This guide covers the vegetables that grow well in Missoula and gives you the specific information you need to grow them here. It is not generic gardening advice, but timing, varieties, and tips that account for our short season, cold nights, and dry summers. I’ve organized it by crop type so you can find what you need quickly. Bookmark this page and come back to it throughout the season.
All planting dates are based on Missoula’s average last spring frost of May 19 and first fall frost of September 22. If you’re not familiar with those dates and what they mean for your garden, start with the Missoula Frost Dates and Planting Calendar first.
Jump to a Section
- Cool-Season Vegetables: Peas, Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower
- Warm-Season Vegetables: Tomatoes, Peppers, Zucchini, Winter Squash, Cucumbers, Green Beans, Corn
- Root Vegetables: Carrots, Beets, Radishes, Potatoes
- Alliums: Garlic, Onions
- Missoula Soil and Water
Cool-Season Vegetables
Cool-season crops are the easiest wins in a Missoula garden. They tolerate frost, go in early, and give you something to harvest while you’re still waiting for tomatoes. Most can also be planted again in late July for a fall crop.
Peas
Best varieties for Missoula: Alaska (55 days), Little Marvel (63 days), Sugar Snap (70 days), Oregon Sugar Pod II (68 days)
Start indoors: Not recommended. Peas don’t transplant well and germinate quickly in cool soil.
Plant outdoors: Late March to early April, as soon as soil is workable.
Harvest: June to early July
Pests: Aphids are the main issue. Check the undersides of leaves regularly. Powdery mildew shows up late in the season once heat arrives, but by then your harvest should be winding down anyway.
Companion plants: Carrots, radishes, spinach, turnips
Missoula tips: Peas are a plant-early-and-forget-it crop here. Get them in as soon as the ground thaws and they’ll be done producing before the heat of summer arrives. Use a trellis for climbing varieties. It keeps them off the ground and makes harvesting easier. Alaska is the most reliable short-season variety for our climate.
Lettuce
Best varieties for Missoula: Black Seeded Simpson (45 days), Buttercrunch (65 days), Red Sails (45 days), Oakleaf (50 days), Forellenschluss (55 days, a beautiful Austrian heirloom that handles cold well)
Start indoors: Optional. Can be started indoors 4 weeks before last frost or direct seeded.
Plant outdoors: Late March to early April. Again in late July for fall.
Harvest: Late April through June (spring), September to October (fall)
Pests: Slugs, aphids, and cutworms. Slugs are the biggest problem in wet springs. Diatomaceous earth around the base of plants helps. Aphids cluster on new growth; knock them off with water.
Companion plants: Carrots, radishes, chives, onions, strawberries
Missoula tips: Lettuce bolts (goes to seed and turns bitter) when temperatures get hot. In Missoula that usually happens in late June or July. Succession plant every two weeks from late March through May to extend your harvest. Choose bolt-resistant varieties if you want to push later into summer. A bit of afternoon shade from taller plants like tomatoes or corn can buy you extra weeks. Fall lettuce often tastes better than spring lettuce here because it matures in cooler, wetter conditions.
Spinach
Best varieties for Missoula: Tyee (40 days), Space (40 days), Bloomsdale Long Standing (48 days, more bolt-resistant than most), Melody (42 days)
Start indoors: Not necessary.
Plant outdoors: Late March. Again in late July to early August for fall.
Harvest: May to June (spring), September through October (fall)
Pests: Leafminers leave pale, winding trails inside the leaves. Remove affected leaves and destroy them. Do not compost them. Aphids and slugs are also common.
Companion plants: Strawberries, peas, brassicas, radishes
Missoula tips: Fall spinach is often more successful than spring spinach in Missoula. Spring crops bolt fast once summer heat arrives. Plant your fall crop in late July and you’ll have tender spinach through October and sometimes into November with row cover protection. Bloomsdale holds up better than other varieties once temperatures start climbing.
