One of the first steps you take when you are figuring out your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

One way of estimating when it's the best time to plant brussels sprouts is to use the USDA zone info for Madison.

Planting Calendar for Brussels Sprouts

Frost tolerance for brussels sprouts:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

You can plant brussels sprouts a little bit earlier in the year because they are moderately cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant brussels sprouts in Madison is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant brussels sprouts and expect a good harvest is probably September. If you wait any later than that and your brussels sprouts may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your brussels sprouts indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on March 15 in Madison. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of 10°F.

Always keep in mind that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Madison and it is different every year. Since half of the time in Madison you get a frost after March 15 be ready to cover your brussels sprouts in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Madison

Here is the info for USDA Zone 8a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	March 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	November 15
Lowest Expected Low	10°F
Highest Expected Low	15°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 10°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 15°F.

Plants to Grow in Madison

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Madison.