Potato Varieties That Suit North Dakota
North Dakota’s growing season is short and its summer soils run hot, so the varieties that do best are early- and mid-season potatoes that bulk up fast…
Gardening in North Dakota
Everything we have worked out for North Dakota: 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 Fargo, the last spring freeze runs May 4 to May 15 and the first fall freeze runs September 25 to October 5, USDA zones 3a-4b, 2,673 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 North Dakota: 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 North Dakota in September
Early September in North Dakota still has growing days left, but the clock is loud.
What to Plant in North Dakota in October
October in North Dakota is a garlic-and-cover month, not a transplanting month.
What to Plant in North Dakota in November
By November, North Dakota’s growing season is closed. The first fall frost typically lands between September 25 and October 5, so by the time this month…
What to Plant in North Dakota in May
Mid-May through Memorial Day is the safe window for most of North Dakota, once the ground has actually warmed and the frost risk has passed.
What to Plant in North Dakota in March
Across most of North Dakota, March is not a month for open-ground planting. With the last spring frost typically landing between May 4 and May 15 in the…
What to Plant in North Dakota in June
June is the green light month for North Dakota gardeners. The reference frost window for the state runs from May 4 to May 15, so by June the risk of a…
What to Plant in North Dakota in July
Late spring frost risk in North Dakota clears by mid-May in most years, and the first fall frost doesn’t typically arrive until late September or early…
What to Plant in North Dakota in January
In North Dakota’s January, the ground is frozen solid and air temperatures routinely sit well below freezing across the state’s USDA zone 3a-4b range.
What to Plant in North Dakota in February
Open ground in North Dakota stays locked in February, so nothing goes into outdoor soil this month.