Reference table

Growing Degree Days by City

Look up seasonal growing degree day reference values by city. GDD is a way to compare accumulated warmth, which helps explain why heat-loving crops can mature easily in one place and struggle in another.

Use GDD when frost dates alone do not explain crop performance. A city can have a long frost-free season but cool summers, or a shorter outdoor window with stronger heat. For crops such as tomatoes, peppers, corn, squash, cucumbers, beans, and melons, both time and heat matter.

The table is most useful when you are comparing warm-season crops, choosing between varieties, or trying to understand why a crop has enough calendar days but still struggles to ripen.

Cities listed 428 Cities with seasonal GDD values.

Crop requirements 24 Vegetable heat targets used for maturity planning.

Use this for Heat-loving crops Tomatoes, peppers, corn, squash, cucumbers, and melons.

What growing degree days mean

Growing degree days estimate how much useful heat accumulates during the season. Each crop has a base temperature below which growth is assumed to slow dramatically. Daily heat above that base is added through the season and compared with a crop’s typical heat requirement.

Base 50°F GDD is a common warm-season reference and is useful for comparing heat between cities.
Base 45°F and base 40°F GDD help describe heat accumulation for crops that grow in cooler conditions.
Higher GDD does not replace frost dates. A crop still needs enough time before the first fall frost.

Search growing degree days by city

Search by city, province/state, or country. City names link to local planting-date pages with crop-specific timing.

Showing 428 cities.

