Martinsdale, MT planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 4b−25 to −20 °F
- Last frost
- Jun 3avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Sep 8avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 94days
Martinsdale, Montana is in USDA plant hardiness zone 4b. Its average last spring frost is around June 3 and the first fall frost around September 8, giving a growing season of about 94 days (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, 32°F, median). Start tender crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors weeks before the last frost and set them out afterward; sow hardy crops such as peas, spinach, and lettuce before it. The planner below turns those frost dates into a printable per-crop planting calendar.
Martinsdale planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Martinsdale's average frost dates. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees.
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 10 – Jun 17 | Aug 9 – Aug 29 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Mar 25 – Apr 8 | Jun 17 – Jun 24 | Aug 16 – Sep 15 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 10 – Jun 17 | Jul 30 – Aug 19 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Jun 10 – Jun 17 | Jul 25 – Aug 9 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Jun 10 – Jun 17 | Jul 30 – Aug 9 | Jul 10 – Jul 20 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Jun 3 – Jun 17 | Aug 2 – Sep 1 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 10 – Jun 17 | Jul 10 – Jul 25 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Apr 22 – May 6 | May 6 – May 20 | Jun 20 – Jul 5 | Jun 26 – Jul 11 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 16 – Jul 1 | Jun 16 – Jul 1 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 1 – Jun 11 | Jul 6 – Jul 16 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | May 13 – May 20 | Jul 12 – Aug 1 | Jun 6 – Jun 26 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 6 – May 20 | Jun 30 – Jul 20 | Jun 11 – Jul 1 |
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Frost & freeze dates
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00245387. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 (p10 for spring, p90 for fall) — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | — | — | — | — | 60 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Jun 3 | Jun 25 | Sep 8 | Sep 23 | 94 |
| 28°F | May 18 | May 31 | Sep 23 | Oct 5 | 126 |
| 24°F | May 7 | May 19 | Oct 3 | Oct 18 | 150 |
32°F is the standard "freeze" line that damages tender crops; lighter 36°F frost can nip the most cold-sensitive plants, while hardy crops shrug off light frost down toward 28°F. Use the threshold that matches what you are protecting.
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. Warm-season crops need a long, warm GDD total; a short, cool GDD total favors greens and brassicas.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 1,486 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 3,264 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 4b
Martinsdale sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 4b on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about −25 to −20 °F. That number tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here; it does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above.
Explore more places in zone 4b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Martinsdale?
- Martinsdale, Montana is in USDA plant hardiness zone 4b on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature −25 to −20 °F) — from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. See the methodology page for sources.
- When is the last frost in Martinsdale?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around June 3, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as June 25, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Martinsdale?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around September 8. That leaves a growing season of about 94 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Martinsdale?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Apr 8 – Apr 22 and transplant them outside about Jun 10 – Jun 17, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Aug 9 – Aug 29.
- How long is the growing season in Martinsdale?
- About 94 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~June 3) and the average first fall frost (~September 8). Cold-hardy crops extend usable time at both ends; frost-tender crops fit inside it.
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 for station USC00245387 (Martinsdale 3 Nnw, 9.7 km away). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.