What to Plant in South Dakota in June
Late June in South Dakota means the frost danger is over almost everywhere in the state, and the garden should already be full of warm-season crops.
Gardening in South Dakota
Everything we have worked out for South 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 Sioux Falls, the last spring freeze runs April 29 to May 9 and the first fall freeze runs September 24 to October 4, USDA zones 3b-5b, 3,003 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 South 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 South Dakota in July
July in South Dakota lands well past the frost window, so the ground is open for warm-season successions like beans, cucumbers, and summer squash, plus…
What to Plant in South Dakota in January
January in South Dakota means frozen ground, not planting weather. The soil across the state sits well below the frost line, so nothing goes into open…
What to Plant in South Dakota in February
South Dakota gardens are locked down in February. With last spring frost dates running April 29 to May 9 at the reference station, nothing goes into open…
What to Plant in South Dakota in December
December in South Dakota means frozen ground statewide, so nothing new goes into open garden soil this month.
What to Plant in South Dakota in August
August in South Dakota is the window for fast fall crops, not summer transplants.
What to Plant in South Dakota in April
April in South Dakota sits ahead of the last frost window (April 29 to May 9 at the Sioux Falls reference station), so the ground is workable but the…
Growing Peppers in South Dakota: Fruit Set, Heat and Timing
South Dakota gardeners can grow peppers, but the window is narrow on both ends.
Growing Potatoes in South Dakota: Dates, Varieties and Summer Heat
South Dakota gardeners get a real break most potato-growing regions don’t: a summer that stays under the heat ceiling that stops tubers from sizing up.
Pepper Varieties That Ripen in a South Dakota Season
South Dakota gardeners get roughly two weeks a year when daytime highs push past 90 F, and that heat can shut down pepper fruit set just as fast as a…