Cooke City, MT frost dates

Gardening where frost is possible all year

The weather station nearest Cooke City, MT records freezing temperatures in every month often enough that NOAA cannot define a frost-free season. Gardening is still possible — it just means planning for frost at any time:

• Grow fast, cold-tolerant crops: Radishes, Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Peas, Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Garlic.
• Plant once the soil can be worked — usually late spring to early summer at high elevation — and keep row covers ready for clear, still nights.
• Use season extension: cold frames, low tunnels, wall-of-water cloches or a greenhouse turn a few frost-free weeks into a real season.
• Frost-tender crops (tomatoes, squash, beans) need protection all season; choose the earliest varieties you can find.

About these dates

Based on 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals for the Silver Gate, MT weather station, 5 km away (elevation 7,497 ft (2,285 m)).

Frost dates near Cooke City

• Silver Gate frost any month
• Roscoe Jun 5 · Sep 14
• Nye Jun 1 · Sep 11
• Fishtail Jun 1 · Sep 11
• Gardiner May 21 · Sep 27
• Red Lodge Jun 3 · Sep 19
• Bearcreek Jun 3 · Sep 19
• Mc Leod Jun 1 · Sep 11
• Absarokee May 27 · Sep 14
• Belfry May 18 · Sep 22

Frequently asked questions

When is the last frost in Cooke City, MT?

Cooke City, MT can freeze in any month, so there is no reliable last frost date. The nearest NOAA station averages 268 nights a year at or below 32°F.

What can I grow in Cooke City, MT?

Fast, cold-tolerant crops such as radishes, lettuce, spinach, kale, peas and potatoes, ideally under row covers, cold frames or a greenhouse. Frost-tender crops like tomatoes need protection all season.