City	Region	Country	Base 50°F GDD	Base 45°F GDD	Base 40°F GDD
Airdrie	Alberta	Canada	1339	2122	3043
Banff	Alberta	Canada	503	1088	1843
Brooks	Alberta	Canada	1392	2159	3053
Calgary	Alberta	Canada	841	1527	2345
Camrose	Alberta	Canada	937	1632	2450
Canmore	Alberta	Canada	883	1552	2344
Cochrane	Alberta	Canada	833	1515	2324
Cold Lake	Alberta	Canada	833	1515	2324
Edmonton	Alberta	Canada	679	1326	2110
Edson	Alberta	Canada	833	1515	2324
Fort McMurray	Alberta	Canada	1666	2482	3425
Fort Vermilion	Alberta	Canada	1392	2159	3053
Grande Prairie	Alberta	Canada	912	1600	2457
High Level	Alberta	Canada	1392	2159	3053
Hinton	Alberta	Canada	1107	1837	2692
Lacombe	Alberta	Canada	503	1088	1843
Leduc	Alberta	Canada	325	850	1551
Lethbridge	Alberta	Canada	867	1542	2337
Lloydminster	Alberta	Canada	1028	1723	2532
Medicine Hat	Alberta	Canada	589	1197	1956
Okotoks	Alberta	Canada	867	1542	2337
Peace River	Alberta	Canada	925	1630	2484
Red Deer	Alberta	Canada	589	1197	1956
Rocky Mountain House	Alberta	Canada	952	1648	2484
Slave Lake	Alberta	Canada	1392	2159	3053
Spruce Grove	Alberta	Canada	803	1470	2291
St. Albert	Alberta	Canada	912	1600	2457
Wetaskiwin	Alberta	Canada	1028	1723	2532
Whitecourt	Alberta	Canada	1155	1893	2766
100 Mile House	British Columbia	Canada	819	1505	2339
Abbotsford	British Columbia	Canada	689	1608	2992
Burnaby	British Columbia	Canada	904	1623	2481
Campbell River	British Columbia	Canada	1394	2297	3441
Chilliwack	British Columbia	Canada	1610	2451	3439
Courtenay	British Columbia	Canada	963	1624	2393
Cranbrook	British Columbia	Canada	1099	1866	2781
Fort Nelson	British Columbia	Canada	854	1545	2391
Fort St. John	British Columbia	Canada	679	1342	2193
Kamloops	British Columbia	Canada	679	1342	2193
Kelowna	British Columbia	Canada	1748	2621	3659
Mackenzie	British Columbia	Canada	1742	2615	3655
Nanaimo	British Columbia	Canada	1077	1864	2816
Nelson	British Columbia	Canada	2570	3581	4754
Penticton	British Columbia	Canada	1396	2213	3183
Port Alberni	British Columbia	Canada	1938	3060	4609
Powell River	British Columbia	Canada	1396	2213	3183
Prince George	British Columbia	Canada	287	808	1494
Quesnel	British Columbia	Canada	1610	2451	3439
Revelstoke	British Columbia	Canada	585	1249	2087
Salmon Arm	British Columbia	Canada	689	1608	2992
Smithers	British Columbia	Canada	1742	2615	3655
Surrey	British Columbia	Canada	1809	2847	4147
Terrace	British Columbia	Canada	1748	2621	3659
Vancouver	British Columbia	Canada	1938	3060	4609
Vernon	British Columbia	Canada	1935	2835	3887
Victoria	British Columbia	Canada	689	1608	2992
Whistler	British Columbia	Canada	775	1444	2242
Williams Lake	British Columbia	Canada	830	1535	2387
Brandon	Manitoba	Canada	1089	1781	2579
Dauphin	Manitoba	Canada	1435	2162	2998
Flin Flon	Manitoba	Canada	1135	1784	2538
Morden	Manitoba	Canada	1497	2251	3117
Portage la Prairie	Manitoba	Canada	1586	2348	3219
Selkirk	Manitoba	Canada	703	1241	1889
Steinbach	Manitoba	Canada	1135	1784	2538
Swan River	Manitoba	Canada	1411	2144	2984
The Pas	Manitoba	Canada	1497	2251	3117
Thompson	Manitoba	Canada	1129	1786	2551
Winkler	Manitoba	Canada	1089	1781	2579
Winnipeg	Manitoba	Canada	703	1241	1889
Bathurst	New Brunswick	Canada	1403	2153	3032
Edmundston	New Brunswick	Canada	1184	1913	2762
Fredericton	New Brunswick	Canada	1140	1902	2817
Miramichi	New Brunswick	Canada	1523	2330	3280
Moncton	New Brunswick	Canada	1474	2257	3176
Saint John	New Brunswick	Canada	1051	1851	2831
Corner Brook	Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada	2260	3196	4269
Gander	Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada	1357	2096	2956
St. John's	Newfoundland and Labrador	Canada	1579	2389	3351
Hay River	Northwest Territories	Canada	0	83	386
Yellowknife	Northwest Territories	Canada	725	1287	1960
Amherst	Nova Scotia	Canada	1241	2037	2990
Bridgewater	Nova Scotia	Canada	1639	2476	3479
Halifax	Nova Scotia	Canada	1579	2389	3351
Kentville	Nova Scotia	Canada	1311	2157	3219
New Glasgow	Nova Scotia	Canada	1448	2257	3234
