What Grows in Ogdensburg, Wisconsin

USDA Zones 5a · 623 acres

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

Expect cabbage, cranberry, lavender, and collard greens to be strong candidates here; the deciding factors on any one parcel stay local — soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Ogdensburg — the short answer

Ogdensburg, Wisconsin: USDA zone 5a, about 174 days between hard freezes, across 623 acres of town.

USDA zone
5a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 25
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 16
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~174
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
623 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 Ogdensburg's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Ogdensburg's 174-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Ogdensburg

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

Season length

Measured

Ogdensburg runs about 174 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

Ogdensburg 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 Ogdensburg is in

Ogdensburg sits in the North Central Hardwood Forests — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Ogdensburg's own centroid rather than borrowed from Waupaca County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Ogdensburg

Every plant below cleared Ogdensburg's own zone 5a and its 174-day season. Each card opens that plant's Wisconsin profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in WisconsinZones 2–11Ogdensburg's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
cranberry, photograph
Wisconsin cranberry guideZones 2–7Ogdensburg's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in WisconsinZones 5–8Ogdensburg's 5a is its exact cold limit.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Wisconsin growing notesZones 2–11Ogdensburg's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Growing hazelnut in WisconsinZones 4–9Ogdensburg's 5a — 1 zone of cold margin.
French tarragon, photograph
Wisconsin french tarragon guideZones 3–7Ogdensburg's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in WisconsinZones 2–10Ogdensburg's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
blueberry, photograph
Blueberry: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–8Ogdensburg's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
St. Johns wort, photograph
Growing st. johns wort in WisconsinZones 3–8Ogdensburg's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Wisconsin kale guideZones 2–11Ogdensburg's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Blackberry in WisconsinZones 5–8Ogdensburg's 5a is its exact cold limit.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Wisconsin growing notesZones 2–11Ogdensburg's 174 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Growing okra in WisconsinZones 2–12Ogdensburg's 174 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Wisconsin potato guideZones 2–11Ogdensburg's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Pumpkin in WisconsinZones 3–11Ogdensburg's 174 days clear the ~40 it needs.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–8Ogdensburg's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in WisconsinZones 2–11Ogdensburg's 174 days clear the ~70 it needs.
azalea, photograph
Wisconsin azalea guideZones 4–8Ogdensburg's 5a — 1 zone of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in WisconsinZones 3–8Ogdensburg's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–10Ogdensburg's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in WisconsinOgdensburg's 174 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Wisconsin lilac guideZones 4–10Ogdensburg's 5a — 1 zone of cold margin.
American bittersweet, photograph
American bittersweet in WisconsinZones 3–8Ogdensburg's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Canada anemone, photograph
Canada anemone: Wisconsin growing notesZones 3–8Ogdensburg's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in WisconsinZones 3–9Ogdensburg's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Wisconsin alfalfa guideZones 2–10Ogdensburg's 174 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in WisconsinZones 2–7Ogdensburg's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
blue spruce, photograph
Blue spruce: Wisconsin growing notesZones 2–8Ogdensburg's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
annual ryegrass, photograph
Growing annual ryegrass in WisconsinZones 3–10Ogdensburg's 174 days clear the ~90 it needs.
Canada wild rye, photograph
Wisconsin canada wild rye guideZones 3–8Ogdensburg's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Ogdensburg?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 28; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 25 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 16 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. As the window narrows, the plantings just get faster — fall brassicas, then greens, then garlic to finish.

What's on the federal record near Ogdensburg

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

  1. CENTRAL CNTY AIRPORTUnderground Storage Tanks · 2300 ft
  2. OGDENSBURG GARAGEUnderground Storage Tanks · 2300 ft
  3. WINGS INNUnderground Storage Tanks · 2300 ft
  4. CHARLES JOHNSONUnderground Storage Tanks · 2300 ft
  5. MIKE JOHNSONUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.8 mi
  6. ARNOLD TENNERMANNUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.9 mi
  7. WAUPACA CNTY PROCESSING & TRANSFERBrownfields · 2.5 mi
  8. SIEGEL RECYCLING LLCToxics Release Inventory · 3.7 mi
  9. Waupaca County Hwy Dept Helvitia ShopUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.7 mi
  10. Sandbur Corners LLCUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.7 mi
  11. Club 161Underground Storage Tanks · 3.9 mi
  12. WP-24/12E/33-0606Nitrate · 4.0 mi

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

Measured from Ogdensburg'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 Ogdensburg.

Total Sites

276

within ~10 miles of Ogdensburg

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

1 Superfund site (none NPL-listed)

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Ogdensburg

High0Moderate55Low221

Highest-Severity Sites

Agropur INC
Toxics Release Inventory · 54983wywgm105e3
Alliance Industries
Toxics Release Inventory · 5498WLLNCNSUTHI
Alliance Industries INC - Waupaca - Vaughn Road
Toxics Release Inventory · 5498wllncnn2469
Alliance-Industries INC - Waupaca - Vaughn Road
Toxics Release Inventory · 54981wpcpln2469
Chs Larsen Cooperative - Weyauwega Feed
Toxics Release Inventory · 5498wchslr849ma

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Ogdensburg, Underground Storage Tanks runs higher than the national average — 194 sites within ~10 miles of Ogdensburg. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

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

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

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Ogdensburg

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 Ogdensburg average

Your land is one point inside Ogdensburg

Everything above resolves to Ogdensburg as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 623 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 Ogdensburg Average

Ogdensburg Average

  • USDA Zones 5a, averaged across Ogdensburg
  • One soil character for all of Ogdensburg
  • Frost dates read at Ogdensburg's scale: Apr 25 to Oct 16

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Ogdensburg

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Ogdensburg averages 174Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Ogdensburg

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 Ogdensburg’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 Ogdensburg

When does frost risk typically end in Ogdensburg?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Ogdensburg typically lands around Apr 25, 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 16.

When is the first frost in Ogdensburg?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Ogdensburg typically arrives around Oct 16, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 2, so the watching starts about Sep 16 — about 174 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Ogdensburg?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Ogdensburg sees about 174 frost-free days — roughly Apr 25 through Oct 16, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 16 to Oct 2, about 139 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Ogdensburg?

The federal record around Ogdensburg is a meaningful one — 276 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (194), 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 Ogdensburg?

From about Sep 16 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 16 (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 16. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Ogdensburg's scale — its 5a band and its 174-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Ogdensburg'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 Ogdensburg’s own scale

6 of the readings below were taken at Ogdensburg's own scale — its own ~174-day season between 28°F freezes, the 623 acres it covers and 276 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Ogdensburg's own USDA hardiness band, zones 5aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Ogdensburg's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 25 and Oct 16 and the ~174-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 276 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Ogdensburg, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.4 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Ogdensburg's boundary and the 623 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 5a and a ~174-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Ogdensburg's own centroid, the North Central Hardwood ForestsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Ogdensburg's 623 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Waupaca County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Waupaca 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 Waupaca County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Ogdensburg's 623 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Ogdensburg you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 623 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 Ogdensburg-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address

More in Wisconsin

Wider growing context

What grows across Wisconsin

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