When to plant in College, AK
Planting dates worked out from College's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 25
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 17
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 2
1 year in 10 by Aug 17
Frost-free days
112
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Fairbanks F.o. · 0.8 km away · station 137 m, town 137 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 30 – Apr 13 | May 25 – Jun 8 | Jul 19 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 16 – Mar 30 | May 25 – Jun 8 | Jul 24 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 28 – Apr 4 | May 2 – May 16 | Jun 11 |
| Peas | — | May 2 – May 30 | Jun 26 |
| Bush beans | — | May 21 – Jun 11 | Jul 10 |
| Carrot | — | May 9 – Jun 20 | Jul 8 |
| Beet | — | May 9 – Jun 20 | Jun 28 |
| Potato | — | May 9 – May 30 | Jul 18 |
| Kale | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 9 – May 23 | Jun 21 |
| Broccoli | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 2 – May 23 | Jul 1 |
| Cucumber | Apr 27 – May 4 | May 25 – Jun 8 | Jul 14 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 27 – May 4 | May 25 – Jun 8 | Jul 9 |
| Winter squash | Apr 27 – May 4 | May 25 – Jun 8 | Aug 13 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 21 – Jun 11 | Jul 20 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | May 2 – May 23 | Jul 31 |
| Garlic | — | Aug 17 – Sep 14 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | May 2 – May 30 | Jun 9 |
| Basil | Apr 13 – Apr 27 | May 25 – Jun 8 | Jul 21 |
College'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 |
|---|---|
| 1984 | Jun 1 |
| 2003 | May 23 |
| 2004 | May 20 |
| 2006 | Jun 5 |
| 2007 | May 12 |
| 2008 | May 29 |
| 2009 | May 17 |
| 2010 | May 14 |
| 2011 | May 15 |
| 2012 | May 17 |
| 2013 | May 22 |
| 2014 | May 14 |
| 2015 | May 11 |
| 2016 | May 5 |
| 2017 | May 7 |
| 2018 | May 17 |
| 2019 | May 7 |
| 2020 | May 18 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 105 |
| 2004 | 99 |
| 2006 | 78 |
| 2007 | 127 |
| 2008 | 112 |
| 2009 | 85 |
| 2010 | 120 |
| 2011 | 116 |
| 2012 | 112 |
| 2013 | 94 |
| 2014 | 107 |
| 2015 | 111 |
| 2016 | 125 |
| 2017 | 118 |
| 2018 | 114 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 8.7 °C |
| 2003 | 9.0 °C |
| 2004 | 11.1 °C |
| 2005 | 10.5 °C |
| 2006 | 9.4 °C |
| 2007 | 11.7 °C |
| 2008 | 9.2 °C |
| 2009 | 10.2 °C |
| 2010 | 11.1 °C |
| 2011 | 10.1 °C |
| 2012 | 10.3 °C |
| 2013 | 8.8 °C |
| 2014 | 9.7 °C |
| 2015 | 10.5 °C |
| 2016 | 11.6 °C |
| 2017 | 11.2 °C |
| 2018 | 10.1 °C |
| 2019 | 11.6 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Fairbanks F.o. (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.