What to Plant in Idaho in June
June is the green light for Idaho gardens in the valleys, once the last frost window of April 23 to May 7 has passed at low elevation.
Gardening in Idaho
Everything we have worked out for Idaho: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Boise, the last spring freeze runs April 23 to May 7 and the first fall freeze runs October 7 to October 21, USDA zones 3b-7b, 3,309 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 26.1 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Idaho: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
What to Plant in Idaho in July
July in Idaho means working with soil that’s already warm and days that run long, not starting from scratch.
What to Plant in Idaho in January
January in Idaho means frozen ground almost everywhere, so open-air planting is off the table for most of the state.
What to Plant in Idaho in February
Almost nothing goes into open ground anywhere in Idaho this month. Even in the Boise valley, the state’s mildest growing pocket, the last spring frost…
What to Plant in Idaho in December
By December, the question of what to plant outdoors in Idaho has already been answered by the weather itself.
What to Plant in Idaho in August
August in Idaho is a fall-crop month, not a new-season month. With the Treasure Valley’s first fall frost landing October 7 to October 21, there are…
What to Plant in Idaho in April
Mid-spring in Idaho still means frost risk in most counties, so April is the month for cold-hardy direct-sown crops (peas, spinach, lettuce, brassicas…
When Does the Heating Season Start in Idaho?
Heating season in Idaho generally opens in October, when the state’s climate reference point, Boise Air Terminal, sees its average temperature drop below…
Growing Peppers in Idaho: Fruit Set, Heat and Timing
In the Boise valley, peppers face 47.5 days a year at or above 90 F, on average, enough heat to stall fruit set during the hottest stretch of July and…
Pepper Varieties That Ripen in a Idaho Season
Pepper varieties in Idaho ripen on a narrow calendar: start seed 8 to 10 weeks before you transplant, move plants out only after frost and once soil hits…