Sydney	Nova Scotia	Canada	1277	2031	2952
Truro	Nova Scotia	Canada	1282	2128	3158
Yarmouth	Nova Scotia	Canada	1311	2157	3219
Aurora	Ontario	Canada	2396	3341	4427
Barrie	Ontario	Canada	808	1431	2181
Belleville	Ontario	Canada	1873	2762	3788
Brantford	Ontario	Canada	2274	3213	4288
Burlington	Ontario	Canada	2134	3039	4076
Cambridge	Ontario	Canada	1176	1860	2652
Chapleau	Ontario	Canada	2134	3039	4076
Chatham-Kent	Ontario	Canada	873	1486	2210
Cochrane	Ontario	Canada	1925	2777	3748
Cornwall	Ontario	Canada	2372	3282	4314
Dryden	Ontario	Canada	2561	3524	4627
Elliot Lake	Ontario	Canada	2167	3076	4131
Guelph	Ontario	Canada	873	1486	2210
Hamilton	Ontario	Canada	2181	3101	4154
Kapuskasing	Ontario	Canada	2285	3214	4280
Kenora	Ontario	Canada	1911	2774	3763
Kingston	Ontario	Canada	1352	2123	3014
Kitchener	Ontario	Canada	1063	1715	2498
Leamington	Ontario	Canada	1946	2801	3777
London	Ontario	Canada	1873	2762	3788
Markham	Ontario	Canada	2561	3524	4627
Milton	Ontario	Canada	2260	3196	4269
Mississauga	Ontario	Canada	2274	3213	4288
Moosonee	Ontario	Canada	1925	2777	3748
Newmarket	Ontario	Canada	1714	2551	3513
Niagara Falls	Ontario	Canada	1275	1997	2822
North Bay	Ontario	Canada	1932	2801	3801
Oakville	Ontario	Canada	2396	3341	4427
Orillia	Ontario	Canada	1873	2762	3788
Oshawa	Ontario	Canada	1873	2762	3788
Ottawa	Ontario	Canada	2170	3069	4096
Owen Sound	Ontario	Canada	808	1431	2181
Peterborough	Ontario	Canada	1946	2801	3777
Pickering	Ontario	Canada	1724	2568	3543
Red Lake	Ontario	Canada	1530	2327	3248
Richmond Hill	Ontario	Canada	2274	3213	4288
Sault Ste. Marie	Ontario	Canada	2372	3282	4314
Sioux Lookout	Ontario	Canada	2999	4020	5176
St. Catharines	Ontario	Canada	1973	2831	3811
Stratford	Ontario	Canada	2005	2886	3911
Sudbury	Ontario	Canada	1973	2831	3811
Thunder Bay	Ontario	Canada	2260	3196	4269
Timmins	Ontario	Canada	1297	2058	2950
Toronto	Ontario	Canada	1634	2443	3380
Vaughan	Ontario	Canada	1063	1715	2498
Waterloo	Ontario	Canada	1946	2801	3777
Wawa	Ontario	Canada	1153	1853	2677
Welland	Ontario	Canada	1709	2544	3508
Whitby	Ontario	Canada	730	1300	1984
Windsor	Ontario	Canada	2274	3213	4288
Woodstock	Ontario	Canada	1352	2123	3014
Charlottetown	Prince Edward Island	Canada	1503	2297	3237
Summerside	Prince Edward Island	Canada	1505	2303	3247
Amos	Quebec	Canada	1952	2795	3754
Baie-Comeau	Quebec	Canada	2207	3099	4110
Chibougamau	Quebec	Canada	758	1384	2153
Drummondville	Quebec	Canada	2091	2959	3945
Forestville	Quebec	Canada	1061	1766	2600
Gatineau	Quebec	Canada	2170	3069	4096
Granby	Quebec	Canada	1977	2838	3818
Matagami	Quebec	Canada	1601	2388	3290
Montreal	Quebec	Canada	1403	2181	3071
Quebec City	Quebec	Canada	1403	2181	3071
Repentigny	Quebec	Canada	1952	2795	3754
Rimouski	Quebec	Canada	1371	2130	3017
Rouyn-Noranda	Quebec	Canada	1156	1870	2711
Saguenay	Quebec	Canada	955	1634	2425
Saint-Hyacinthe	Quebec	Canada	955	1634	2425
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu	Quebec	Canada	1360	2102	2954
Sept-Îles	Quebec	Canada	71	371	834
Shawinigan	Quebec	Canada	1527	2313	3219
Sherbrooke	Quebec	Canada	1460	2250	3164
Terrebonne	Quebec	Canada	1896	2756	3741
Trois-Rivières	Quebec	Canada	1953	2793	3748
Val-d'Or	Quebec	Canada	758	1384	2153
Estevan	Saskatchewan	Canada	1461	2211	3075
Humboldt	Saskatchewan	Canada	1412	2165	3033
Kindersley	Saskatchewan	Canada	640	1172	1818
La Ronge	Saskatchewan	Canada	1036	1705	2485
Meadow Lake	Saskatchewan	Canada	678	1224	1883
Melfort	Saskatchewan	Canada	901	1564	2343
North Battleford	Saskatchewan	Canada	1117	1822	2636
Prince Albert	Saskatchewan	Canada	870	1473	2185
Regina	Saskatchewan	Canada	901	1564	2343
Saskatoon	Saskatchewan	Canada	901	1564	2343
Swift Current	Saskatchewan	Canada	1112	1805	2601
Weyburn	Saskatchewan	Canada	1421	2180	3057
Yorkton	Saskatchewan	Canada	1227	1935	2750
Whitehorse	Yukon	Canada	1474	2257	3176
Anchorage	Alaska	United States	740	1396	2198
Homer	Alaska	United States	324	866	1627
Juneau	Alaska	United States	678	1431	2362
