What Grows in Mayville, Wisconsin

USDA Zones 5a · 2K acres

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

On paper, cabbage, cranberry, lavender, and collard greens all suit these conditions — on the ground, soil, sun, and drainage make the final call.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Mayville — the short answer

Mayville, Wisconsin: USDA zone 5a, about 184 days between hard freezes, across 2K acres of city.

USDA zone
5a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 17
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 18
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~184
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
City area
2K 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

5a5a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 5a is Mayville's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Mayville's 184-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Mayville

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

Season length

Measured

Mayville runs about 184 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

Mayville sits in USDA hardiness zone 5a.

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 Mayville is in

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

What that means for soil

What Grows in Mayville

Every plant below cleared Mayville's own zone 5a and its 184-day season. Each card opens that plant's Wisconsin profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in WisconsinZones 2–11Mayville's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
cranberry, photograph
Wisconsin cranberry guideZones 2–7Mayville's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in WisconsinZones 5–8Mayville's 5a is its exact cold limit.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Wisconsin growing notesZones 2–11Mayville's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Growing hazelnut in WisconsinZones 4–9Mayville's 5a — 1 zone of cold margin.
French tarragon, photograph
Wisconsin french tarragon guideZones 3–7Mayville's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in WisconsinZones 2–10Mayville's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
blueberry, photograph
Blueberry: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–8Mayville's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
St. Johns wort, photograph
Growing st. johns wort in WisconsinZones 3–8Mayville's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Wisconsin kale guideZones 2–11Mayville's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
apple, photograph
Apple in WisconsinZones 3–8Mayville's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Wisconsin growing notesZones 2–11Mayville's 184 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Growing okra in WisconsinZones 2–12Mayville's 184 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Wisconsin potato guideZones 2–11Mayville's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Pumpkin in WisconsinZones 3–11Mayville's 184 days clear the ~40 it needs.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–8Mayville's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in WisconsinZones 2–11Mayville's 184 days clear the ~70 it needs.
azalea, photograph
Wisconsin azalea guideZones 4–8Mayville's 5a — 1 zone of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in WisconsinZones 3–8Mayville's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–10Mayville's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in WisconsinMayville's 184 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Wisconsin lilac guideZones 4–10Mayville's 5a — 1 zone of cold margin.
American bittersweet, photograph
American bittersweet in WisconsinZones 3–8Mayville's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Canada anemone, photograph
Canada anemone: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–8Mayville's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in WisconsinZones 3–9Mayville's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Wisconsin alfalfa guideZones 2–10Mayville's 184 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in WisconsinZones 2–7Mayville's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
blue spruce, photograph
Blue spruce: Wisconsin growing notesZones 2–8Mayville's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
annual ryegrass, photograph
Growing annual ryegrass in WisconsinZones 3–10Mayville's 184 days clear the ~90 it needs.
Canada wild rye, photograph
Wisconsin canada wild rye guideZones 3–8Mayville's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Mayville?

For most of the year, no — what changes is which crops still fit the days remaining. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 20; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 17 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 18 — 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.

Documented around Mayville

Spotted lanternfly documented 27 miles from Mayville, first recorded 2023. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Mayville

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

  1. DG-12/16E/23-0046Nitrate · 600 ft
  2. Vorlobs Mobil ServiceUnderground Storage Tanks · 700 ft
  3. CITY OF MAYVILLEUnderground Storage Tanks · 700 ft
  4. Kwik Trip #336Underground Storage Tanks · 800 ft
  5. Lawrence ChurchillUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  6. KEKOSKEE FIRE DEPTUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  7. RON PULSUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  8. Wisconsin Tool & Wood SupplyUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  9. ALBERT WONDRA EXCAVATINGUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  10. Lillian BachhuberUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  11. ARNOLD F LUEBKEUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  12. DG-12/16E/23-0145Nitrate · 1100 ft

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

Measured from Mayville'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 Mayville.

Total Sites

409

within ~10 miles of Mayville

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

1 Superfund site

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Mayville

High3Moderate125Low281

Highest-Severity Sites

Gfl Glacier Ridge Landfill
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Mayville Waterworks
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Mayville Mine
Mining Sites · Past Producer
Api Heat Transfer
Toxics Release Inventory · 53035gnrlt1025i
Bp Hi Way Hop
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Mayville, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Mayville — CAFO (4 sites) and Underground Storage Tanks (254 sites). That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.

CAFO: CAFOs pose a different contamination profile than chemical sources.

Underground Storage Tanks: Underground storage tanks are the single most common source of soil contamination near homes and gardens.

Wash all produce consumed raw thoroughly, especially leafy greens grown near CAFOs.

Use raised beds with imported soil — this eliminates the primary soil-contact pathway.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Mayville

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 Mayville average

Your land is one point inside Mayville

Everything above resolves to Mayville as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 2K 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 city 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 Mayville Average

Mayville Average

  • USDA Zones 5a, averaged across Mayville
  • One soil character for all of Mayville
  • Frost dates read at Mayville's scale: Apr 17 to Oct 18

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Mayville

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Mayville averages 184Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Mayville

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this city’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Mayville’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 city grain anywhere on this page — there is no city-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 Mayville

When does frost risk typically end in Mayville?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Mayville typically lands around Apr 17, 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 8.

When is the first frost in Mayville?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Mayville typically arrives around Oct 18, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 4, so the watching starts about Sep 18 — about 184 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Mayville?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Mayville sees about 184 frost-free days — roughly Apr 17 through Oct 18, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 8 to Oct 4, about 149 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Mayville?

The federal record around Mayville is a meaningful one — 409 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (254), the nearest Nitrate record about 0.1 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 Mayville?

From about Sep 18 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 18 (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 18. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Mayville's scale — its 5a band and its 184-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Mayville'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 Mayville’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Mayville's own scale — its own ~184-day season between 28°F freezes, the 2,083 acres it covers and 409 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Mayville's own USDA hardiness band, zones 5aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Mayville's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 17 and Oct 18 and the ~184-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 409 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Mayville, the closest Nitrate record about 0.1 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Mayville's boundary and the 2,083 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 5a and a ~184-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Mayville's own centroid, the Southeastern Wisconsin Till PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • A documented spotted-lanternfly record within reach of Mayvillelydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Mayville's 2,083 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Dodge County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Dodge 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 Dodge County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Mayville's 2,083 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Mayville you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 2,083 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Nitrate record about 0.1 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 Mayville-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address

More in Wisconsin

Wider growing context

What grows across Wisconsin

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