Plan your vegetable garden in Michigan

All the statistical weather information you need to prepare a bulletproof plan for your garden in Michigan

Temperature range in Michigan

Michigan has temperatures ranging from -9°F to 90°F, with approximately 171 frost free days.

Michigan has 143 days with average temperature range from 50°F to 90°F that are suitable for growing warm season vegetables and 159 days with average temperature range from 40°F to 80°F that are suitable for growing cool season vegetables

Chart displaying weekly air temperature in Michigan

Michigan air temperature chart based on weather statistics from 2019 to 2023

Total frost free days (after last frost and before first frost)171
Total days suitable to grow warm season vegetables143
Total days suitable to grow cool season vegetables159
Day with highest recorded temperature in past 4 yearsJune 21: 90°F
Day with lowest recorded temperature in past 4 yearsJanuary 31: -9°F
First expected frost dateOctober 31
Last expected frost dateMay 13

Notable temperature facts for gardening in Michigan

Warm season vegetables you can grow in Michigan

Chart displaying days suitable for growing warm season vegetables in Michigan

Days suitable for growing warm season vegetables in Michigan

Warm season vegetables can be planted in Michigan after May 19 when air temperatures are consistently above 50°F (10°C) and soil temperature is above 50°F (10°C)

Good temperature range for warm season vegetables is between 50°F and 90°F. With warm season vegetables it is important to wait until all conditions are optimal, because sudden temperature drop can stun new vegetable growth, this way delaying overall harvest.

Warm season vegetables that can be planted directly into soil in Michigan

Cool season vegetables you can grow in Michigan

Chart displaying days suitable for growing cool season vegetables in Michigan

Days suitable for growing cool season vegetables in Michigan

Cool season vegetables can be planted in Michigan after May 11 when average air temperature is consistently above 40°F (4°C) and soil temperature is above 45°F (7°C)

Good temperature range for cool season vegetables is between 40°F and 80°F. With cool season vegetables it is important to avoid high air temperatures because exposure to high temperatures is most likely to stun growth, cause bitterness and encourage premature bolting in some plants. Plan your cool vegetable planting so they are harvested before hot weather stretch, provide them with additional shading.

Cool season vegetables that can be planted directly into soil in Michigan
Cool season vegetables that need to be started indoors before transplanting outdoors in Michigan

Table with days suitable to grow vegetables in Michigan

Tolerable temperature range for cool season vegetables: 40°F to 80°F

Tolerable temperature range for warm season vegetables: 50°F to 90°F

WeekAverage temperaturePossible min and max temperatureSuitable for cool season vegetablesSuitable for warm season vegetables
1January 01 - January 0325°F to 35°F9°F to 43°F
2January 04 - January 1024°F to 34°F5°F to 46°F
3January 11 - January 1722°F to 33°F1°F to 46°F
4January 18 - January 2418°F to 29°F-6°F to 41°F
5January 25 - January 3113°F to 25°F-9°F to 37°F
6February 01 - February 0718°F to 31°F-6°F to 47°F
7February 08 - February 1416°F to 30°F-2°F to 49°F
8February 15 - February 2116°F to 31°F-2°F to 48°F
9February 22 - February 2822°F to 34°F8°F to 47°F
10March 01 - March 0722°F to 37°F2°F to 53°F
11March 08 - March 1427°F to 42°F8°F to 58°F
12March 15 - March 2129°F to 45°F18°F to 60°F
13March 22 - March 2831°F to 45°F17°F to 62°F
14March 29 - April 0432°F to 47°F19°F to 61°F
15April 05 - April 1139°F to 55°F28°F to 71°F
16April 12 - April 1837°F to 52°F26°F to 75°F
17April 19 - April 2537°F to 53°F27°F to 72°F
18April 26 - May 0239°F to 54°F29°F to 73°FTRUE
19May 03 - May 0942°F to 58°F33°F to 70°FTRUE
20May 10 - May 1645°F to 63°F29°F to 80°FTRUE
21May 17 - May 2351°F to 67°F40°F to 80°FTRUETRUE
22May 24 - May 3054°F to 71°F42°F to 83°FTRUETRUE
23May 31 - June 0656°F to 74°F44°F to 85°FTRUETRUE
24June 07 - June 1357°F to 73°F48°F to 85°FTRUETRUE
25June 14 - June 2057°F to 75°F48°F to 87°FTRUETRUE
26June 21 - June 2762°F to 77°F48°F to 90°FTRUETRUE
27June 28 - July 0464°F to 81°F54°F to 87°FTRUETRUE
28July 05 - July 1165°F to 80°F56°F to 89°FTRUETRUE
29July 12 - July 1864°F to 78°F57°F to 85°FTRUETRUE
30July 19 - July 2565°F to 80°F57°F to 88°FTRUETRUE
31July 26 - August 0165°F to 79°F57°F to 87°FTRUETRUE
32August 02 - August 0864°F to 79°F55°F to 86°FTRUETRUE
33August 09 - August 1564°F to 78°F56°F to 85°FTRUETRUE
34August 16 - August 2263°F to 78°F55°F to 85°FTRUETRUE
35August 23 - August 2964°F to 79°F53°F to 87°FTRUETRUE
36August 30 - September 0561°F to 75°F52°F to 86°FTRUETRUE
37September 06 - September 1259°F to 72°F51°F to 81°FTRUETRUE
38September 13 - September 1958°F to 72°F46°F to 80°FTRUETRUE
39September 20 - September 2657°F to 70°F42°F to 82°FTRUETRUE
40September 27 - October 0354°F to 67°F41°F to 81°FTRUETRUE
41October 04 - October 1051°F to 63°F39°F to 78°FTRUETRUE
42October 11 - October 1748°F to 59°F37°F to 76°FTRUE
43October 18 - October 2445°F to 57°F36°F to 71°FTRUE
44October 25 - October 3142°F to 52°F31°F to 68°FTRUE
45November 01 - November 0739°F to 51°F27°F to 66°F
46November 08 - November 1437°F to 48°F9°F to 70°F
47November 15 - November 2131°F to 42°F16°F to 59°F
48November 22 - November 2831°F to 41°F19°F to 51°F
49November 29 - December 0530°F to 39°F21°F to 50°F
50December 06 - December 1229°F to 39°F15°F to 53°F
51December 13 - December 1928°F to 37°F11°F to 59°F
52December 20 - December 2627°F to 38°F7°F to 53°F
53December 27 - December 3129°F to 38°F14°F to 50°F

Table with days suitable to grow vegetables in Michigan