When to Plant

The old saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers.”

Well, April has certainly lived up to its name, and in just a few days it will be May's turn. So far this April Milwaukee has picked up 5.22” of rainfall. That is over 2” more than an average April and just 2” shy of the record of 7.38” set in 2013. In fact, 5.22” is enough to push 2015 into the 8^th spot in the top 10 wettest April's on record with still a few days to go.

Now that we have seen so much rain, gardeners and farmers want to know when they can plant. The answer is soon! The average date for the last 32 degree freeze in Milwaukee is right around May 1^st.

We had temperatures below freezing as recent as the end of last week. Since May 1^st and the beginning of the month is in the CBS 58 10-day forecast we have an idea on how cold May will start. The coldest temperature currently forecast over the next 10 days is 37° forecast both Monday & Tuesday night, but some of our inland communities may be a little colder.

Considering the nice warm-up moving our way this week, if you are gutsy this week may be a great time to begin planting. Although we wish we could say we won't get below 32° anytime during May, it would unreasonable to do so. So if you choose to plant in the next month, do so at your own risk but knowing the next 7-10 days won't be a problem.