greenville's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Pumpkin in WisconsinZones 3–11Greenville's 193 days clear the ~40 it needs.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–8Greenville's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in WisconsinZones 2–11Greenville's 193 days clear the ~70 it needs.
azalea, photograph
Wisconsin azalea guideZones 4–8Greenville's 5b — 1 zone of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in WisconsinZones 3–8Greenville's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–10Greenville's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in WisconsinGreenville's 193 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Wisconsin lilac guideZones 4–10Greenville's 5b — 1 zone of cold margin.
American bittersweet, photograph
American bittersweet in WisconsinZones 3–8Greenville's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Canada anemone, photograph
Canada anemone: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–8Greenville's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in WisconsinZones 3–9Greenville's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Wisconsin alfalfa guideZones 2–10Greenville's 193 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in WisconsinZones 2–7Greenville's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
blue spruce, photograph
Blue spruce: Wisconsin growing notesZones 2–8Greenville's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
annual ryegrass, photograph
Growing annual ryegrass in WisconsinZones 3–10Greenville's 193 days clear the ~90 it needs.
Canada wild rye, photograph
Wisconsin canada wild rye guideZones 3–8Greenville's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Greenville?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 17; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 14 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 24 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Late in the year the fall bench takes over — quick greens, radishes, and garlic that repays you next summer.

What's on the federal record near Greenville

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

  1. APPLETON COIN MACHINESUnderground Storage Tanks · 2100 ft
  2. JENNERJOHN H J WDOT EOA 6430 01 00Brownfields · 0.9 mi
  3. H J JENNERJOHNUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.9 mi
  4. Greenville Travel Plaza-CITGOUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.9 mi
  5. GREENVILLE SANITARY DISTPFAS · 1.1 mi
  6. GAS FOR LESSUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.2 mi
  7. United CooperativeUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.2 mi
  8. SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS LUTHERANUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.2 mi
  9. KORTH INCBrownfields · 1.3 mi
  10. GREENVILLE CO OPUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.3 mi
  11. ST MARYS OF IMAC CONCEPUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.3 mi
  12. Junwirth Brothers ServiceUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.3 mi

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

Measured from Greenville'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 Greenville.

Total Sites

1,523

within ~10 miles of Greenville

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

9 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Greenville

High4Moderate249Low1,270

Highest-Severity Sites

N.W. Mauthe CO., INC.
Superfund · Superfund NPL
St Edward Sch & Ch
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
3M Company - Disposal
Toxics Release Inventory · 54751mcxxx1425p
A-C Compressor Corp
Toxics Release Inventory · 54915ccmpr401es
A.O. Smith North American Water Treatment, INC.
Toxics Release Inventory · 5491wsmthn19prs

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Greenville, Toxics Release Inventory runs higher than the national average — 108 sites within ~10 miles of Greenville. 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 Greenville

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 Greenville average

Your land is one point inside Greenville

Everything above resolves to Greenville as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 23K 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 Greenville Average

Greenville Average

  • USDA Zones 5b, averaged across Greenville
  • One soil character for all of Greenville
  • Frost dates read at Greenville's scale: Apr 14 to Oct 24

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Greenville

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Greenville averages 193Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Greenville

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 Greenville’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 Greenville

When does frost risk typically end in Greenville?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Greenville typically lands around Apr 14, 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 5.

When is the first frost in Greenville?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Greenville typically arrives around Oct 24, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 10, so the watching starts about Sep 24 — about 193 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Greenville?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Greenville sees about 193 frost-free days — roughly Apr 14 through Oct 24, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 5 to Oct 10, about 158 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Greenville?

The federal record around Greenville is a meaningful one — 1,523 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (842), 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 Greenville?

From about Sep 24 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 24 (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 24. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Greenville's scale — its 5b band and its 193-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Greenville'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 Greenville’s own scale

6 of the readings below were taken at Greenville's own scale — its own ~193-day season between 28°F freezes, the 22,860 acres it covers and 1,523 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Greenville's own USDA hardiness band, zones 5bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Greenville's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 14 and Oct 24 and the ~193-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 1,523 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Greenville, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.4 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Greenville's boundary and the 22,860 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 5b and a ~193-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • Greenville sits in the Southeastern Wisconsin Till Plains — not the ecoregion its county mostly readsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Greenville's 22,860 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Outagamie County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Outagamie 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 Outagamie County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Greenville's 22,860 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Greenville you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 22,860 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 Greenville-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address

More in Wisconsin

Wider growing context

What grows across Wisconsin

Greenville sits outside our named growing regions, so Wisconsin as a whole is its closest context here.