Kenai	Alaska	United States	391	930	1664
Palmer	Alaska	United States	700	1356	2167
Soldotna	Alaska	United States	391	930	1664
Wasilla	Alaska	United States	700	1356	2167
Alamosa	Colorado	United States	1434	2226	3167
Boulder	Colorado	United States	2540	3553	4772
Colorado Springs	Colorado	United States	2502	3457	4613
Denver	Colorado	United States	3106	4173	5408
Durango	Colorado	United States	382	903	1591
Fort Collins	Colorado	United States	2548	3542	4723
Grand Junction	Colorado	United States	3744	4879	6148
Greeley	Colorado	United States	2981	4037	5245
Longmont	Colorado	United States	2530	3477	4631
Loveland	Colorado	United States	2141	3021	4107
Montrose	Colorado	United States	1372	2118	3008
Pueblo	Colorado	United States	3257	4327	5557
Sterling	Colorado	United States	3027	4028	5198
Boise	Idaho	United States	3131	4199	5450
Coeur d'Alene	Idaho	United States	2090	2996	4076
Idaho Falls	Idaho	United States	2001	2861	3900
Lewiston	Idaho	United States	2566	3586	4793
Moscow	Idaho	United States	1501	2352	3388
Nampa	Idaho	United States	2819	3858	5083
Pocatello	Idaho	United States	2382	3291	4382
Rexburg	Idaho	United States	2001	2861	3900
Sandpoint	Idaho	United States	1632	2473	3476
Twin Falls	Idaho	United States	2352	3267	4380
Bloomington	Illinois	United States	3129	4154	5301
Carbondale	Illinois	United States	3906	5086	6415
Champaign	Illinois	United States	3358	4423	5610
Decatur	Illinois	United States	3523	4620	5845
Peoria	Illinois	United States	3449	4528	5729
Quincy	Illinois	United States	3634	4732	5953
Rockford	Illinois	United States	2888	3882	4999
Springfield	Illinois	United States	3377	4459	5670
Bloomington	Indiana	United States	3435	4577	5852
Evansville	Indiana	United States	4578	5830	7247
Fort Wayne	Indiana	United States	2976	4001	5152
Indianapolis	Indiana	United States	3477	4578	5809
Lafayette	Indiana	United States	3048	4092	5264
South Bend	Indiana	United States	2821	3808	4929
Terre Haute	Indiana	United States	3955	5098	6371
Ames	Iowa	United States	2822	3802	4902
Cedar Rapids	Iowa	United States	2756	3729	4821
Council Bluffs	Iowa	United States	3565	4630	5812
Davenport	Iowa	United States	3095	4113	5247
Decorah	Iowa	United States	2876	3865	4965
Des Moines	Iowa	United States	3044	4039	5156
Dubuque	Iowa	United States	2551	3497	4565
Iowa City	Iowa	United States	2756	3729	4821
Mason City	Iowa	United States	2451	3360	4381
Sioux City	Iowa	United States	2840	3789	4861
Waterloo	Iowa	United States	2999	3985	5086
Emporia	Kansas	United States	3540	4641	5875
Hays	Kansas	United States	3900	5029	6292
Lawrence	Kansas	United States	3863	4992	6246
Manhattan	Kansas	United States	3917	5039	6289
Salina	Kansas	United States	4056	5205	6477
Topeka	Kansas	United States	3807	4941	6201
Wichita	Kansas	United States	4228	5421	6740
Augusta	Maine	United States	2159	3057	4082
Bangor	Maine	United States	2035	2907	3911
Houlton	Maine	United States	1918	2756	3714
Lewiston	Maine	United States	2078	2968	3998
Millinocket	Maine	United States	1918	2756	3714
Portland	Maine	United States	2199	3118	4179
Presque Isle	Maine	United States	1918	2756	3714
Boston	Massachusetts	United States	2875	3892	5052
Lowell	Massachusetts	United States	2703	3711	4857
Springfield	Massachusetts	United States	2638	3610	4714
Worcester	Massachusetts	United States	2322	3268	4346
Ann Arbor	Michigan	United States	2483	3422	4492
Battle Creek	Michigan	United States	2498	3433	4497
Detroit	Michigan	United States	2718	3692	4795
Escanaba	Michigan	United States	1652	2450	3373
Flint	Michigan	United States	2371	3295	4347
Grand Rapids	Michigan	United States	2540	3478	4547
Holland	Michigan	United States	2350	3286	4349
Houghton	Michigan	United States	1438	2196	3071
Iron River	Michigan	United States	1560	2327	3203
Ironwood	Michigan	United States	1675	2463	3369
Jackson	Michigan	United States	2559	3533	4636
Kalamazoo	Michigan	United States	2512	3458	4534
Lansing	Michigan	United States	2498	3433	4497
Marquette	Michigan	United States	1607	2400	3317
