Frost Report

All states Montana

Frost dates for Denton, 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

June 1

typical year

Safe to plant

June 26

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

September 11

typical year

Growing season

101 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 – May 4 – 18 –
Spinach – Apr 20 – May 11 Jul 17 – 31
Lettuce – May 4 – 25 Jul 17 – 31
Radishes – May 4 – Jun 15 Jul 31 – Aug 14
Onions – May 4 – 18 –
Potatoes Season usually too short. Try a quick variety or row covers.
Carrots – May 11 – Jun 1 Jun 19 – Jul 3
Beets – May 4 – 18 Jul 3 – 17
Kale Mar 23 – Apr 6 May 4 – 18 Jul 3 – 17
Broccoli Mar 23 – Apr 6 May 18 – Jun 1 Jul 3 – 17
Cabbage Mar 9 – 23 May 4 – 18 Jul 3 – 17
Garlic – – Jul 31 – Aug 21
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes May 1 – 15 Jun 26 – Jul 10 –
Peppers Season usually too short. Try a quick variety or row covers.
Cucumbers – Jun 26 – Jul 17 –
Zucchini – Jun 26 – Jul 24 –
Pumpkins Season usually too short. Try a quick variety or row covers.
Green beans – Jun 26 – Jul 3 –
Sweet corn Season usually too short. Try a quick variety or row covers.
Basil May 22 – Jun 5 Jul 3 – 10 –

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 26June 1May 15
Fall frost before August 29September 11September 25

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 14 (May 31 in a late year), and the first one in fall around September 23.

Towns that use these dates

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

Denton

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station DENTON, MT US (USC00242347), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 2 zip codes, all within 11 miles:

59424, 59430

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