Kale
Best varieties for Missoula: Red Russian (50 days, most cold-hardy), Lacinato/Dinosaur (62 days), Winterbor (60 days, extremely frost-hardy), Dwarf Blue Curled (55 days)
Start indoors: 4 to 6 weeks before last frost (late March to early April), or direct sow.
Plant outdoors: Late April. Again in late July for fall.
Harvest: June through November and beyond
Pests: Cabbage worms (white butterflies lay eggs on leaves), aphids, flea beetles (tiny holes in leaves), and cabbage loopers. Row cover in spring keeps most pests off young plants.
Companion plants: Beets, onions, garlic, aromatic herbs, nasturtiums (which attract aphids away from kale)
Missoula tips: Kale is one of the best vegetables you can grow here. It handles our frosts without complaint and actually tastes better after the first cold snap. The cold converts starches to sugars in the leaves. Red Russian is my top pick for Missoula because of its cold hardiness and mild flavor. Harvest outer leaves and the plant keeps producing all season.
Swiss Chard
Best varieties for Missoula: Bright Lights (60 days, colorful and productive), Fordhook Giant (60 days), Rainbow Chard mix
Start indoors: Optional. 3 to 4 weeks before last frost.
Plant outdoors: Early to mid-April (handles light frost).
Harvest: June through October
Pests: Leafminers and aphids are the main ones. Same management as spinach for leafminers.
Companion plants: Beans, brassicas, onions, lavender
Missoula tips: Chard is one of the most productive and low-maintenance vegetables for Missoula gardens. Plant it once and harvest from it all season using cut-and-come-again harvesting. Take outer stalks and leave the center growing. It handles light frosts well into fall. Bright Lights is worth growing just for how it looks in the garden.
Broccoli
Best varieties for Missoula: Packman (57 days), Calabrese (58 days), Green Magic (60 days), Belstar (65 days)
Start indoors: Mid to late March (6 to 8 weeks before last frost).
Plant outdoors: Late April to early May. Tolerates light frost.
Harvest: Late June to July. Plant again in early July for fall heads in September.
Pests: Cabbage worms and loopers are the biggest issue: larvae of white cabbage butterflies that eat through leaves and hide inside heads. Check plants every few days and pick them off by hand. Aphids cluster in the center of plants. Flea beetles make small holes in leaves of young transplants.
Companion plants: Onions, garlic, beets, celery, chamomile, nasturtiums, marigolds
Missoula tips: Broccoli prefers to mature in cool weather. Time your planting so it heads up before the heat of July, or plant a second crop in early July that matures in September. Once you cut the main head, the plant produces smaller side shoots for weeks. Floating row cover from transplant through early summer blocks the white cabbage butterflies that lay eggs on leaves.
Cabbage
Best varieties for Missoula: Early Jersey Wakefield (63 days), Golden Acre (64 days), Stonehead (67 days), Red Express (63 days, short-season red cabbage)
Start indoors: Mid to late March.
Plant outdoors: Late April. Handles frost well.
Harvest: July to September
Pests: Same as broccoli, cabbage worms, loopers, aphids, and root maggots. Root maggots attack the base of the stem; protective collars around transplants help.
Companion plants: Dill, onions, garlic, celery, aromatic herbs
Missoula tips: Consistent moisture is key with cabbage. Irregular watering causes heads to crack. Use row cover early in the season to block cabbage moths. Heads that mature in fall have better flavor and store longer than summer-harvested ones.
Cauliflower
Best varieties for Missoula: Snow Crown (50 days, best bet for our climate), Amazing (68 days), Snowball (70 days)
Start indoors: Mid March.
Plant outdoors: Late April.
Harvest: Late June to July, or September if fall planted.
Pests: Same as broccoli and cabbage.
Companion plants: Same as broccoli.
Missoula tips: Cauliflower is the most temperamental brassica to grow here. Heat causes it to head prematurely with small, loose curds. Snow Crown is the most forgiving variety for Montana. Time your planting so it matures before July heat sets in, or grow it as a fall crop. Blanching (tying outer leaves over the developing head) keeps it white and mild-flavored.