Munising	Michigan	United States	1345	2100	2971
Muskegon	Michigan	United States	2559	3528	4633
Saginaw	Michigan	United States	2407	3337	4393
Sault Ste. Marie	Michigan	United States	1962	2802	3771
Traverse City	Michigan	United States	2258	3153	4180
Alexandria	Minnesota	United States	2188	3034	3984
Bemidji	Minnesota	United States	1856	2646	3541
Brainerd	Minnesota	United States	2030	2868	3818
Crookston	Minnesota	United States	1689	2477	3370
Duluth	Minnesota	United States	1539	2297	3186
Grand Rapids	Minnesota	United States	1712	2499	3397
Hibbing	Minnesota	United States	1185	1895	2724
International Falls	Minnesota	United States	1341	2066	2899
Mankato	Minnesota	United States	2472	3376	4391
Minneapolis	Minnesota	United States	2643	3546	4554
Moorhead	Minnesota	United States	2299	3149	4100
Owatonna	Minnesota	United States	2448	3341	4344
Rochester	Minnesota	United States	2324	3219	4228
Roseau	Minnesota	United States	1936	2758	3681
Saint Paul	Minnesota	United States	2771	3709	4755
St. Cloud	Minnesota	United States	2145	2998	3959
Thief River Falls	Minnesota	United States	1936	2758	3681
Virginia	Minnesota	United States	1568	2328	3197
Warroad	Minnesota	United States	1936	2758	3681
Willmar	Minnesota	United States	2231	3094	4062
Winona	Minnesota	United States	2867	3841	4925
Columbia	Missouri	United States	4005	5184	6494
Jefferson City	Missouri	United States	3981	5162	6478
Kansas City	Missouri	United States	4271	5452	6763
Kirksville	Missouri	United States	3182	4223	5390
Springfield	Missouri	United States	3923	5112	6442
St. Joseph	Missouri	United States	3624	4730	5957
St. Louis	Missouri	United States	4424	5640	6999
Billings	Montana	United States	2146	3025	4071
Bozeman	Montana	United States	1532	2324	3266
Butte	Montana	United States	1057	1746	2565
Cut Bank	Montana	United States	1287	2023	2889
Great Falls	Montana	United States	1456	2235	3144
Helena	Montana	United States	1029	1717	2541
Kalispell	Montana	United States	1465	2264	3215
Lewistown	Montana	United States	1172	1903	2759
Miles City	Montana	United States	2082	2903	3859
Missoula	Montana	United States	1923	2770	3783
Sidney	Montana	United States	2354	3244	4250
Whitefish	Montana	United States	893	1575	2391
Wolf Point	Montana	United States	1802	2602	3518
Grand Island	Nebraska	United States	3314	4350	5518
Hastings	Nebraska	United States	3300	4341	5512
Kearney	Nebraska	United States	2904	3882	4998
Lincoln	Nebraska	United States	3499	4554	5731
Norfolk	Nebraska	United States	2739	3685	4760
North Platte	Nebraska	United States	2681	3613	4707
Omaha	Nebraska	United States	3565	4630	5812
Scottsbluff	Nebraska	United States	2559	3469	4562
Berlin	New Hampshire	United States	1678	2504	3447
Concord	New Hampshire	United States	1870	2724	3723
Keene	New Hampshire	United States	2014	2885	3881
Littleton	New Hampshire	United States	1694	2505	3439
Manchester	New Hampshire	United States	2113	2999	4019
Nashua	New Hampshire	United States	1931	2806	3819
Portsmouth	New Hampshire	United States	2225	3152	4216
Albany	New York	United States	2728	3705	4809
Binghamton	New York	United States	2078	2981	4011
Buffalo	New York	United States	2534	3488	4572
Ithaca	New York	United States	2071	2967	3993
Malone	New York	United States	2034	2898	3877
Massena	New York	United States	2075	2947	3935
Plattsburgh	New York	United States	2095	2978	3983
Rochester	New York	United States	2488	3434	4516
Saranac Lake	New York	United States	2316	3226	4253
Syracuse	New York	United States	2536	3493	4577
Watertown	New York	United States	2364	3274	4305
Bismarck	North Dakota	United States	2002	2822	3748
Bottineau	North Dakota	United States	1864	2658	3556
Devils Lake	North Dakota	United States	1732	2505	3381
Dickinson	North Dakota	United States	1840	2625	3527
Fargo	North Dakota	United States	2247	3098	4050
Grafton	North Dakota	United States	1697	2472	3350
Grand Forks	North Dakota	United States	2035	2855	3777
Jamestown	North Dakota	United States	2197	3037	3983
Minot	North Dakota	United States	1590	2344	3206
