When to Cut Spinach in Montana, and How Long It Really Keeps
Cut Montana spinach in spring, before heat and the longest days push it to flower, and try a second crop in autumn if the soil cooperates.
Montana
What home and garden advice looks like when it is written for Montana — west seasons, west rules, and the numbers that go with them.
Gardening in Montana
Everything we have worked out for Montana: 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 Billings, the last spring freeze runs April 29 to May 10 and the first fall freeze runs October 1 to October 14, USDA zones 3a-6a, 2,855 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 30.4 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Montana: 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.
When Sweet Corn Is Ready in Montana, and How Fast It Fades
In Montana, sweet corn is ready 60 to 90 days after it goes into soil that has reached 60 F, and that soil arrives well after the last frost, not on it.
What Eats Beet in Montana, and When
In Montana, beets mostly lose to weather and water. Thirst in the first six weeks sends plants to flower, heat above 85 F on dry ground turns roots…
Heat Pump or Gas Furnace in Montana: Which Costs Less to Run?
In Montana, a natural gas furnace costs less to run than a heat pump, and by a wide margin.
When to Aerate a Lawn in Montana
In Montana, aerate a cool-season lawn in fall while the grass is still growing, and finish before the first fall frost window.
When to Pull Carrots in Montana, and How to Keep Them
Start checking carrots about 65 to 75 days after planting, the window Clemson Cooperative Extension gives, and keep counting toward 70 to 100 days from…
When to Dig Up Dahlias, Cannas and Gladiolus in Montana
Dig dahlias, cannas and gladiolus in Montana once a frost has blackened the foliage, and get them out within a week or two.
How Late Can You Plant Trees and Shrubs in Fall in Montana?
The safe target is to have trees and shrubs in the ground six weeks before the first fall frost.
When to Mulch Strawberries and Perennials for Winter in Montana
At Billings, strawberries and borderline perennials get their winter mulch after the ground starts to freeze.
When to Winterize Sprinklers and Outdoor Faucets in Montana
Montana’s cold arrives on a timetable set by elevation, not the calendar. Billings, one of the milder valleys, sees its first fall freeze in early to mid…