Fast Fall Crops for 50 Days or Less

Sorry to break it to you Missoula, but we have under 50 days until our average first freeze. For those who like sweaters, corduroy, and pumpkin spiced lattes, this is good news. For many of us gardeners, this can be a sad reality. (Why can’t tomato season go on forever? Sigh.)

Missoula’s average first frost is September 22nd. Missoula’s average first freeze is mid-October. These dates are compiled from years and years of recorded first frosts and freezes in our local area. The freeze date is what will kill most annual vegetables, but there are a handful of crops that can withstand frosts. For a list of these vegetables and more on preparing for frosts, check out this other blog.

It Ain’t Over Yet!

Both the first frost and first freeze dates help us plan our garden. If you do the math, this means that currently we have just over 30 days remaining before we can expect a frost, and we have about 50 days until we can expect our first freeze in Missoula. Although this may sound like a short amount of time, a number of vegetables can be planted now and harvested before the end of the season.

Get planting!

If you’re looking for something to plant in that bare spot in your garden, look no further than our list below.

Harvest in 30 - 50 days:

• Radishes

• Salad greens

• Asian greens

• Baby spinach

• Kale

• Turnips

• Cover crop

More Quick Tips!

• Always read up on the crop varieties because some varieties mature slower than others and could take longer than 50 days.

• Garlic doesn’t mature for harvest until the following year, but don’t forget to plant the cloves in September or October before the ground freezes! More on garlic here.

Radishes make a great fall crop!