When to plant in Butte, AK
Planting dates worked out from Butte's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 23
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 7
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 28
1 year in 10 by Sep 16
Frost-free days
148
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Palmer Job Corps · 6.3 km away · station 66 m, town 28 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | May 24 – Jun 7 | Jul 18 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | May 24 – Jun 7 | Jul 23 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | Apr 21 – May 5 | May 31 |
| Peas | — | Apr 21 – May 19 | Jun 15 |
| Bush beans | — | May 17 – Jun 7 | Jul 6 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 30 – Jun 11 | Jun 29 |
| Beet | — | Apr 30 – Jun 11 | Jun 19 |
| Potato | — | Apr 30 – May 21 | Jul 9 |
| Kale | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 10 |
| Broccoli | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jun 20 |
| Cucumber | Apr 26 – May 3 | May 24 – Jun 7 | Jul 13 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 26 – May 3 | May 24 – Jun 7 | Jul 8 |
| Winter squash | Apr 26 – May 3 | May 24 – Jun 7 | Aug 12 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 17 – Jun 7 | Jul 16 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 21 – May 12 | Jul 20 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 2 – Sep 30 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 21 – May 19 | May 29 |
| Basil | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | May 24 – Jun 7 | Jul 20 |
Butte's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 1950 | May 20 |
| 1951 | May 27 |
| 1952 | May 21 |
| 1953 | May 24 |
| 1955 | May 19 |
| 1957 | May 10 |
| 1959 | May 25 |
| 1960 | May 21 |
| 1962 | May 14 |
| 1963 | May 10 |
| 1964 | May 23 |
| 1965 | May 21 |
| 1966 | May 20 |
| 1967 | May 20 |
| 1968 | May 13 |
| 1970 | May 17 |
| 1971 | May 30 |
| 1972 | May 22 |
| 1973 | May 25 |
| 1974 | May 11 |
| 1975 | May 23 |
| 1977 | May 21 |
| 1978 | Apr 30 |
| 1979 | May 15 |
| 1980 | May 15 |
| 1981 | Apr 30 |
| 1982 | May 22 |
| 1983 | May 1 |
| 1984 | May 12 |
| 1985 | May 21 |
| 1986 | May 12 |
| 1987 | May 11 |
| 1988 | May 2 |
| 1989 | May 9 |
| 1990 | May 3 |
| 1991 | May 17 |
| 1992 | May 18 |
| 1993 | Apr 22 |
| 1994 | May 11 |
| 1995 | Apr 30 |
| 1996 | May 5 |
| 1997 | May 7 |
| 2004 | Apr 21 |
| 2005 | Apr 16 |
| 2007 | Apr 21 |
| 2010 | Jul 14 |
| 2011 | Apr 20 |
| 2012 | May 3 |
| 2013 | May 20 |
| 2014 | Apr 22 |
| 2015 | Apr 23 |
| 2020 | May 27 |
| 2021 | Jun 8 |
| 2022 | May 16 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 137 |
| 1951 | 119 |
| 1952 | 97 |
| 1957 | 135 |
| 1959 | 105 |
| 1960 | 107 |
| 1962 | 108 |
| 1963 | 127 |
| 1964 | 95 |
| 1965 | 95 |
| 1966 | 107 |
| 1967 | 131 |
| 1968 | 123 |
| 1970 | 113 |
| 1971 | 107 |
| 1972 | 116 |
| 1973 | 81 |
| 1974 | 119 |
| 1975 | 131 |
| 1977 | 124 |
| 1978 | 145 |
| 1979 | 151 |
| 1980 | 99 |
| 1981 | 147 |
| 1982 | 112 |
| 1983 | 137 |
| 1984 | 106 |
| 1985 | 118 |
| 1986 | 134 |
| 1987 | 125 |
| 1988 | 144 |
| 1989 | 152 |
| 1990 | 147 |
| 1991 | 127 |
| 1993 | 148 |
| 1994 | 139 |
| 1995 | 158 |
| 1996 | 114 |
| 2005 | 180 |
| 2007 | 169 |
| 2010 | 74 |
| 2011 | 171 |
| 2012 | 149 |
| 2013 | 122 |
| 2014 | 160 |
| 2015 | 151 |
| 2020 | 105 |
| 2021 | 52 |
| 2022 | 122 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 10.2 °C |
| 1951 | 10.6 °C |
| 1952 | 9.4 °C |
| 1957 | 11.2 °C |
| 1959 | 9.5 °C |
| 1960 | 9.2 °C |
| 1962 | 8.9 °C |
| 1963 | 9.1 °C |
| 1964 | 8.6 °C |
| 1965 | 8.8 °C |
| 1966 | 8.9 °C |
| 1967 | 10.3 °C |
| 1968 | 9.7 °C |
| 1969 | 10.4 °C |
| 1970 | 8.9 °C |
| 1971 | 8.9 °C |
| 1972 | 8.6 °C |
| 1973 | 9.4 °C |
| 1974 | 10.9 °C |
| 1975 | 9.4 °C |
| 1976 | 10.0 °C |
| 1977 | 10.4 °C |
| 1978 | 10.2 °C |
| 1979 | 10.9 °C |
| 1980 | 9.9 °C |
| 1981 | 10.0 °C |
| 1982 | 9.1 °C |
| 1983 | 10.2 °C |
| 1984 | 10.2 °C |
| 1985 | 8.7 °C |
| 1986 | 9.5 °C |
| 1987 | 10.0 °C |
| 1988 | 10.1 °C |
| 1989 | 10.9 °C |
| 1990 | 11.3 °C |
| 1991 | 10.6 °C |
| 1993 | 11.5 °C |
| 1994 | 10.8 °C |
| 1995 | 11.2 °C |
| 1996 | 10.4 °C |
| 2004 | 13.3 °C |
| 2005 | 13.4 °C |
| 2006 | 12.1 °C |
| 2007 | 12.9 °C |
| 2009 | 12.4 °C |
| 2010 | 12.3 °C |
| 2011 | 12.1 °C |
| 2012 | 11.7 °C |
| 2013 | 11.9 °C |
| 2014 | 12.7 °C |
| 2015 | 13.2 °C |
| 2020 | 10.6 °C |
| 2021 | 7.0 °C |
| 2022 | 10.9 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1950, Butte's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 3 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Palmer Job Corps (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.