Watering Through a Dry Spell in Montana
Montana’s growing season delivers barely a third of an inch of rain a week during its driest month, while nearly a month’s worth of days climb past 90F.
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.
Watering Pots and Containers in Montana
Montana’s summer sky delivers about 0.87 inches of rain in August, its driest month, while the mercury climbs past 90F on 28.3 days a year on average.
Forcing Spring Bulbs Indoors in Montana
Forcing spring bulbs indoors works in Montana the same way it works anywhere: a chilled bulb, kept cold but not frozen, then brought into warmth and…
Growing Spring Bulbs in Containers in Montana
Container-grown spring bulbs can bloom just fine in Montana, but the pot changes the rules that work for the same bulb planted straight in a garden bed.
Canning at Altitude in Montana: What Your Elevation Changes
Billings sits at 3,123 feet, where water boils between 204°F and 208°F instead of the 212°F you’d get at sea level. That’s not a rounding error.
When to Plant Onions in Montana
Montana sits at 45.81 degrees north latitude at the reference station in Billings, where the longest day of the year delivers 15 hours and 32 minutes of…
The Best Onion Varieties for Montana
Montana sits at 45.81 degrees north, the latitude of Billings, and on the longest day of the year that spot on the map gets 15 hours and 32 minutes of…
The Montana Lawn Care Calendar, Month by Month
A month-by-month guide to feeding, mowing, and seeding a Montana lawn, built around Billings’ NOAA frost data and the Clemson maintenance calendars.
The Montana Apple Calendar, Stage by Stage
Montana’s apple stages are timed against NOAA’s Billings frost dates, not the calendar, with each stage carrying its own frost tolerance and task.
The Best Apple Varieties for Montana
Montana’s harsh winters and short frost-free window narrow the realistic apple choices to hardiness-first picks, checked against NOAA and Montana State University Extension data.