When to plant broccoli in Minneapolis

How to grow Broccoli Minneapolis climate

Where are you growing?

Tight fit

Not realistic in greenhouse

Tight fit in a cold frame

Broccoli in Minneapolis is doable with planning outdoors. 69 suitable days are enough for fast varieties (55 days) but not slow ones (75 days).

Start indoors: February 17 – April 13
Transplant outside: April 7 – June 1
Harvest: June 1 – August 15
Season vs crop: 69 grow days vs 55–75 needed
Typical frost (last spring – first fall): May 12 – October 18

Broccoli in Minneapolis is doable with planning outdoors. 69 suitable days are enough for fast varieties (55 days) but not slow ones (75 days).

Start seeds indoors February 17 – April 13, then transplant April 7 – June 1 so the crop can finish outdoors.

Planting conditions

Start indoors
Harden off
Transplant outside
Grow outdoors
Harvest

Local activity windows for this place and growing method. Blue fill is usually too cold for this plant. Dashed lines are typical last and first frost.

Suitable growing days in a row69

Days to harvest55–75 days from transplant

Feb 17 – Apr 13

Start indoors

Mar 31 – Apr 6

Harden off

April 7

Transplant outside

Apr 8 – May 31

Grow outdoors

Jun 1 – Aug 15

Harvest

Activity	Window	Notes
Start indoors	Feb 17 – Apr 13	Sow indoors before the outdoor window.
Harden off	Mar 31 – Apr 6	Acclimate seedlings outdoors before planting.
Transplant outside	April 7	Move plants outside on this day (start of the plant-out window).
Grow outdoors	Apr 8 – May 31	Plants grow outdoors until harvest.
Harvest	Jun 1 – Aug 15	Expected harvest from typical days to harvest.

Blue fill is usually too cold for this plant. Dashed lines are typical last and first frost. Adjust a week or two for your conditions.

Planting and growing across the year

Planting is the sow / plant-out window. Growing is daytime air versus this plant’s ideal (59 – 75 °F) and tolerable (39 – 81 °F) ranges.

Planting uses sow / plant-out rules (frost, soil germination, night, and last-sow): green when plantable, blue diagonal when nights or soil are too cold, amber cross-hatch when too hot, faint for other calendar limits. Growing shows daytime air against this plant’s ideal and tolerable ranges across the year.

Key dates

Typical last spring frostMay 12

Safer last spring frostMay 12

Typical first fall frostOctober 18

Safer first fall frostOctober 18

Frost-free days158

Earliest indoor seed startFebruary 17

Latest indoor seed startApril 13

Transplant outdoorsApril 7 – June 1

Direct sow windownot recommended here

Suitable growing windowApril 7 – June 14 (69 days)

Expected harvestJune 1 – August 15

How these dates are judged

Ideal conditions: Daytime air from 59 – 75 °F.
Suitable conditions: Daytime air from 39 – 81 °F.
Last frost and first frost: Typical spring and fall frost dates for Minneapolis, shown in the key dates.
Days to harvest: 55–75 days from transplant, from typical days to harvest.
Sowing window: Dated sow and harvest bars use frost dates, soil minima, night limits, and last-sow count-back from typical crop timing. The year strip and weekly chart use the same window: air ratings only colour weeks inside it.

Growing window for Broccoli: Apr 7 – Jun 14 (69 days)

Planting window for Broccoli: Apr 7 – Jun 1 (56 days)

Usually too cold: Jan 1 – Apr 5; Oct 26 – Nov 1; Nov 9 – Dec 31

Outdoors: weekly temperatures and windows

Temperatures across the year for Minneapolis. Shaded bands are this plant’s ideal and tolerable daytime air ranges. Growing is daytime air suitability; Planting is sow / plant-out conditions (same colour language). Window brackets mark each stretch.

Ideal range
Tolerable range
Possible min to max
Average min to max
Suitable
Tolerable
Too cold
Too hot

Selected week · tap a week or use the arrows

Week 15 · Apr 6 – Apr 12

Average 38 to 55 °F · Possible 18 to 82 °F

Growing: too cold (inside window)

Planting: suitable

A week is in range when its average low and high sit inside the tolerance band 39 to 81 °F; it is suitable when that average range also overlaps the ideal 59 to 75 °F band and possible readings stay within 39 °F to 81 °F. Crossing a possible limit, or missing the ideal band, makes it tolerable; a possible low below 39 °F makes it tolerable. When a sowing window is calculated, weeks outside that window are uncoloured even if air is in range.

Based on average frost dates.

Show all 53 weeks

Cover method weekly charts

Outdoor weekly chart is above. Open a cover chart only if you grow under fleece, a cold frame, or an unheated greenhouse.

Other plants for Minneapolis

Calculated by Plan & Plant · Method · Data 2019–2026

Frost and suitability dates are typical figures from climate statistics. Microclimates vary; they are not a guarantee.

How we calculated this

Data: ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo, cell 45.00, -93.30, years 2019–2026 (not a 30-year climate normal yet).
Typical and safer dates: Typical last frost is the date after which half of winters in this sample had no more frost; safer is later in the sample so fewer winters still frosted.
Crop rule: Local windows for Broccoli from frost dates, temperature ratings, and crop timing rules.
Confidence: Provisional — short or thin sample for this place.
Full methodology (algorithm 2026-10-season-6).

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