Warm-Season Vegetables
Warm-season crops need soil that has warmed up and no more frost risk. In Missoula, most experienced gardeners wait until Memorial Day weekend before putting tomatoes, peppers, and other heat-lovers in the ground. The soil is warmer, the nights are safer, and you avoid the heartbreak of a late frost wiping out a transplant you babied for weeks indoors. Choosing short-season varieties is not optional here, it is the difference between a successful harvest and a season of disappointment.
Most warm-season crops need to be started indoors weeks before the last frost. The mix you use matters as much as the timing. Here’s what to look for in a seed starting mix for Montana gardeners.
Tomatoes
Best varieties for Missoula: Stupice (65 days, Czech heirloom, outstanding in cold climates), Glacier (55 days, one of the earliest reliable tomatoes), Early Girl (57 days), Siletz (65 days), Juliet cherry (60 days, prolific and crack-resistant), Sungold cherry (57 days, sweet and reliable), Manitoba (60 days)
Start indoors: Late March to early April (6 to 8 weeks before last frost).
Plant outdoors: Around Memorial Day (late May). With wall-o-waters, you can push to early to mid-May.
Harvest: Late July through September
Pests: Aphids cluster on new growth and the undersides of leaves. Flea beetles leave small holes in leaves early in the season but rarely cause serious damage. Cutworms cut transplants off at the soil line. A cardboard collar around the base of each transplant stops them. Hornworms are present but less common in Missoula than in warmer climates.
Companion plants: Basil, marigolds, carrots, parsley, borage
Missoula tips: Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable in Missoula gardens and the one people struggle with most. Two rules matter more than anything else. First, choose varieties under 70 days, anything longer is a gamble. Second, do not rush transplanting. Most Missoula gardeners do best waiting until Memorial Day weekend, the soil is warmer, the nights are safer, and your transplants will catch up fast. Wall-o-waters are worth using if you want a head start, they let you plant a few weeks early and protect against frost. Stupice is my top pick for Missoula. It produces well even in cool, cloudy summers and ripens reliably before our first fall frost.
For a more detailed guide to growing tomatoes here, including transplanting tips and season extension, see Growing Tomatoes in Missoula: A Short-Season Guide.
Peppers
Best varieties for Missoula: Ace Bell Pepper (57 days), Lipstick (53 days, sweet pimento type), Early Jalapeno (65 days), Hungarian Hot Wax (58 days), Shishito (60 days)
Start indoors: Late March (8 weeks before last frost).
Plant outdoors: Memorial Day or after. Peppers want warm soil, even more so than tomatoes.
Harvest: August through September
Pests: Aphids and flea beetles are the main ones. Aphids on peppers can spread mosaic virus, remove and destroy heavily infested plants.
Companion plants: Basil, carrots, tomatoes, spinach (as a ground cover underneath)
Missoula tips: Peppers are the most challenging warm-season crop in Missoula. They need warm nights to set fruit and our nights stay cool well into summer. Wall-o-waters help early in the season. If frost threatens before you have finished harvesting, a row cover over the entire plant can buy you two to three more weeks. Stick with shorter-season varieties, anything over 70 days is a stretch.
Zucchini and Summer Squash
Best varieties for Missoula: Dunja (47 days), Black Beauty (50 days), Patio Star (48 days), Costata Romanesco (52 days, Italian ribbed variety with excellent flavor)
Start indoors: Late April (2 to 3 weeks before last frost). Or direct sow after May 20.
Plant outdoors: After May 20.
Harvest: July through September
Pests: Squash bugs lay clusters of bronze eggs on the undersides of leaves. Check for them regularly and scrape them off. Cucumber beetles spread bacterial wilt. Powdery mildew appears on leaves in late summer but usually doesn’t affect production much.
Companion plants: Nasturtiums, beans, corn, marigolds, dill
Missoula tips: Zucchini is one of the most productive crops for Missoula gardens. Direct sowing after last frost works perfectly well since they germinate fast. One or two plants is usually enough for a household, three and you will be leaving bags on neighbors’ doorsteps. Harvest when small (6 to 8 inches) for best flavor and texture. Check plants every day in peak summer because zucchini goes from perfect to baseball bat size overnight.
