When to plant tomatoes in Billings: 11 May – 24 June

In Billings, tomato: sow for seedlings from 27 February to 3 May; plant into a greenhouse from 20 April to 24 June; plant out into open ground from 11 May to 24 June. For plants and seeds, the places nearby include Roots Garden Center (garden centre, 6 km) and Walmart Garden Center (garden centre, 7 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

Tomato in Billings: soil, season and weather

In Billings the soil, not frost, sets the date: the last frost is over around 25 April, but the top 7 cm of soil reaches 15 °C — the minimum on the tomato card — only around 11 May, 16 days later.

Last spring frost	25 April
Top 7 cm of soil at 15 °C	11 May, 16 days after the last frost
Into an unheated greenhouse	20 April – 24 June; April outside: 0.9 °C at night, 14.6 °C by day; card 16–27 °C
First autumn frost	14 October, 156 days after the start
Days in the bed to the first harvest (card)	70
First harvest, if planted in this window	20 July – 2 September
Days left for picking	86
Daylight	12:07 on 20 March, 14:45 on 11 May
Watering outdoors when fruiting (card)	every 3 days; the driest month, July, has 3 rainy days

Tomato in Billings: care after planting

Planted on 11 May: in the first weeks water every 4 days.

Feeding, by the card’s schedule from that day:

11 May — feed: balanced (NPK)
8 June — feed: nitrogen

Pests and diseases of tomato to watch for:

Dates count from the first planting day of the window above; a later planting moves them by as many days.

Weather in Billings during the tomato season

Days average above the tomato card's 16–27 °C in July (31.9 °C) and August (31 °C). Nights average below 16 °C in May, June and August–October (3.7–15.8 °C).

Month	Day, °C	Night, °C	Rain, mm	Rainy days	Daylight on the 15th
May	20.3	6.9	76	12	14:55
June	26.7	12.5	57	8	15:42
July	31.9	16.6	18	3	15:23
August	31	15.8	20	3	14:10
September	25.9	11.2	39	5	12:36
October	16	3.7	47	7	11:00

ERA5 2016–2025, Open-Meteo

Tomato in nearby cities

All the nearest cities on our list plant tomato later than Billings; the closest date is in Idaho Falls, 7 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Helena	287 km	6 June – 13 June	26 days later
Idaho Falls	377 km	18 May – 24 June	7 days later
Missoula	441 km	3 June – 16 June	23 days later
Rapid City	457 km	20 May – 22 June	9 days later
Regina	594 km	24 May – 16 June	13 days later
Cheyenne	595 km	25 May – 23 June	14 days later

Where to buy tomato plants and seeds near Billings

Buy plants ready to set out from 11 May to 24 June (from 20 April to 24 June for an unheated greenhouse); seed for raising your own is sown from 27 February to 3 May. Within 15 km of Billings OpenStreetMap lists 7 garden centres, 11 farm-supply shops, 3 plant nurseries and 4 markets (collected 20 October 2026).

Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
King Avenue West 2525, 59102 Billings · Mon–Sun 06:00–23:00 · 7 km · walmart.com
Roots Garden Center — garden centre
Poly Drive 2147, Billings · Mon–Sun 09:00–17:00 · 6 km
Walmart Garden Center — garden centre
6 km
Billings Hardware Garden Center — garden centre
7 km

Each window starts on the Greenly calendar date and ends on the last day that still leaves the crop’s days to harvest (from its card) before the average first autumn frost, plus six weeks of picking for crops harvested over weeks (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, watermelons, beans) — our rule; earlier in the window is safer.

Questions