Growing Asparagus in Montana: Fifteen Years in One Spot
Montana can grow a productive asparagus bed for the full 10 to 15 years the crop asks for, but the answer hinges on one thing: drainage.
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.
Growing Spinach in Montana: When Will It Bolt?
In Billings, spinach bolts once the calendar tips past late May to mid-June, when day length near the summer solstice stacks on top of rising heat.
Growing Pumpkins in Montana: Will They Ripen in Time?
Yes, pumpkins can ripen in Montana, but the calendar leaves little slack. Count back 45 to 55 days from the state’s first fall frost window of October 1…
When to Sow Carrots in Montana: Counting Back From the Last Frost
In Montana, carrots go into the ground from seed, counted back 70 to 100 days from your local average last frost date, since carrots are never…
Will Carrots Fork in Montana Soil?
A carrot will fork in the Scobey series, the soil Montana calls its own, because that ground runs clayey rather than sandy.
Beet Soil in Montana: What the Root Will Meet
Montana’s official state soil, the Scobey series, is a well-drained Mollisol with roughly equal parts sand and silt (35 and 34 percent) and 31 percent…
Growing Parsnips in Montana: Will They Sweeten?
Yes, most years. Billings averages a mean minimum of 17.9°F in its coldest month, cold enough to hand parsnip roots several genuine frosty weeks before…
When to Start Pepper Seed in Montana
In Montana, indoor pepper seed-starting should begin 8 to 10 weeks before you plan to move transplants outside, and outside means after the last frost…
Why Peppers Fail to Set Fruit in Montana
Montana peppers stall out for one of two reasons: the afternoons get too hot for pollen to stay viable, or the nights drop below the threshold peppers…
Growing Carrots in Montana: Soil, Sowing and Forked Roots
Montana’s dirt leans heavy and clay-rich across much of the state, and that single fact decides whether your carrots grow straight or twist into a knot.