Winter Squash
Best varieties for Missoula: Sweet Dumpling (95 days), Red Kuri (92 days), Cornell Bush Delicata (100 days, borderline but usually works), Acorn squash varieties (85 days). Butternut squash is a stretch at 85 to 110 days depending on variety, choose the shortest-season butternut you can find.
Start indoors: Late April.
Plant outdoors: After May 20.
Harvest: September to early October, before hard frost
Pests: Squash bugs and cucumber beetles. Same management as summer squash.
Companion plants: Corn, beans, nasturtiums (Three Sisters works well with winter squash)
Missoula tips: Choose varieties under 100 days to ensure you get a harvest before our first fall frost. Red Kuri and Sweet Dumpling are the most reliable winter squash for Missoula. Cure harvested squash in a warm, dry spot for one to two weeks before storing. This hardens the skin and extends storage life. Do not leave winter squash in the garden after a hard frost.
Cucumbers
Best varieties for Missoula: Diva (58 days, seedless type, smooth skin, excellent flavor), Spacemaster (60 days), Bush Pickle (45 days, great for pickling), Marketmore 76 (67 days)
Start indoors: Late April (2 to 3 weeks before last frost).
Plant outdoors: After May 20.
Harvest: Mid-July through September
Pests: Cucumber beetles (spotted and striped) are the most damaging pest. They spread bacterial wilt, which kills plants quickly. Row cover early in the season keeps them off. Spider mites appear in dry, hot conditions; keep plants well watered. Aphids cluster on new growth.
Companion plants: Beans, peas, sunflowers, nasturtiums, dill, radishes
Missoula tips: Growing cucumbers vertically on a trellis saves space, improves air circulation, and makes harvesting easier. Consistent watering is important. Irregular moisture causes bitter cucumbers. Missoula’s dry summers mean you need to water consistently.
Green Beans
Best varieties for Missoula: Contender (49 days, most reliable short-season bean), Provider (50 days), Blue Lake Bush (57 days), Dragon Tongue (57 days, yellow and purple striped, excellent fresh)
Start indoors: Do not start indoors. Beans do not transplant well and germinate quickly in warm soil.
Plant outdoors: After May 20 when soil is warm.
Harvest: Mid-July through August
Pests: Mexican bean beetles leave skeletonized leaves. Aphids and leafhoppers also feed on beans. Most pest pressure on beans in Missoula is moderate compared to warmer climates.
Companion plants: Carrots, cucumbers, squash, rosemary, nasturtiums, potatoes
Missoula tips: Bush varieties are the better choice over pole beans for Missoula’s shorter season. They produce faster and don’t need trellising. Succession plant every two to three weeks from mid-May through mid-June for a continuous harvest into August. Beans fix nitrogen in the soil, so they benefit whatever you plant after them.
Corn
Best varieties for Missoula: Early Sunglow (63 days), Quickie (65 days), Peaches and Cream (83 days, borderline, needs a warm summer)
Start indoors: Not recommended. Direct sow only.
Plant outdoors: After May 20 when soil reaches 60°F.
Harvest: Late July to August
Pests: Corn earworm, cutworms, and aphids. Corn earworm is the most common. The caterpillar feeds at the top of ears. It is largely cosmetic and can be cut off before eating.
Companion plants: Beans, squash, sunflowers (Three Sisters planting)
Missoula tips: Plant corn in blocks of at least four rows rather than a single long row. Corn is wind-pollinated and needs nearby plants to pollinate properly. Poor pollination leads to ears with missing kernels. Corn needs space and warm soil, so do not rush planting. Stick with varieties under 70 days to guarantee harvest before our first fall frost.
