What Grows in Mountain, Wisconsin

USDA Zones 4b · 4K acres

Mountain, Wisconsin, sits in USDA hardiness zone 4b — a range where zone-matched perennials and frost-aware annual timing set what succeeds.

The conditions favor cabbage, cranberry, turkish rocket, and collard greens, among others — though every individual site edits that list with its own soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

No card required · your full report in seconds

Mountain — the short answer

Mountain, Wisconsin: USDA zone 4b, about 155 days between hard freezes, across 4K acres of town.

USDA zone
4b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
May 7
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 9
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~155
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
4K 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

4b4b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 4b is Mountain's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Mountain's 155-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Mountain

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

Season length

Measured

Mountain runs about 155 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

Mountain sits in USDA hardiness zone 4b.

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 Mountain is in

Mountain sits in the Northern Lakes and Forests — EPA Level III, inside the wider Northern Forests. That is read at Mountain's own centroid, and it is not what its county reads: Oconto 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 Mountain

Every plant below cleared Mountain's own zone 4b and its 155-day season. Each card opens that plant's Wisconsin profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in WisconsinZones 2–11Mountain's 4b — 2 zones of cold margin.
cranberry, photograph
Wisconsin cranberry guideZones 2–7Mountain's 4b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Turkish rocket in WisconsinMountain's 155 days clear the ~90 it needs.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Wisconsin growing notesZones 2–11Mountain's 4b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Growing hazelnut in WisconsinZones 4–9Mountain's 4b is its exact cold limit.
cilantro, photograph
Wisconsin cilantro guideZones 2–11Mountain's 155 days clear the ~35 it needs.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in WisconsinZones 2–10Mountain's 4b — 2 zones of cold margin.
blueberry, photograph
Blueberry: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–8Mountain's 4b — 1 zone of cold margin.
epazote, photograph
Growing epazote in WisconsinMountain's 155 days clear the ~60 it needs.
kale, photograph
Wisconsin kale guideZones 2–11Mountain's 4b — 2 zones of cold margin.
apple, photograph
Apple in WisconsinZones 3–8Mountain's 4b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Wisconsin growing notesZones 2–11Mountain's 155 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Growing okra in WisconsinZones 2–12Mountain's 155 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Wisconsin potato guideZones 2–11Mountain's 4b — 2 zones of cold margin.
rhubarb, photograph
Rhubarb in WisconsinZones 2–8Mountain's 155 days clear the ~60 it needs.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–8Mountain's 4b — 1 zone of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in WisconsinZones 2–11Mountain's 155 days clear the ~70 it needs.
azalea, photograph
Wisconsin azalea guideZones 4–8Mountain's 4b is its exact cold limit.
hops, photograph
Hops in WisconsinZones 3–8Mountain's 4b — 1 zone of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–10Mountain's 4b — 1 zone of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in WisconsinMountain's 155 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Wisconsin lilac guideZones 4–10Mountain's 4b is its exact cold limit.
riverbank grape, photograph
Riverbank grape in WisconsinZones 2–8Mountain's 4b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Siberian squill, photograph
Siberian squill: Wisconsin growing notesZones 2–8Mountain's 4b — 2 zones of cold margin.
blue spruce, photograph
Growing blue spruce in WisconsinZones 2–8Mountain's 4b — 2 zones of cold margin.
field pea, photograph
Wisconsin field pea guideZones 2–10Mountain's 155 days clear the ~60 it needs.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in WisconsinZones 2–7Mountain's 4b — 2 zones of cold margin.
American elm, photograph
American elm: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–9Mountain's 4b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Growing triticale in WisconsinMountain's 155 days clear the ~90 it needs.
Canada wild rye, photograph
Wisconsin canada wild rye guideZones 3–8Mountain's 4b — 1 zone of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Mountain?

Rarely: the season closes in stages, not all at once, and each stage has its crops. Cool-season crops can go in from around Apr 9; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near May 7 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 9 — 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 Mountain

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

  1. HANSEN HALFWAY BARUnderground Storage Tanks · 1300 ft
  2. MENTINGS MOBILUnderground Storage Tanks · 1400 ft
  3. MARY JENSENUnderground Storage Tanks · 1400 ft
  4. PARKSIDE SERVICE CENTERUnderground Storage Tanks · 1400 ft
  5. Oconto Cnty Hwy DeptUnderground Storage Tanks · 1600 ft
  6. ROY HITCHCOCKUnderground Storage Tanks · 1800 ft
  7. Riiser Fuels LLC R-Store #44Underground Storage Tanks · 1900 ft
  8. JANSSENS SERVICE STATION*Underground Storage Tanks · 1900 ft
  9. Harvey ColemanUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  10. Knolls ServiceUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  11. PREVEA MOUNTAIN CLINICBrownfields · 1.2 mi
  12. MOUNTAIN AMBULANCE SERVICEUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.6 mi

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

Measured from Mountain'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 Mountain.

Total Sites

69

within ~10 miles of Mountain

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

5 Superfund sites (none NPL-listed)

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Mountain

High0Moderate20Low49

Highest-Severity Sites

Binder Lake Dump Site/Nicolet Nat' Fores
Superfund · Superfund (Non-NPL)
County Trunk Highway 'T' Site/Nicolet NA
Superfund · Superfund (Non-NPL)
Crooked Lake Convenience
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Island Lake Site/Nicolet National Forest
Superfund · Superfund (Non-NPL)
Island Lake Site/Nicolet National Forest
Superfund · Superfund (Non-NPL)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Mountain, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Mountain — Superfund (5 sites) and Underground Storage Tanks (46 sites). That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.

Superfund: Superfund sites represent the most severe contamination in the federal system.

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

Commission professional soil testing before any food production (test for heavy metals, VOCs, and SVOCs).

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

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Mountain

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 Mountain average

Your land is one point inside Mountain

Everything above resolves to Mountain as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 4K 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 Mountain Average

Mountain Average

  • USDA Zones 4b, averaged across Mountain
  • One soil character for all of Mountain
  • Frost dates read at Mountain's scale: May 7 to Oct 9

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Mountain's 4b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Mountain

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Mountain averages 155Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Mountain

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 Mountain’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 Mountain

When does frost risk typically end in Mountain?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Mountain typically lands around May 7, 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 28.

When is the first frost in Mountain?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Mountain typically arrives around Oct 9, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Sep 25, so the watching starts about Sep 9 — about 155 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Mountain?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Mountain sees about 155 frost-free days — roughly May 7 through Oct 9, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 28 to Sep 25, about 120 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Mountain?

The federal record around Mountain is a meaningful one — 69 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (46), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 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 Mountain?

From about Sep 9 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 9 (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 9. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Mountain's scale — its 4b band and its 155-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Mountain'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 Mountain’s own scale

6 of the readings below were taken at Mountain's own scale — its own ~155-day season between 28°F freezes, the 4,301 acres it covers and 69 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Mountain's own USDA hardiness band, zones 4bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Mountain's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about May 7 and Oct 9 and the ~155-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 69 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Mountain, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Mountain's boundary and the 4,301 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 4b and a ~155-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • Mountain sits in the Northern Lakes and Forests — not the ecoregion its county mostly readsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Mountain's 4,301 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Oconto County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Oconto 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 Oconto County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Mountain's 4,301 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Mountain you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 4,301 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 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 Mountain-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address

More in Wisconsin

Wider growing context

What grows across Wisconsin

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