When to plant in East Missoula, MT
Planting dates worked out from East Missoula's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 26
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 15
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 29
1 year in 10 by Sep 13
Frost-free days
137
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Missoula 2 Ne · 3.5 km away · station 1042 m, town 995 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 | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | May 26 – Jun 9 | Jul 20 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | May 26 – Jun 9 | Jul 25 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 13 – Mar 20 | Apr 17 – May 1 | May 27 |
| Peas | — | Apr 7 – May 5 | Jun 1 |
| Bush beans | — | May 19 – Jun 9 | Jul 8 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 24 – Jun 5 | Jun 23 |
| Beet | — | Apr 24 – Jun 5 | Jun 13 |
| Potato | — | Apr 24 – May 15 | Jul 3 |
| Kale | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 17 – May 1 | May 30 |
| Broccoli | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 17 – May 8 | Jun 16 |
| Cucumber | Apr 28 – May 5 | May 26 – Jun 9 | Jul 15 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 28 – May 5 | May 26 – Jun 9 | Jul 10 |
| Winter squash | Apr 28 – May 5 | May 26 – Jun 9 | Aug 14 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 19 – Jun 9 | Jul 18 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 17 – May 8 | Jul 16 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 15 – Oct 13 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 7 – May 5 | May 15 |
| Basil | Apr 14 – Apr 28 | May 26 – Jun 9 | Jul 22 |
East Missoula'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 |
|---|---|
| 1967 | May 26 |
| 1968 | May 6 |
| 1969 | May 21 |
| 1970 | May 14 |
| 1971 | Jul 7 |
| 1972 | May 26 |
| 1973 | May 27 |
| 1974 | May 31 |
| 1975 | May 26 |
| 1976 | Jun 4 |
| 1977 | May 30 |
| 1978 | May 26 |
| 1979 | May 30 |
| 1980 | May 11 |
| 1981 | May 9 |
| 1982 | May 30 |
| 1983 | May 13 |
| 1984 | Jun 1 |
| 1985 | May 13 |
| 1986 | May 23 |
| 1987 | Jun 2 |
| 1988 | May 18 |
| 1989 | May 20 |
| 1990 | Jun 5 |
| 1991 | May 26 |
| 1992 | May 16 |
| 1993 | Apr 28 |
| 1994 | May 1 |
| 1995 | Jun 7 |
| 1996 | May 9 |
| 1997 | May 8 |
| 1998 | Apr 26 |
| 1999 | May 15 |
| 2000 | May 13 |
| 2001 | Jun 4 |
| 2002 | May 15 |
| 2003 | May 18 |
| 2004 | May 14 |
| 2005 | May 25 |
| 2006 | May 13 |
| 2007 | May 6 |
| 2008 | May 13 |
| 2009 | May 21 |
| 2010 | May 21 |
| 2011 | May 17 |
| 2012 | May 12 |
| 2013 | May 25 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1967 | 109 |
| 1968 | 148 |
| 1969 | 116 |
| 1970 | 118 |
| 1971 | 68 |
| 1972 | 106 |
| 1973 | 111 |
| 1974 | 104 |
| 1975 | 116 |
| 1976 | 95 |
| 1977 | 124 |
| 1978 | 113 |
| 1979 | 131 |
| 1980 | 109 |
| 1981 | 135 |
| 1982 | 107 |
| 1983 | 119 |
| 1984 | 103 |
| 1985 | 129 |
| 1986 | 121 |
| 1987 | 106 |
| 1988 | 125 |
| 1989 | 137 |
| 1990 | 122 |
| 1991 | 118 |
| 1992 | 100 |
| 1993 | 137 |
| 1994 | 158 |
| 1995 | 105 |
| 1997 | 152 |
| 1998 | 160 |
| 1999 | 134 |
| 2000 | 130 |
| 2001 | 122 |
| 2002 | 128 |
| 2003 | 143 |
| 2004 | 147 |
| 2005 | 136 |
| 2006 | 147 |
| 2007 | 141 |
| 2008 | 147 |
| 2009 | 134 |
| 2010 | 142 |
| 2011 | 144 |
| 2012 | 122 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1967 | 15.0 °C |
| 1968 | 13.5 °C |
| 1969 | 15.1 °C |
| 1970 | 14.1 °C |
| 1971 | 13.4 °C |
| 1972 | 13.7 °C |
| 1973 | 14.3 °C |
| 1974 | 14.2 °C |
| 1975 | 13.1 °C |
| 1976 | 14.1 °C |
| 1977 | 14.4 °C |
| 1978 | 13.4 °C |
| 1979 | 14.8 °C |
| 1980 | 13.9 °C |
| 1981 | 14.1 °C |
| 1982 | 13.5 °C |
| 1983 | 13.4 °C |
| 1984 | 13.4 °C |
| 1985 | 14.5 °C |
| 1986 | 14.3 °C |
| 1987 | 15.2 °C |
| 1988 | 15.1 °C |
| 1989 | 14.6 °C |
| 1990 | 15.0 °C |
| 1991 | 14.4 °C |
| 1992 | 14.8 °C |
| 1993 | 13.4 °C |
| 1994 | 15.8 °C |
| 1995 | 13.8 °C |
| 1996 | 13.9 °C |
| 1997 | 14.3 °C |
| 1998 | 16.0 °C |
| 1999 | 13.8 °C |
| 2000 | 14.8 °C |
| 2001 | 15.4 °C |
| 2002 | 14.2 °C |
| 2003 | 15.9 °C |
| 2004 | 14.9 °C |
| 2005 | 14.5 °C |
| 2006 | 15.7 °C |
| 2007 | 15.8 °C |
| 2008 | 13.8 °C |
| 2009 | 15.2 °C |
| 2010 | 14.1 °C |
| 2011 | 14.5 °C |
| 2012 | 15.5 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1967, East Missoula's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 8 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Missoula 2 Ne (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.