Deer Lodge, MT frost dates
Last spring frostAny monthno frost-free season
Freezing nights231 / yrat or below 32°F
Hardiness zone4bZone 4b
Gardening where frost is possible all year
The weather station nearest Deer Lodge, 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.
How Deer Lodge compares
- Nearby Missoula, MT, 112 km away, has a regular frost season (last frost May 10), a reminder of how much elevation and distance from the coast matter.
About these dates
Based on 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals for the Deer Lodge 3 W, MT weather station, 4 km away (elevation 4,849 ft (1,478 m)).
Frost dates near Deer Lodge
- Garrison frost any month
- Warm Springs Jun 1 · Sep 14
- Avon Jun 9 · Sep 8
- Gold Creek frost any month
- Elliston Jun 9 · Sep 8
- Anaconda Jun 1 · Sep 14
- Hall frost any month
- Ramsay Jun 13 · Sep 5
- Basin Jun 7 · Sep 8
- Philipsburg frost any month
Frequently asked questions
When is the last frost in Deer Lodge, MT?
Deer Lodge, MT can freeze in any month, so there is no reliable last frost date. The nearest NOAA station averages 231 nights a year at or below 32°F.
What can I grow in Deer Lodge, 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.