Root Vegetables
Carrots
Best varieties for Missoula: Nelson (58 days, excellent in heavier soils), Scarlet Nantes (70 days, sweet and reliable), Chantenay Red Core (70 days, shorter and wider, good for clay soil), Little Finger (65 days, small baby carrot, good for rocky soil), Bolero (75 days)
Start indoors: Never. Carrots are direct seeded only.
Plant outdoors: Late March to April. Succession plant through June.
Harvest: July through October. Frost makes them sweeter.
Pests: Carrot rust fly larvae tunnel through roots. Row cover prevents egg-laying. Wireworms also tunnel through roots in some Missoula soils.
Companion plants: Onions, leeks, lettuce, tomatoes, peas, rosemary
Missoula tips: Missoula soil is the main challenge with carrots. Clay-heavy soil or rocky ground in much of the valley causes forked, stunted, or misshapen roots. Amend your soil deeply with compost before planting and loosen it to at least 12 inches. If your soil is dense, grow shorter varieties like Chantenay or Little Finger that don’t need as much depth. Keep the soil consistently moist during germination, carrot seeds are slow and dry soil stops them cold. Once established they are fairly drought-tolerant.
Beets
Best varieties for Missoula: Chioggia (55 days, Italian heirloom with candy-cane interior), Detroit Dark Red (60 days), Golden Beet (55 days, mild flavor, doesn’t bleed), Bull’s Blood (58 days, grown primarily for its deep red greens)
Start indoors: Not necessary. Direct sow.
Plant outdoors: Late March to April. Can succession plant through June.
Harvest: Late June through September
Pests: Leafminers leave pale trails in leaves. Same management as spinach, remove affected leaves. Aphids cluster on new growth.
Companion plants: Brassicas, lettuce, onions, kohlrabi, garlic
Missoula tips: Beet “seeds” are actually clusters of two to four seeds, so you will almost always need to thin seedlings to three to four inches apart. Both the roots and the greens are edible, young beet greens are excellent in salads. Beets handle light frost well, so you can leave them in the ground into October. Chioggia is worth growing just for how beautiful it looks when cut.
Radishes
Best varieties for Missoula: Cherry Belle (22 days), French Breakfast (28 days), Easter Egg mix (25 days, variety pack of colors), Daikon (60 days, grown as a fall crop)
Start indoors: Never. Direct sow only.
Plant outdoors: Early April. Succession plant every two weeks through May. Daikon in late July for fall.
Harvest: Late April through June (spring), October (fall daikon)
Pests: Flea beetles make small holes in leaves. Root maggots tunnel through roots in some areas.
Companion plants: Cucumbers, lettuce, peas, nasturtiums, spinach
Missoula tips: Radishes are the fastest and most satisfying early garden crop. Plant them as row markers alongside slower-germinating carrots or parsnips, they will be ready to harvest by the time the carrot seedlings need the space. They bolt quickly in heat so harvest spring varieties as soon as they size up. Fall daikon radishes are worth trying, they grow large, store well, and the greens are edible.
Potatoes
Best varieties for Missoula: Red Norland (70 days, earliest and most reliable), Yukon Gold (70 days, all-purpose yellow potato), Kennebec (80 days, excellent storage), All Blue (90 days, striking purple flesh, borderline for our season), fingerling varieties (70 to 80 days)
Start indoors: Not applicable. Plant certified seed potatoes.
Plant outdoors: Late April to early May. Potatoes tolerate light frost once sprouted.
Harvest: Late July through September
Pests: Colorado potato beetle is the most damaging. It is a yellow-and-black striped beetle that defoliates plants fast. Hand-pick adults and egg masses (orange clusters on leaf undersides) regularly. Aphids spread potato viruses. Wireworms tunnel through tubers in some areas.
Companion plants: Beans, corn, cabbage, horseradish (planted at the corners of the bed), marigolds
Missoula tips: Buy certified seed potatoes from a reputable source rather than planting grocery store potatoes, certified seed is disease-free. Hill up soil around the base of plants as they grow to prevent tubers from being exposed to light (which turns them green and slightly toxic). Missoula’s relatively dry summers reduce late blight pressure compared to wetter climates. Harvest after the tops die back for the best-storing potatoes.