Rugby	North Dakota	United States	1732	2505	3381
Valley City	North Dakota	United States	2077	2895	3815
Williston	North Dakota	United States	1990	2799	3722
Akron	Ohio	United States	2560	3531	4632
Cincinnati	Ohio	United States	3536	4663	5938
Cleveland	Ohio	United States	3134	4193	5383
Columbus	Ohio	United States	3258	4327	5527
Dayton	Ohio	United States	3513	4618	5853
Toledo	Ohio	United States	3089	4118	5274
Albany	Oregon	United States	2139	3269	4755
Ashland	Oregon	United States	2177	3210	4566
Bend	Oregon	United States	1560	2413	3471
Corvallis	Oregon	United States	2139	3269	4755
Eugene	Oregon	United States	2145	3294	4807
Hood River	Oregon	United States	1470	2355	3467
La Grande	Oregon	United States	2127	3048	4173
Medford	Oregon	United States	3173	4386	5868
Pendleton	Oregon	United States	2681	3772	5056
Portland	Oregon	United States	2554	3798	5411
Roseburg	Oregon	United States	2972	4296	6011
Salem	Oregon	United States	2411	3606	5191
Allentown	Pennsylvania	United States	2890	3926	5102
Erie	Pennsylvania	United States	2849	3853	4981
Harrisburg	Pennsylvania	United States	3042	4077	5249
Lancaster	Pennsylvania	United States	2830	3858	5025
Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	United States	3043	4109	5308
Scranton	Pennsylvania	United States	2910	3941	5105
Aberdeen	South Dakota	United States	2236	3078	4025
Brookings	South Dakota	United States	2212	3061	4020
Rapid City	South Dakota	United States	2402	3276	4304
Sioux Falls	South Dakota	United States	2793	3727	4779
Spearfish	South Dakota	United States	2085	2917	3904
Watertown	South Dakota	United States	2201	3045	3997
Burlington	Vermont	United States	2316	3226	4253
Montpelier	Vermont	United States	1768	2603	3554
Newport	Vermont	United States	1269	2011	2876
Rutland	Vermont	United States	1897	2755	3738
St. Johnsbury	Vermont	United States	1694	2505	3439
Bellingham	Washington	United States	1755	2875	4360
Bremerton	Washington	United States	1946	3045	4498
Everett	Washington	United States	1864	2973	4440
Moses Lake	Washington	United States	2605	3638	4835
Mount Vernon	Washington	United States	1647	2742	4207
Olympia	Washington	United States	1612	2604	3911
Port Angeles	Washington	United States	1289	2277	3660
Seattle	Washington	United States	2265	3447	5070
Spokane	Washington	United States	2296	3241	4373
Tacoma	Washington	United States	1797	2887	4376
Vancouver	Washington	United States	1791	2813	4128
Walla Walla	Washington	United States	2472	3517	4749
Wenatchee	Washington	United States	3074	4127	5329
Yakima	Washington	United States	2933	4016	5287
Appleton	Wisconsin	United States	2355	3244	4250
Ashland	Wisconsin	United States	1675	2463	3369
Eau Claire	Wisconsin	United States	2339	3226	4226
Green Bay	Wisconsin	United States	2267	3160	4177
Hayward	Wisconsin	United States	1726	2535	3463
Janesville	Wisconsin	United States	2557	3497	4557
Kenosha	Wisconsin	United States	2458	3403	4482
La Crosse	Wisconsin	United States	2357	3271	4297
Madison	Wisconsin	United States	2461	3379	4414
Manitowoc	Wisconsin	United States	1827	2659	3632
Merrill	Wisconsin	United States	1914	2733	3664
Milwaukee	Wisconsin	United States	2623	3570	4639
Oshkosh	Wisconsin	United States	2355	3244	4250
Racine	Wisconsin	United States	2271	3174	4214
Rhinelander	Wisconsin	United States	1540	2297	3164
Rice Lake	Wisconsin	United States	1717	2524	3448
Sheboygan	Wisconsin	United States	2409	3323	4366
Stevens Point	Wisconsin	United States	2096	2960	3943
Superior	Wisconsin	United States	1666	2451	3358
Wausau	Wisconsin	United States	2072	2926	3894
Casper	Wyoming	United States	1970	2762	3706
Cheyenne	Wyoming	United States	1963	2774	3754
Cody	Wyoming	United States	750	1365	2118
Gillette	Wyoming	United States	2021	2821	3772
Jackson	Wyoming	United States	856	1530	2345
Laramie	Wyoming	United States	1489	2221	3071
Riverton	Wyoming	United States	2057	2869	3836
Rock Springs	Wyoming	United States	1841	2661	3640
Sheridan	Wyoming	United States	1953	2763	3729

