Watering Through a Dry Spell in South Dakota
South Dakota gardens need help through summer because the sky doesn’t deliver enough on its own.
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.
Watering Pots and Containers in South Dakota
South Dakota’s driest summer month leaves a gap between what the sky delivers and what a growing bed actually needs, and that gap is what decides how big…
When to Plant Onions in South Dakota
South Dakota gardeners plant onions in early spring, not fall. At 43.59 degrees north latitude, the reference station near Sioux Falls records 15 hours…
The South Dakota Lawn Care Calendar, Month by Month
A month-by-month lawn schedule for South Dakota, built around Sioux Falls’ fall frost dates and the cool-season grasses that survive the state’s winters.
The Best Grass Seed for South Dakota Lawns
South Dakota lawns need cool-season grass seed, and the Sioux Falls fall frost window sets the deadline for planting it.
The Best Onion Varieties for South Dakota
South Dakota sits at 43.59°N, measured at Sioux Falls, where the longest day of the year delivers 15 hours and 15 minutes of daylight.
Forcing Spring Bulbs Indoors in South Dakota
Forcing spring bulbs indoors works in South Dakota, but the reason isn’t a shortage of cold, the state has that in abundance.
Growing Spring Bulbs in Containers in South Dakota
In South Dakota, growing bulbs in containers means picking one of two different jobs.
South Dakota Planting Calendar: When to Sow and Plant, Frost Dates Included
A South Dakota planting calendar built on NOAA’s Sioux Falls frost dates, with cool-season and warm-season timing and fall crop math shown out.
Planting Spring Bulbs in South Dakota: What Will Come Back, and What Will Not
South Dakota gardeners can grow a solid range of spring-flowering bulbs, but the state’s winter cold cuts both ways: it easily satisfies the chilling…