One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

You can figure out when it's possible to plant shallots in Helena by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Shallots

Frost tolerance for shallots:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Shallots do well in very little cold which tells us that you can plant them just a tiny bit earlier in the year than more sensitive plants.

The earliest that you can plant shallots in Helena is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant shallots and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your shallots may not have a chance to fully mature. You can get started a little bit earlier by starting your shallots indoors.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is May 15 in Helena. It might get as low as -25°F during the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Helena is just an average the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Helena you get surprised by a frost after May 15 be ready to cover your shallots in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Helena

Here is the info for USDA Zone 4b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	September 15
Lowest Expected Low	-25°F
Highest Expected Low	-20°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -25°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -20°F.

Plants to Grow in Helena

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Helena.