Frost Report

All states Montana

Frost dates for Jordan, 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 21

typical year

Safe to plant

June 2

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

September 18

typical year

Growing season

118 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 23 – May 7 –
Spinach – Apr 9 – 30 Jul 24 – Aug 7
Lettuce – Apr 23 – May 14 Jul 24 – Aug 7
Radishes – Apr 23 – Jun 4 Aug 7 – 21
Onions – Apr 23 – May 7 –
Potatoes – Apr 30 – May 14 –
Carrots – Apr 30 – May 21 Jun 26 – Jul 10
Beets – Apr 23 – May 7 Jul 10 – 24
Kale Mar 12 – 26 Apr 23 – May 7 Jul 10 – 24
Broccoli Mar 12 – 26 May 7 – 21 Jul 10 – 24
Cabbage Feb 26 – Mar 12 Apr 23 – May 7 Jul 10 – 24
Garlic – – Aug 7 – 28
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Apr 7 – 21 Jun 2 – 16 –
Peppers Mar 31 – Apr 14 Jun 9 – 23 –
Cucumbers – Jun 2 – 23 –
Zucchini – Jun 2 – 30 –
Pumpkins – Jun 2 – 23 –
Green beans – Jun 2 – Jul 10 –
Sweet corn – Jun 2 – 30 –
Basil Apr 28 – May 12 Jun 9 – 16 –

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 2May 21May 8
Fall frost before September 4September 18October 1

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 23 in a late year), and the first one in fall around September 26.

Towns that use these dates

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

Jordan

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station JORDAN, MT US (USC00244522), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 1 zip code, all within 8 miles:

59337

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