Visual comparisons

To compare seasonal heat against frost-free days, see Long Season vs Warm Season. For a map-style overview of Canadian garden climate patterns, see the Canada Garden Climate Atlas.

How to use GDD with frost dates

GDD helps estimate whether a season has enough heat, while frost dates estimate how much outdoor time is available. A warm city with an early fall frost can still be tight for long-season crops, and a city with many frost-free days can still feel cool for peppers or melons. Compare this table with Frost Dates by City before making crop decisions.

For a ranked comparison of high-heat locations, see Canadian Cities With the Highest Growing Degree Days.

Example crop GDD requirements

These examples show why high-GDD cities are usually more forgiving for warm-season crops. Crops with higher targets need more accumulated heat before frost.

Crop	Base temperature	Typical GDD target	Category
Watermelon	50°F	1350	warm-season
Pepper	50°F	1300	warm-season
Winter squash	50°F	1300	warm-season
Pumpkin	50°F	1300	warm-season
Melon	50°F	1200	warm-season
Tomato	50°F	1200	warm-season
Sweet corn	50°F	1100	warm-season
Bean	50°F	900	warm-season
Cucumber	50°F	800	warm-season
Zucchini	50°F	750	warm-season

Open the full crop heat requirements table

Important limitations

GDD is a useful maturity signal, but it does not capture everything that affects a garden. Soil temperature, variety behavior, irrigation, wind, pests, cloud cover, transplant stress, and microclimate can all change real-world outcomes. Treat GDD as a planning model, not a harvest guarantee.

Open the GDD planner