When to plant in Columbia Falls, MT
Planting dates worked out from Columbia Falls's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 3
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 22
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 16
1 year in 10 by Sep 6
Frost-free days
119
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Hungry Horse Montana · 9.3 km away · station 983 m, town 941 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Jul 28 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 25 – Apr 8 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Aug 2 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 20 – Mar 27 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 3 |
| Peas | — | Apr 16 – May 14 | Jun 10 |
| Bush beans | — | May 27 – Jun 17 | Jul 16 |
| Carrot | — | May 1 – Jun 12 | Jun 30 |
| Beet | — | Apr 29 – Jun 10 | Jun 18 |
| Potato | — | May 1 – May 22 | Jul 10 |
| Kale | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 24 – May 8 | Jun 6 |
| Broccoli | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Apr 24 – May 15 | Jun 23 |
| Cucumber | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Jul 23 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Jul 18 |
| Winter squash | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Aug 22 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 27 – Jun 17 | Jul 26 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 24 – May 15 | Jul 23 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 2 – Sep 30 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 16 – May 14 | May 24 |
| Basil | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Jul 30 |
Columbia Falls's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 2003 | May 20 |
| 2004 | May 24 |
| 2005 | May 24 |
| 2006 | May 14 |
| 2007 | May 26 |
| 2008 | Jun 10 |
| 2009 | Jun 9 |
| 2010 | May 24 |
| 2011 | May 18 |
| 2012 | May 20 |
| 2013 | May 24 |
| 2014 | May 30 |
| 2015 | May 20 |
| 2017 | May 15 |
| 2018 | May 12 |
| 2019 | May 9 |
| 2020 | May 9 |
| 2021 | May 19 |
| 2022 | May 23 |
| 2023 | May 9 |
| 2024 | May 31 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 132 |
| 2004 | 129 |
| 2005 | 119 |
| 2007 | 105 |
| 2009 | 104 |
| 2010 | 83 |
| 2011 | 108 |
| 2012 | 114 |
| 2013 | 124 |
| 2014 | 102 |
| 2015 | 119 |
| 2017 | 124 |
| 2018 | 125 |
| 2019 | 140 |
| 2020 | 121 |
| 2021 | 119 |
| 2022 | 109 |
| 2023 | 151 |
| 2024 | 112 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 14.1 °C |
| 2003 | 15.0 °C |
| 2004 | 14.2 °C |
| 2005 | 13.5 °C |
| 2006 | 15.0 °C |
| 2007 | 14.6 °C |
| 2008 | 12.9 °C |
| 2009 | 14.2 °C |
| 2010 | 12.7 °C |
| 2011 | 13.1 °C |
| 2012 | 14.0 °C |
| 2013 | 14.8 °C |
| 2014 | 14.3 °C |
| 2015 | 14.6 °C |
| 2017 | 14.6 °C |
| 2018 | 13.8 °C |
| 2019 | 13.6 °C |
| 2020 | 13.6 °C |
| 2021 | 14.5 °C |
| 2022 | 13.8 °C |
| 2023 | 15.4 °C |
| 2024 | 14.4 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Hungry Horse Montana (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.