When to plant in Lolo, MT
Planting dates worked out from Lolo's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 11
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 18
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 27
1 year in 10 by Sep 12
Frost-free days
130
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Missoula Fts Montana · 10.4 km away · station 975 m, town 975 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 16 – Apr 30 | Jun 11 – Jun 25 | Aug 5 |
| Sweet pepper | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | Jun 11 – Jun 25 | Aug 10 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 16 – Mar 23 | Apr 20 – May 4 | May 30 |
| Peas | — | Apr 8 – May 6 | Jun 2 |
| Bush beans | — | Jun 4 – Jun 25 | Jul 24 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 27 – Jun 8 | Jun 26 |
| Beet | — | Apr 23 – Jun 4 | Jun 12 |
| Potato | — | Apr 27 – May 18 | Jul 6 |
| Kale | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 2 |
| Broccoli | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 20 – May 11 | Jun 19 |
| Cucumber | May 14 – May 21 | Jun 11 – Jun 25 | Jul 31 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 14 – May 21 | Jun 11 – Jun 25 | Jul 26 |
| Winter squash | May 14 – May 21 | Jun 11 – Jun 25 | Aug 30 |
| Sweet corn | — | Jun 4 – Jun 25 | Aug 3 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 20 – May 11 | Jul 19 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 13 – Oct 11 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 8 – May 6 | May 16 |
| Basil | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 11 – Jun 25 | Aug 7 |
Lolo'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 |
|---|---|
| 2002 | May 11 |
| 2003 | May 20 |
| 2005 | May 24 |
| 2006 | May 13 |
| 2007 | May 6 |
| 2008 | Jun 11 |
| 2009 | Jul 8 |
| 2010 | May 21 |
| 2011 | May 17 |
| 2012 | May 19 |
| 2013 | May 25 |
| 2014 | May 13 |
| 2015 | May 10 |
| 2016 | Apr 19 |
| 2017 | Jun 11 |
| 2018 | Apr 25 |
| 2019 | May 3 |
| 2020 | May 8 |
| 2021 | May 29 |
| 2023 | Apr 28 |
| 2024 | May 31 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 132 |
| 2003 | 143 |
| 2005 | 120 |
| 2006 | 127 |
| 2007 | 141 |
| 2008 | 118 |
| 2009 | 74 |
| 2010 | 143 |
| 2011 | 144 |
| 2012 | 115 |
| 2013 | 124 |
| 2014 | 120 |
| 2015 | 140 |
| 2016 | 165 |
| 2017 | 102 |
| 2018 | 165 |
| 2019 | 148 |
| 2020 | 122 |
| 2021 | 110 |
| 2023 | 179 |
| 2024 | 122 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 15.5 °C |
| 2002 | 14.4 °C |
| 2003 | 15.7 °C |
| 2004 | 14.8 °C |
| 2005 | 14.3 °C |
| 2006 | 15.7 °C |
| 2007 | 15.8 °C |
| 2008 | 13.8 °C |
| 2009 | 15.0 °C |
| 2010 | 13.9 °C |
| 2011 | 14.2 °C |
| 2012 | 15.4 °C |
| 2013 | 15.7 °C |
| 2014 | 15.2 °C |
| 2015 | 16.1 °C |
| 2016 | 15.3 °C |
| 2017 | 15.9 °C |
| 2018 | 15.1 °C |
| 2019 | 14.9 °C |
| 2020 | 14.7 °C |
| 2021 | 15.6 °C |
| 2022 | 15.8 °C |
| 2023 | 16.0 °C |
| 2024 | 15.5 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Missoula Fts Montana (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.