Frost Report

All states Montana

Frost dates for Belgrade, MT

When the last spring frost and first fall frost usually come, and when to plant, from 30 years of NOAA weather records.

Last spring frost

May 26

typical year

Safe to plant

June 12

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

September 16

typical year

Growing season

112 days

frost-free, typical year

When to plant

Counted from this page's frost dates. Warm-season crops wait for the safe-to-plant date.

CropStart indoorsPlant outsideFall planting
Cool-season crops
Peas – Apr 28 – May 12 –
Spinach – Apr 14 – May 5 Jul 22 – Aug 5
Lettuce – Apr 28 – May 19 Jul 22 – Aug 5
Radishes – Apr 28 – Jun 9 Aug 5 – 19
Onions – Apr 28 – May 12 –
Potatoes – May 5 – 19 –
Carrots – May 5 – 26 Jun 24 – Jul 8
Beets – Apr 28 – May 12 Jul 8 – 22
Kale Mar 17 – 31 Apr 28 – May 12 Jul 8 – 22
Broccoli Mar 17 – 31 May 12 – 26 Jul 8 – 22
Cabbage Mar 3 – 17 Apr 28 – May 12 Jul 8 – 22
Garlic – – Aug 5 – 26
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Apr 17 – May 1 Jun 12 – 26 –
Peppers Apr 10 – 24 Jun 19 – Jul 3 –
Cucumbers – Jun 12 – Jul 3 –
Zucchini – Jun 12 – Jul 10 –
Pumpkins Season usually too short. Try a quick variety or row covers.
Green beans – Jun 12 – Jul 8 –
Sweet corn – Jun 12 – Jul 10 –
Basil May 8 – 22 Jun 19 – 26 –

Onions: from sets. Green beans: until 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Garlic: harvest next summer.

The year at a glance

Start indoors Plant outside Fall planting

The chance of frost, by date

1 year in 10Half of years9 years in 10
Spring frost after June 12May 26May 11
Fall frost before September 2September 16September 29

Frost here means 32°F or colder. Read across: in 1 year in 10, spring frost carries on past the first date, which is why that date is the safe-to-plant date.

Hard freeze (28°F)

A hard freeze kills most garden plants, even hardy ones. The last one in spring usually comes around May 9 (May 24 in a late year), and the first one in fall around September 28.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 1 town.

Belgrade

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station BOZEMAN GALLATIN FLD, MT US (USW00024132), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 1 zip code, all within 13 miles:

59714

Planting dates follow common university extension advice; your local extension service can fine-tune them for your soil and microclimate.