What does USDA hardiness zone 5b mean in Montana?

Zone 5b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of −15 to −10 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 15 locations in Montana fall in this zone. It does not set planting dates; see the frost calendar below for that.

Where in Montana's zone 5b is the growing season longest?

Bonner-West Riverside runs the longest season on this page at about 143 days; Kalispell is shortest at about 100 days — they share the same hardiness zone, but they sit at different weather stations, so their frost calendars differ.

When should I plant tomatoes in Montana's zone 5b?

Using Pinesdale's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Mar 26 – Apr 9, then transplant outside about May 28 – Jun 4. Your own location in the table above may differ by a week or two — use the ZIP planner on the home page for your exact station's dates.

Does every location in Montana's zone 5b have the same frost dates?

No — they do not all share a weather station, so frost dates vary by a week or more across the 15 locations listed (see the table above for each location's own dates).

USDA zone 5b in Montana

−15 to −10 °F avg. annual extreme minimum · 15 locations in this group · NOAA 1991–2020 normals

USDA plant hardiness zone 5b covers 15 locations across Montana (average annual extreme minimum −15 to −10 °F): Arlee, MT, Bonner-West Riverside, MT, Conner, MT, Corvallis, MT, Cyr, MT, Kalispell, MT, and 9 more. Average last spring frost across this group ranges May 9 (Martin) to June 1 (Sula), and growing seasons run 100–143 days (Kalispell to Bonner-West Riverside) — even within one state, because hardiness sets winter survival, not planting dates. The table below gives every Montana location's own frost dates; the printable planting calendar uses Pinesdale, this group's median-season location.

USDA zone: 5b−15 to −10 °F
Last frost range: May 9–Jun 1avg, 32°F
First frost range: Sep 10–Oct 2avg, 32°F
Growing season range: 100–143days

Locations in this group

Every location below shares this zone and a nearby weather station, but keeps its own frost dates — find your town for its own numbers, or use the ZIP planner on the home page for an instant personalized answer.

Own frost dates per location.
Location	Also covers	Nearest station	Last frost	First frost	Season (days)
Arlee	—	Saint Ignatius	May 12	Oct 2	142
Bonner-West Riverside	East Missoula, Drummond, Potomac	Missoula 2 Ne	May 10	Oct 1	143
Conner	—	Darby	May 24	Sep 23	118
Corvallis	—	Western Ag Rsch Ctr	May 23	Sep 21	118
Cyr	Alberton	Alberton	May 18	Sep 25	126
Kalispell	—	Kalispell Glacier Ap	May 31	Sep 10	100
Lolo	Clinton, Stevensville, Pinesdale, Florence	Stevensville	May 22	Sep 19	115
Marion	—	Creston	May 12	Sep 25	134
Martin	Hungry Horse	Hungry Horse Dam	May 9	Oct 1	141
Missoula	Wye, Piltzville	Missoula Intl Ap	May 16	Sep 26	130
Pinesdale	—	Powell	May 31	Sep 12	102
Pinesdale *	Charlos Heights	Hamilton	May 21	Sep 22	122
Rexford	—	Eureka Rs	May 11	Sep 27	138
Sula	—	Gibbonsville #2	Jun 1	Sep 17	107
Swan Lake	—	Swan Lake	May 17	Sep 19	121

* Pinesdale is this group's median-season location — the calendar below is computed from its data.

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.

Planting calendar (Pinesdale, representative)

Computed from Pinesdale's average frost dates — the median-season location in this Montanazone 5b group. 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 — your own location's dates may run a week or two earlier or later (see the table above).

