Planting planner: Great Falls, Montana
Typical last spring frost May 6 (1 spring in 10 later than May 19). Typical first fall frost October 1 (1 fall in 10 earlier than September 17). Growing season about 147 days.
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Your season is too short for a separate fall planting of cabbage and broccoli: sown late enough to be a fall crop, it wouldn't be ready before the typical first frost. Your spring planting is your harvest.
January
Nothing to start this month.
February
- February 18 to March 18: Broccoli and cabbage (start seeds indoors)
March
- March 4 to April 1: Cauliflower (start seeds indoors)
- March 18 to April 8: Eggplant (start seeds indoors)
- March 25 to April 8: Peppers (start seeds indoors)
April
- April 1 to 15: Tomatoes (start seeds indoors)
- April 8 to 22: Peas, spinach, lettuce, radishes, onion sets, turnips (sow outdoors)
- April 8 to 22: Broccoli and cabbage (plant out)
- April 22 to May 6: Beets, carrots, potatoes, Swiss chard (plant outdoors)
- April 22 to May 6: Cauliflower (plant out)
May
- May 6: Snap beans, sweet corn, cucumbers, summer squash (sow outdoors)
- May 20: Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant (plant out)
- May 20: Melons, winter squash, pumpkins, lima beans (sow outdoors)
June
Nothing to start this month.
July
- July 5: Snap beans for fall (last date to sow)
- July 9: Carrots for fall (last date to sow)
- July 10: Cucumbers for fall (last date to sow)
- July 14: Peas for fall (last date to sow)
- July 15: Summer squash for fall (last date to sow)
- July 19: Leaf lettuce and beets for fall (last date to sow)
- July 29: Turnips and kohlrabi for fall (last date to sow)
August
- August 8: Spinach for fall (last date to sow)
- August 18: Radishes for fall (last date to sow)
September
- September 17: Tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons, cucumbers (watch the forecast)
October
- October 18 to 25: Garlic (plant cloves)
November
Nothing to start this month.
December
Nothing to start this month.
Dates from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for Great Falls 16st (station USC00243749), 1 mile from the center of Great Falls. Planting rules: Colorado State University Extension GardenNotes #720 (spring), Virginia Cooperative Extension 426-334 (fall crops), University of Minnesota Extension (garlic). Spring bulbs: plant when the soil has cooled to about 50 to 55°F, until a couple of weeks before the ground freezes (University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension). Full details: https://lastfrostdate.com/frost-dates/montana/great-falls/