What Grows in Fort Belknap Agency, Montana

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Fort Belknap Agency typically lands around Apr 28, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — earlier than the light-frost dates most charts quote. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost — lighter frosts keep biting past it, which is why tender transplants here wait until about May 19.

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Fort Belknap Agency typically arrives around Oct 5, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Sep 21, so the watching starts about Sep 5 — about 160 days after the spring freeze cleared.

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Fort Belknap Agency sees about 160 frost-free days — roughly Apr 28 through Oct 5, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 19 to Sep 21, about 125 days.

The federal record around Fort Belknap Agency is light — 13 documented sites across the 9 federal source types we checked, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (12), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 2.0 miles out — and proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard. Growing food here starts from a strong position; a soil test before new food beds settles any site-specific question.

From about Sep 5 the job here turns from planting to protecting — the last start even a 30-day crop can finish. As the season closes around the first 28°F hard freeze near Oct 5 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals), three moves buy time: row cover or an old sheet over tender plants on still, clear nights; water the soil the afternoon before a freeze, so it holds warmth overnight; and harvest tomatoes, peppers and basil before Oct 5. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.