When to plant in Whitefish, MT
Planting dates worked out from Whitefish's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 10
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 25
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 21
1 year in 10 by Sep 8
Frost-free days
122
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Whitefish · 1.6 km away · station 945 m, town 923 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 15 – Apr 29 | Jun 10 – Jun 24 | Aug 4 |
| Sweet pepper | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | Jun 10 – Jun 24 | Aug 9 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 23 – Mar 30 | Apr 27 – May 11 | Jun 6 |
| Peas | — | Apr 19 – May 17 | Jun 13 |
| Bush beans | — | Jun 3 – Jun 24 | Jul 23 |
| Carrot | — | May 4 – Jun 15 | Jul 3 |
| Beet | — | May 1 – Jun 12 | Jun 20 |
| Potato | — | May 4 – May 25 | Jul 13 |
| Kale | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 27 – May 11 | Jun 9 |
| Broccoli | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | Apr 27 – May 18 | Jun 26 |
| Cucumber | May 13 – May 20 | Jun 10 – Jun 24 | Jul 30 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 13 – May 20 | Jun 10 – Jun 24 | Jul 25 |
| Winter squash | May 13 – May 20 | Jun 10 – Jun 24 | Aug 29 |
| Sweet corn | — | Jun 3 – Jun 24 | Aug 2 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 27 – May 18 | Jul 26 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 7 – Oct 5 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 19 – May 17 | May 27 |
| Basil | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 10 – Jun 24 | Aug 6 |
Whitefish'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 |
|---|---|
| 1988 | May 15 |
| 1989 | May 29 |
| 1990 | May 20 |
| 1991 | May 26 |
| 1992 | May 17 |
| 1993 | May 3 |
| 1994 | May 3 |
| 1995 | Jun 8 |
| 1996 | May 21 |
| 1997 | May 21 |
| 1998 | May 19 |
| 1999 | Jul 3 |
| 2000 | Jun 1 |
| 2002 | Jun 10 |
| 2003 | May 20 |
| 2004 | May 13 |
| 2005 | May 24 |
| 2006 | May 30 |
| 2007 | May 6 |
| 2008 | Jun 11 |
| 2009 | Jun 7 |
| 2010 | May 23 |
| 2011 | May 18 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1988 | 105 |
| 1989 | 102 |
| 1990 | 138 |
| 1991 | 115 |
| 1992 | 98 |
| 1993 | 132 |
| 1994 | 142 |
| 1995 | 104 |
| 1996 | 124 |
| 1997 | 121 |
| 1998 | 137 |
| 1999 | 70 |
| 2000 | 112 |
| 2002 | 103 |
| 2003 | 136 |
| 2004 | 130 |
| 2005 | 122 |
| 2006 | 93 |
| 2007 | 146 |
| 2008 | 88 |
| 2009 | 105 |
| 2010 | 141 |
| 2011 | 133 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1988 | 13.8 °C |
| 1989 | 13.2 °C |
| 1990 | 13.9 °C |
| 1991 | 13.2 °C |
| 1992 | 13.6 °C |
| 1993 | 12.5 °C |
| 1994 | 14.8 °C |
| 1995 | 12.8 °C |
| 1996 | 13.0 °C |
| 1997 | 13.2 °C |
| 1998 | 14.7 °C |
| 1999 | 12.4 °C |
| 2000 | 13.3 °C |
| 2001 | 13.8 °C |
| 2002 | 13.3 °C |
| 2003 | 15.0 °C |
| 2004 | 13.7 °C |
| 2005 | 13.5 °C |
| 2006 | 14.4 °C |
| 2007 | 14.4 °C |
| 2008 | 12.4 °C |
| 2009 | 13.6 °C |
| 2010 | 12.2 °C |
| 2011 | 12.5 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Whitefish (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.