September in Montana means garlic and shallots go into the ground, spring bulbs get tucked in for their winter nap, and cold frames start earning their…

October in Montana means one thing above all: the first fall frost is landing somewhere in the state, often statewide.

By November, most of Montana has already crossed its first fall frost, so the open garden is done for the season in nearly every county.

Early May in Montana still sits inside the frost window for much of the state, so the safe planting list for this month splits in two: hardy crops that…

Direct answer: almost nothing goes into open Montana ground in March. NOAA’s 1991-2020 Climate Normals for Billings put the last spring freeze between…

June is the safest planting month on the Montana calendar. By the time the calendar turns, most valleys have already cleared the last spring frost window…

July in Montana means the frost risk has passed almost everywhere in the valleys, and the clock is now running the other direction: toward the first fall…

Short answer: statewide, January is not a month for open-ground planting in Montana.

In February, nothing goes into open garden soil anywhere in Montana. The state’s last spring frost falls between April 29 and May 10 in the Billings…

Nothing goes into open ground in Montana in December. The soil is frozen across nearly the entire state, and the growing season won’t reopen until the…