When to plant in Sutton-Alpine, AK
Planting dates worked out from Sutton-Alpine's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Jun 17
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Jun 8
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 4
1 year in 10 by Aug 18
Frost-free days
86
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Sutton 1 W · 0.9 km away · station 168 m, town 153 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 22 – May 6 | Jun 17 – Jul 1 | Aug 11 |
| Sweet pepper | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | Jun 17 – Jul 1 | Aug 16 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Apr 6 – Apr 13 | May 11 – May 25 | Jun 20 |
| Peas | — | May 1 – May 29 | Jun 25 |
| Bush beans | — | Jun 10 – Jul 1 | Jul 30 |
| Carrot | — | May 18 – Jun 29 | Jul 17 |
| Beet | — | May 13 – Jun 24 | Jul 2 |
| Potato | — | May 18 – Jun 8 | Jul 27 |
| Kale | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | May 11 – May 25 | Jun 23 |
| Broccoli | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | May 11 – Jun 1 | Jul 10 |
| Cucumber | May 20 – May 27 | Jun 17 – Jul 1 | Aug 6 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | May 20 – May 27 | Jun 17 – Jul 1 | Aug 1 |
| Winter squash Season likely too short |
May 20 – May 27 | Jun 17 – Jul 1 | Sep 5 |
| Sweet corn | — | Jun 10 – Jul 1 | Aug 9 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | May 11 – Jun 1 | Aug 9 |
| Garlic | — | Aug 21 – Sep 18 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | May 1 – May 29 | Jun 8 |
| Basil | May 6 – May 20 | Jun 17 – Jul 1 | Aug 13 |
Sutton-Alpine'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 |
|---|---|
| 1979 | Jun 12 |
| 1980 | May 29 |
| 1981 | Jun 10 |
| 1982 | Jul 7 |
| 1983 | Jun 8 |
| 1984 | Jun 10 |
| 1985 | Jun 4 |
| 1986 | Jun 28 |
| 1987 | Jul 1 |
| 1988 | Jun 3 |
| 1989 | Jun 20 |
| 1991 | Jun 8 |
| 1992 | Jun 20 |
| 1994 | Jun 8 |
| 1995 | Jun 3 |
| 1996 | Jun 12 |
| 1997 | Jun 17 |
| 1998 | Jun 2 |
| 1999 | Jun 10 |
| 2000 | Jun 11 |
| 2001 | Jun 9 |
| 2002 | Jun 2 |
| 2003 | Jun 4 |
| 2004 | Jun 3 |
| 2005 | Jun 4 |
| 2006 | Jun 7 |
| 2007 | Jun 8 |
| 2008 | May 30 |
| 2009 | Jun 24 |
| 2010 | Jun 5 |
| 2011 | Jun 8 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1979 | 79 |
| 1980 | 86 |
| 1983 | 89 |
| 1984 | 77 |
| 1985 | 87 |
| 1987 | 52 |
| 1988 | 71 |
| 1989 | 87 |
| 1991 | 71 |
| 1992 | 55 |
| 1994 | 75 |
| 1995 | 102 |
| 1996 | 51 |
| 1997 | 76 |
| 1998 | 76 |
| 1999 | 86 |
| 2000 | 75 |
| 2001 | 83 |
| 2002 | 99 |
| 2003 | 94 |
| 2004 | 92 |
| 2005 | 116 |
| 2006 | 87 |
| 2007 | 100 |
| 2008 | 112 |
| 2009 | 85 |
| 2010 | 101 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1979 | 9.8 °C |
| 1980 | 9.1 °C |
| 1981 | 9.3 °C |
| 1983 | 9.0 °C |
| 1984 | 9.5 °C |
| 1985 | 8.4 °C |
| 1986 | 8.6 °C |
| 1987 | 9.7 °C |
| 1988 | 9.2 °C |
| 1989 | 10.2 °C |
| 1991 | 9.7 °C |
| 1992 | 8.2 °C |
| 1993 | 11.0 °C |
| 1994 | 9.9 °C |
| 1995 | 10.6 °C |
| 1996 | 9.2 °C |
| 1997 | 10.6 °C |
| 1998 | 9.9 °C |
| 1999 | 9.7 °C |
| 2000 | 9.4 °C |
| 2001 | 9.9 °C |
| 2002 | 9.6 °C |
| 2003 | 10.1 °C |
| 2004 | 11.1 °C |
| 2005 | 11.0 °C |
| 2006 | 9.6 °C |
| 2007 | 10.2 °C |
| 2008 | 8.8 °C |
| 2009 | 9.8 °C |
| 2010 | 10.1 °C |
| 2011 | 9.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1979, Sutton-Alpine's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Sutton 1 W (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.