Frost Report

All states Alaska

Frost dates for Galena, AK

When the last spring frost and first fall frost usually come, and when to plant, from 30 years of NOAA weather records.

Last spring frost

May 18

typical year

Safe to plant

June 1

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

September 8

typical year

Growing season

111 days

frost-free, typical year

When to plant

Counted from this page's frost dates. Warm-season crops wait for the safe-to-plant date.

CropStart indoorsPlant outsideFall planting
Cool-season crops
Peas – Apr 20 – May 4 –
Spinach – Apr 6 – 27 Jul 14 – 28
Lettuce – Apr 20 – May 11 Jul 14 – 28
Radishes – Apr 20 – Jun 1 Jul 28 – Aug 11
Onions – Apr 20 – May 4 –
Potatoes – Apr 27 – May 11 –
Carrots – Apr 27 – May 18 Jun 16 – 30
Beets – Apr 20 – May 4 Jun 30 – Jul 14
Kale Mar 9 – 23 Apr 20 – May 4 Jun 30 – Jul 14
Broccoli Mar 9 – 23 May 4 – 18 Jun 30 – Jul 14
Cabbage Feb 23 – Mar 9 Apr 20 – May 4 Jun 30 – Jul 14
Garlic – – Jul 28 – Aug 18
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Apr 6 – 20 Jun 1 – 15 –
Peppers Mar 30 – Apr 13 Jun 8 – 22 –
Cucumbers – Jun 1 – 22 –
Zucchini – Jun 1 – 29 –
Pumpkins Season usually too short. Try a quick variety or row covers.
Green beans – Jun 1 – 30 –
Sweet corn – Jun 1 – 29 –
Basil Apr 27 – May 11 Jun 8 – 15 –

Onions: from sets. Green beans: until 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Garlic: harvest next summer.

The year at a glance

Start indoors Plant outside Fall planting

The chance of frost, by date

1 year in 10Half of years9 years in 10
Spring frost after June 1May 18May 8
Fall frost before August 24September 8September 23

Frost here means 32°F or colder. Read across: in 1 year in 10, spring frost carries on past the first date, which is why that date is the safe-to-plant date.

Hard freeze (28°F)

A hard freeze kills most garden plants, even hardy ones. The last one in spring usually comes around May 10 (May 26 in a late year), and the first one in fall around September 18.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 4 towns.

Galena, Huslia, Ruby, Koyukuk

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station GALENA, AK US (USC00503212), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 3 zip codes, all within 68 miles:

99741, 99746, 99754

1 of these zip codes are more than 30 miles from the station, so their real frost dates may differ by a week or more.

Planting dates follow common university extension advice; your local extension service can fine-tune them for your soil and microclimate.