North Dakota runs one of the shortest growing seasons in the country — about 120 to 145 frost-free days depending on where you farm — so every planting date below is worked back from the average last spring and first fall frost for your zone. Long-season crops like sweet potato simply don't finish here, and the calendar says so rather than pretend. Alongside the vegetable dates you'll find the published NDSU Extension cost budgets for the state's field crops — spring wheat, durum, barley, corn, soybean and dry bean — so you can see what an acre costs before you commit it. Written for farms that sell what they grow.
Zones 3b–4a run through North Dakota. Frost dates are long-term averages for planning, not a forecast for your field.
Every number below is transcribed from a published land-grant enterprise budget for North Dakota. Operating cost is what it takes to grow and harvest the crop; ownership cost is machinery, land and overhead. Multiply by your acres to size the cash you need before the first sale.
Every figure is transcribed from a published land-grant enterprise budget for that state. These are planning budgets built from grower panels and dealer quotes, not surveys of what farms actually spent — your invoices override them everywhere they exist.
Calculated for Zone 4a (Fargo, Bismarck and the southern half). Pick your own zone on the crop page.
If your farm sits in a zone that is not listed here, start from the calendar index and pick the closest match, then confirm with your county extension office.
A planting date tells you when a crop can grow — not whether it pays. Work out your breakeven price, then line up who is buying before you plant.
Dates are calculated from average first and last frost dates for each zone. Your microclimate, elevation and soil temperature can shift any window by a week or more — treat these as starting points and keep your own records.