Crop

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Tomato

Pepper

Cucumber

Summer squash / zucchini

Start indoors
Plant out
Fall sowing
First harvest

Planting windows for Pinesdale (Montana, zone 5b), this group's representative location.
Crop	Frost tolerance	Start indoors	Plant out	First harvest	Fall planting	Season fit
Tomato	Tender	Mar 26 – Apr 9	May 28 – Jun 4	Jul 27 – Aug 16	—	matures comfortably
Pepper	Very tender	Mar 12 – Mar 26	Jun 4 – Jun 11	Aug 3 – Sep 2	—	matures comfortably
Cucumber	Tender	Apr 23 – Apr 30	May 28 – Jun 4	Jul 17 – Aug 6	—	matures comfortably
Summer squash / zucchini	Tender	—	May 28 – Jun 4	Jul 12 – Jul 27	—	matures comfortably
Bush bean	Tender	—	May 28 – Jun 4	Jul 17 – Jul 27	Jul 24 – Aug 3	matures comfortably
Sweet corn	Tender	—	May 21 – Jun 4	Jul 20 – Aug 19	—	matures comfortably
Basil	Very tender	Apr 9 – Apr 23	May 28 – Jun 4	Jun 27 – Jul 12	—	matures comfortably
Lettuce	Half-hardy	Apr 9 – Apr 23	Apr 23 – May 7	Jun 7 – Jun 22	Jul 10 – Jul 25	matures comfortably
Pea	Hardy	—	Apr 9 – Apr 23	Jun 3 – Jun 18	Jun 30 – Jul 15	matures comfortably
Spinach	Hardy	—	Apr 9 – Apr 23	May 19 – May 29	Jul 20 – Jul 30	matures comfortably
Carrot	Half-hardy	—	Apr 30 – May 7	Jun 29 – Jul 19	Jun 20 – Jul 10	matures comfortably
Broccoli	Half-hardy	Mar 26 – Apr 9	Apr 23 – May 7	Jun 17 – Jul 7	Jun 25 – Jul 15	matures comfortably

Which crops fit this growing season

Using Pinesdale's own 122-day growing season (32°F, NOAA 1991–2020 median) against each crop's real days-to-maturity range: 12 of 12 crops mature here with comfortable margin. A different location in the table above with a longer or shorter season will get a different mix — the ZIP planner on the home page gives your own.

Frost & freeze dates (Pinesdale)

From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00243885. 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 — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.

Freeze probabilities by temperature threshold (MM/DD, NOAA 1991–2020), Pinesdale.
Threshold	Last spring — avg	Last spring — 90%-safe	First fall — avg	First fall — 90%-safe	Season (days)
36°F	Jun 10	Jun 28	Sep 9	Sep 23	89
32°F (freeze)	May 21	Jun 6	Sep 22	Oct 5	122
28°F	May 5	May 19	Oct 2	Oct 15	149
24°F	Apr 20	May 5	Oct 15	Oct 29	175

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. This group's median GDD (base 50°F) across all 15 locations is 1,735; Pinesdale's own reading is shown below.

Annual growing degree days for Pinesdale (°F·days, NOAA 1991–2020).
Model	°F·days	Used for
Base 50°F (warm-season)	1,654	standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans)
Base 40°F (cool-season)	3,439	cool-season crops (brassicas, greens)

Hardiness zone 5b in Montana

Zone 5b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of about −15 to −10 °F on the USDA's 2023 map — the number that 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. Montana spans 7 hardiness zones in this dataset — see all Montana locations for the full range, including zones3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 6a, 6b.

Explore zone 5b in other states at zone 5b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.

Frequently asked questions

What does USDA hardiness zone 5b mean in Montana?: Zone 5b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of −15 to −10 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 15 locations in Montana fall in this zone. It does not set planting dates; see the frost calendar below for that.
Where in Montana's zone 5b is the growing season longest?: Bonner-West Riverside runs the longest season on this page at about 143 days; Kalispell is shortest at about 100 days — they share the same hardiness zone, but they sit at different weather stations, so their frost calendars differ.
When should I plant tomatoes in Montana's zone 5b?: Using Pinesdale's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Mar 26 – Apr 9, then transplant outside about May 28 – Jun 4. Your own location in the table above may differ by a week or two — use the ZIP planner on the home page for your exact station's dates.
Does every location in Montana's zone 5b have the same frost dates?: No — they do not all share a weather station, so frost dates vary by a week or more across the 15 locations listed (see the table above for each location's own dates).

Sources & method

Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, one reading per location's own nearest station (see the table above). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to each 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.