Planting

Q: With our winter that won't stop, what would you suggest about planting dates for the vegetable garden? Our average date for last frost is June 10.

A: If there is one constant about Montana weather, it is its inconstancy. I would ignore the weather of last winter and proceed onward, assuming that this summer's gardening weather and last winter's snows have no connection.

If it were my garden, I would plant vegetables on the usual schedule--provided that the ground has thawed by then, of course. I plant the "hardy" vegetables, the ones that can survive a frost, four weeks before the last aver...