Climate-based bean planting guide for Jackson, Wyoming

When to Plant Beans in Jackson: Timing and Maturity Guide

Beans are a more demanding choice in Jackson, usually favoring only the quickest and most climate-appropriate approaches.

Typical Planting Window

Risky in this climate

Use the planting dates below for beans in Jackson.

Typical planting window June 20 – July 4
Method Direct sow
Typical days to maturity 50–65

Gardeners usually sow outdoors around June 20. Most varieties need about 50–65 days to reach maturity.

Beans are challenging in Jackson. Gardeners who succeed usually stack the odds with the fastest varieties, the best timing, and the warmest sites they have.

Within Wyoming, Jackson usually reaches bean planting time a little later than many comparable locations. That makes local site warmth more important than it would be where the seasonal margin is wider.

Best local strategy: Use the warmest sites available and avoid giving up any season to delays or slower variety choice.

Can Beans Mature in Jackson?

Growing degree days measure how much useful warmth the season provides. For warm-season crops like beans, GDD helps show whether local heat accumulation is usually strong enough for the crop to grow steadily and finish before fall.

Available GDD (base 50) 661
Typical crop GDD target 900
Heat margin -239

From the usual planting window, Jackson typically provides about 661 growing degree days for beans. With a typical crop target of 900, that leaves a heat margin of -239. That heat shortfall means the crop usually needs the fastest approach and the warmest local conditions to have a realistic chance of finishing well.

GDD Checkpoints for Jackson

When planting later than usual, this table shows how much growing degree day heat is still available from each point in the season. As planting gets pushed back, the remaining heat drops and the crop becomes less likely to mature on time.

Checkpoint Remaining GDD Heat margin Fit vs typical target
Apr 15 856 -44 Usually short
Jun 1 850 -50 Usually short
Jun 15 807 -93 Usually short
Jul 1 705 -195 Usually short

Best Bean Varieties for Jackson

In Jackson, very early bean varieties are usually the safest choice because they leave the least room for the season to turn against you. Slower classes are much less forgiving here.

Varieties that often fit well here include:

Variety class Typical days to maturity Typical GDD need Local fit
Very early 45–52 725 Tight
Early 50–55 800 Poor fit
Mid-season 55–65 900 Poor fit
Late 65–75 1000 Poor fit

Main risk: The main issue here is usually simple season length: the crop often runs out of time before finishing properly.

How Frost Affects Beans in Jackson

Jackson usually has about 72 frost-free days, with a typical last spring frost around June 20 and a typical first fall frost around August 31.

Typical last spring frost June 20
Typical first fall frost August 31
Typical frost-free days 72
Minimum safe temperature 32°F / 0 °C

Beans are generally frost-tender and temperatures below about 32°F ( 0 °C) can slow growth or damage plants.

Beans are much more exposed to frost risk, so the frost dates matter as real planting boundaries rather than rough planning markers.

The crop usually falls short here because the season runs out before it finishes well. Late planting, cool nights, and slower varieties make that problem much worse.

In Jackson, the local season often leaves beans close to practical limits, so warmer sites are usually part of the plan rather than just an advantage. Local gardens do not all warm and cool at the same pace. In practical terms, the best spots are usually south-facing walls, sheltered gardens, raised beds, and sunnier urban lots. Cooler spots like low spots, exposed sites, and shadier yards are more likely to stay cooler and be less forgiving. For beans, warmer sites usually help most by speeding early growth and extending productive pod set a little longer into the season.

Related crops

Related crops worth comparing for the same city:

For a broader local overview, see the Jackson planting guide. You can also use the Growing Degree Day Planner to test planting dates and crop timing.