Alliums
Garlic
Best varieties for Missoula: Hardneck varieties are the right choice for Montana winters. Chesnok Red (rich, full flavor, a favorite), Music (large cloves, stores well), German Red (robust flavor, very cold-hardy), any Purple Stripe variety. Inchelium Red is a softneck variety that stores exceptionally well if you want to braid it.
Plant outdoors: October, after the first frost but before the ground freezes hard. Mulch heavily after planting.
Harvest: Late July, when the lower half of the leaves have turned brown
Pests: Aphids occasionally colonize the leaves. Onion maggots can affect bulbs in some areas. White rot is a soil fungus that can persist for years. Buy clean seed garlic.
Companion plants: Tomatoes, peppers, roses, fruit trees, brassicas
Missoula tips: Garlic is one of the easiest and most rewarding crops in a Missoula garden. Plant it in fall, mulch it with straw, mostly ignore it over winter, and harvest large bulbs in late July. Hardneck varieties produce a scape in June, a curled flower stalk that you should cut off to direct the plant’s energy into the bulb. Scapes are edible and excellent in stir-fries. Cure harvested garlic in a dry, shaded spot with good airflow for two to four weeks before storing.
Onions
Best varieties for Missoula: Walla Walla (sweet, long-day variety that does well in Montana), Candy (85 days, excellent yield), Red Candy Apple (95 days), Yellow Sweet Spanish (110 days, plant early). Look for long-day varieties specifically, as our latitude requires them to bulb up properly.
Start indoors: Late February to early March (10 to 12 weeks before transplanting) if growing from seed. Most gardeners in Missoula use sets or transplants, which is easier.
Plant outdoors: Sets and transplants go in late April to early May.
Harvest: August to September, when tops fall over naturally
Pests: Onion thrips cause silvery streaking on leaves. Onion maggots tunnel through bulbs, row cover prevents the flies from laying eggs near plants.
Companion plants: Carrots, beets, tomatoes, chamomile
Missoula tips: Always buy long-day onion varieties for our latitude, short-day varieties will not bulb properly in Montana. Sets (small dried onion bulbs) are the easiest way to grow onions and are widely available at local nurseries in spring. Let tops fall over on their own before harvesting, do not knock them down. Cure onions in a warm, dry location for two to four weeks before storing. Properly cured onions store for months.
A Few Notes on Missoula Soil and Water
Soil varies a lot across the Missoula valley. Some yards have deep, workable loam. Others have clay that compacts into something close to concrete when dry, or rocky soil with almost no organic matter. Whatever you’re working with, adding compost every season improves it. A four-inch layer of compost top-dressed on your beds does more for a Missoula vegetable garden than any fertilizer. For a closer look at what Missoula soil is typically made of and how to improve it, see Missoula Soil: What You’re Working With and How to Fix It.
Water is the other constant challenge. At 13 inches of annual rainfall, Missoula does not get enough rain to grow vegetables without irrigation. Drip irrigation is the most efficient option. It delivers water directly to the root zone, reduces leaf wetness that causes disease, and uses significantly less water than overhead sprinklers. At minimum, most vegetable gardens in Missoula need one to two inches of water per week during summer. For more on watering schedules, drip irrigation, and avoiding common mistakes, see How to Water a Vegetable Garden in Missoula.
Mulching vegetable beds with straw or wood chips conserves moisture, moderates soil temperature, and suppresses weeds. It is one of the most practical things you can do for a Missoula garden and saves significant time on watering and weeding over the course of a season.
If you want help putting all of this into a plan that works for your specific yard, that is exactly what Garden City Plant Care’s vegetable garden consulting service is for. Whether you’re starting from scratch or troubleshooting a garden that hasn’t been producing the way you hoped, I can help you figure out what’s going wrong and build a plan you can follow. Learn more about vegetable garden consulting in Missoula.
Still have questions? The Plant Care FAQ covers frost protection, watering, and more. Or reach out and ask us directly.