When to plant in Skagway, AK
Planting dates worked out from Skagway's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 18
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 27
1 year in 10 by Sep 17
Frost-free days
140
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Skagway · 0.4 km away · station 11 m, town 8 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 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Jul 21 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Jul 26 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 18 – Mar 25 | Apr 22 – May 6 | Jun 1 |
| Peas | — | Apr 22 – May 20 | Jun 16 |
| Bush beans | — | May 20 – Jun 10 | Jul 9 |
| Carrot | — | May 3 – Jun 14 | Jul 2 |
| Beet | — | May 3 – Jun 14 | Jun 22 |
| Potato | — | May 3 – May 24 | Jul 12 |
| Kale | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 11 |
| Broccoli | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jun 21 |
| Cucumber | Apr 29 – May 6 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Jul 16 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 29 – May 6 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Jul 11 |
| Winter squash | Apr 29 – May 6 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Aug 15 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 20 – Jun 10 | Jul 19 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jul 21 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 4 – Oct 2 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 22 – May 20 | May 30 |
| Basil | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | May 27 – Jun 10 | Jul 23 |
Skagway'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 |
|---|---|
| 1899 | May 11 |
| 1900 | May 21 |
| 1903 | May 21 |
| 1904 | May 23 |
| 1905 | May 21 |
| 1906 | May 12 |
| 1907 | May 21 |
| 1908 | May 16 |
| 1909 | Jun 1 |
| 1910 | Jun 13 |
| 1913 | Jun 2 |
| 1918 | May 26 |
| 1919 | Jun 8 |
| 1920 | May 26 |
| 1921 | Jun 3 |
| 1922 | Jun 5 |
| 1923 | May 26 |
| 1924 | May 8 |
| 1925 | Jun 25 |
| 1926 | May 31 |
| 1927 | Jun 1 |
| 1928 | Jun 1 |
| 1929 | May 31 |
| 1930 | Jun 15 |
| 1931 | Jun 1 |
| 1936 | May 27 |
| 1937 | May 16 |
| 1938 | May 17 |
| 1939 | May 20 |
| 1942 | Jun 15 |
| 1944 | May 11 |
| 1948 | May 8 |
| 1953 | May 21 |
| 1954 | May 28 |
| 1958 | Apr 25 |
| 1959 | May 13 |
| 1960 | May 13 |
| 1961 | May 10 |
| 1962 | Jun 15 |
| 1963 | May 26 |
| 2002 | May 12 |
| 2003 | May 21 |
| 2004 | May 1 |
| 2005 | Apr 20 |
| 2006 | May 16 |
| 2007 | May 19 |
| 2010 | May 18 |
| 2011 | May 17 |
| 2012 | Apr 24 |
| 2013 | May 8 |
| 2014 | May 1 |
| 2015 | May 5 |
| 2016 | Apr 21 |
| 2017 | May 10 |
| 2019 | May 1 |
| 2020 | May 5 |
| 2021 | May 3 |
| 2022 | May 18 |
| 2024 | May 11 |
| 2025 | May 1 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1903 | 122 |
| 1904 | 95 |
| 1905 | 99 |
| 1906 | 131 |
| 1907 | 117 |
| 1908 | 102 |
| 1909 | 129 |
| 1918 | 108 |
| 1919 | 85 |
| 1920 | 89 |
| 1921 | 96 |
| 1922 | 87 |
| 1923 | 115 |
| 1924 | 121 |
| 1925 | 78 |
| 1926 | 107 |
| 1927 | 103 |
| 1928 | 96 |
| 1929 | 113 |
| 1930 | 94 |
| 1936 | 106 |
| 1937 | 138 |
| 1938 | 149 |
| 1942 | 72 |
| 1944 | 140 |
| 1958 | 144 |
| 1959 | 146 |
| 1960 | 136 |
| 1961 | 118 |
| 1962 | 77 |
| 1963 | 124 |
| 2002 | 140 |
| 2003 | 118 |
| 2004 | 131 |
| 2005 | 164 |
| 2006 | 122 |
| 2007 | 137 |
| 2010 | 125 |
| 2011 | 137 |
| 2012 | 159 |
| 2013 | 152 |
| 2016 | 160 |
| 2019 | 149 |
| 2020 | 161 |
| 2022 | 157 |
| 2024 | 159 |
| 2025 | 162 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1903 | 10.9 °C |
| 1904 | 9.7 °C |
| 1905 | 11.1 °C |
| 1906 | 10.5 °C |
| 1907 | 11.5 °C |
| 1908 | 10.4 °C |
| 1909 | 10.2 °C |
| 1910 | 10.4 °C |
| 1918 | 10.9 °C |
| 1919 | 10.9 °C |
| 1920 | 10.2 °C |
| 1921 | 11.0 °C |
| 1922 | 9.9 °C |
| 1923 | 11.6 °C |
| 1924 | 10.6 °C |
| 1925 | 10.8 °C |
| 1926 | 11.7 °C |
| 1927 | 10.8 °C |
| 1928 | 10.9 °C |
| 1930 | 10.9 °C |
| 1933 | 9.9 °C |
| 1935 | 9.7 °C |
| 1936 | 11.0 °C |
| 1937 | 10.2 °C |
| 1938 | 10.1 °C |
| 1941 | 12.0 °C |
| 1942 | 11.7 °C |
| 1944 | 11.7 °C |
| 1958 | 12.0 °C |
| 1959 | 11.0 °C |
| 1960 | 11.2 °C |
| 1961 | 10.9 °C |
| 1962 | 10.7 °C |
| 1963 | 11.1 °C |
| 2002 | 10.4 °C |
| 2003 | 11.0 °C |
| 2004 | 12.4 °C |
| 2005 | 12.6 °C |
| 2006 | 10.9 °C |
| 2007 | 11.0 °C |
| 2008 | 10.4 °C |
| 2010 | 11.4 °C |
| 2011 | 11.1 °C |
| 2012 | 10.6 °C |
| 2013 | 11.7 °C |
| 2014 | 11.6 °C |
| 2015 | 12.3 °C |
| 2016 | 12.8 °C |
| 2019 | 12.7 °C |
| 2020 | 11.5 °C |
| 2022 | 11.5 °C |
| 2024 | 11.1 °C |
| 2025 | 11.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1899, Skagway's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 4 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Skagway (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.