Plan your vegetable garden in South Dakota

All the statistical weather information you need to prepare a bulletproof plan for your garden in South Dakota

Temperature range in South Dakota

South Dakota has temperatures ranging from -26°F to 100°F, with approximately 152 frost free days.

South Dakota has 126 days with average temperature range from 50°F to 90°F that are suitable for growing warm season vegetables and 67 days with average temperature range from 40°F to 80°F that are suitable for growing cool season vegetables

Chart displaying weekly air temperature in South Dakota

South Dakota air temperature chart based on weather statistics from 2019 to 2023

Total frost free days (after last frost and before first frost)152
Total days suitable to grow warm season vegetables126
Total days suitable to grow cool season vegetables67
Day with highest recorded temperature in past 4 yearsJuly 28: 100°F
Day with lowest recorded temperature in past 4 yearsJanuary 30: -26°F
First expected frost dateOctober 11
Last expected frost dateMay 12

Notable temperature facts for gardening in South Dakota

Warm season vegetables you can grow in South Dakota

Chart displaying days suitable for growing warm season vegetables in South Dakota

Days suitable for growing warm season vegetables in South Dakota

Warm season vegetables can be planted in South Dakota after May 22 when air temperatures are consistently above 50°F (10°C) and soil temperature is above 50°F (10°C)

Good temperature range for warm season vegetables is between 50°F and 90°F. With warm season vegetables it is important to wait until all conditions are optimal, because sudden temperature drop can stun new vegetable growth, this way delaying overall harvest.

Warm season vegetables that can be planted directly into soil in South Dakota
Warm season vegetables that need to be started indoors before transplanting outdoors in South Dakota

Cool season vegetables you can grow in South Dakota

Chart displaying days suitable for growing cool season vegetables in South Dakota

Days suitable for growing cool season vegetables in South Dakota

Cool season vegetables can be planted in South Dakota after May 05 when average air temperature is consistently above 40°F (4°C) and soil temperature is above 45°F (7°C)

Good temperature range for cool season vegetables is between 40°F and 80°F. With cool season vegetables it is important to avoid high air temperatures because exposure to high temperatures is most likely to stun growth, cause bitterness and encourage premature bolting in some plants. Plan your cool vegetable planting so they are harvested before hot weather stretch, provide them with additional shading.

Cool season vegetables that need to be started indoors before transplanting outdoors in South Dakota

Table with days suitable to grow vegetables in South Dakota

Tolerable temperature range for cool season vegetables: 40°F to 80°F

Tolerable temperature range for warm season vegetables: 50°F to 90°F

WeekAverage temperaturePossible min and max temperatureSuitable for cool season vegetablesSuitable for warm season vegetables
1January 01 - January 0310°F to 28°F-13°F to 41°F
2January 04 - January 1015°F to 30°F-10°F to 42°F
3January 11 - January 1718°F to 33°F-12°F to 49°F
4January 18 - January 2411°F to 28°F-11°F to 46°F
5January 25 - January 319°F to 27°F-26°F to 48°F
6February 01 - February 0711°F to 29°F-8°F to 51°F
7February 08 - February 147°F to 27°F-19°F to 50°F
8February 15 - February 218°F to 28°F-18°F to 49°F
9February 22 - February 2810°F to 29°F-18°F to 55°F
10March 01 - March 0719°F to 38°F-17°F to 63°F
11March 08 - March 1423°F to 42°F4°F to 66°F
12March 15 - March 2125°F to 44°F5°F to 67°F
13March 22 - March 2827°F to 48°F13°F to 60°F
14March 29 - April 0429°F to 51°F8°F to 75°F
15April 05 - April 1134°F to 56°F13°F to 78°F
16April 12 - April 1829°F to 48°F15°F to 73°F
17April 19 - April 2536°F to 59°F23°F to 77°F
18April 26 - May 0240°F to 62°F27°F to 82°FTRUE
19May 03 - May 0943°F to 63°F33°F to 75°FTRUE
20May 10 - May 1646°F to 67°F31°F to 82°FTRUE
21May 17 - May 2349°F to 68°F35°F to 83°FTRUE
22May 24 - May 3053°F to 73°F41°F to 84°FTRUETRUE
23May 31 - June 0658°F to 80°F46°F to 96°FTRUETRUE
24June 07 - June 1361°F to 81°F49°F to 96°FTRUE
25June 14 - June 2064°F to 85°F53°F to 98°FTRUE
26June 21 - June 2761°F to 81°F52°F to 96°FTRUE
27June 28 - July 0466°F to 87°F60°F to 98°FTRUE
28July 05 - July 1165°F to 83°F52°F to 96°FTRUE
29July 12 - July 1865°F to 86°F56°F to 97°FTRUE
30July 19 - July 2566°F to 87°F57°F to 95°FTRUE
31July 26 - August 0166°F to 86°F57°F to 100°FTRUE
32August 02 - August 0865°F to 84°F55°F to 99°FTRUE
33August 09 - August 1565°F to 84°F57°F to 92°FTRUE
34August 16 - August 2264°F to 85°F56°F to 97°FTRUE
35August 23 - August 2965°F to 84°F53°F to 96°FTRUE
36August 30 - September 0562°F to 83°F52°F to 96°FTRUE
37September 06 - September 1256°F to 76°F39°F to 93°FTRUETRUE
38September 13 - September 1958°F to 79°F48°F to 88°FTRUETRUE
39September 20 - September 2656°F to 75°F46°F to 86°FTRUETRUE
40September 27 - October 0355°F to 72°F38°F to 89°FTRUETRUE
41October 04 - October 1048°F to 68°F33°F to 81°FTRUE
42October 11 - October 1741°F to 58°F26°F to 78°FTRUE
43October 18 - October 2440°F to 56°F24°F to 76°FTRUE
44October 25 - October 3130°F to 47°F7°F to 65°F
45November 01 - November 0735°F to 54°F14°F to 74°F
46November 08 - November 1429°F to 45°F8°F to 70°F
47November 15 - November 2130°F to 46°F9°F to 63°F
48November 22 - November 2826°F to 42°F15°F to 56°F
49November 29 - December 0525°F to 40°F8°F to 62°F
50December 06 - December 1222°F to 37°F0°F to 56°F
51December 13 - December 1918°F to 32°F-8°F to 48°F
52December 20 - December 2616°F to 32°F-20°F to 54°F
53December 27 - December 3116°F to 30°F-1°F to 40°F

Table with days suitable to grow vegetables in South Dakota