Point Lay, AK planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 2b−45 to −40 °F
- Last frost
- Jun 10avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Sep 11avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 92days
Point Lay, Alaska is in USDA plant hardiness zone 2b. Its average last spring frost is around June 10 and the first fall frost around September 11, giving a growing season of about 92 days (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, 32°F, median). Start tender crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors weeks before the last frost and set them out afterward; sow hardy crops such as peas, spinach, and lettuce before it. The planner below turns those frost dates into a printable per-crop planting calendar.
Point Lay planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Point Lay's average frost dates. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees.
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | Jun 17 – Jun 24 | Aug 16 – Sep 5 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | Jun 24 – Jul 1 | Aug 23 – Sep 22 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | May 13 – May 20 | Jun 17 – Jun 24 | Aug 6 – Aug 26 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Jun 17 – Jun 24 | Aug 1 – Aug 16 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Jun 17 – Jun 24 | Aug 6 – Aug 16 | Jul 13 – Jul 23 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Jun 10 – Jun 24 | Aug 9 – Sep 8 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 17 – Jun 24 | Jul 17 – Aug 1 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Apr 29 – May 13 | May 13 – May 27 | Jun 27 – Jul 12 | Jun 29 – Jul 14 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 23 – Jul 8 | Jun 19 – Jul 4 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 8 – Jun 18 | Jul 9 – Jul 19 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | May 20 – May 27 | Jul 19 – Aug 8 | Jun 9 – Jun 29 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Apr 15 – Apr 29 | May 13 – May 27 | Jul 7 – Jul 27 | Jun 14 – Jul 4 |
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Frost & freeze dates
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USW00026642. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 (p10 for spring, p90 for fall) — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | — | — | — | — | 62 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Jun 10 | Jun 23 | Sep 11 | Sep 27 | 92 |
| 28°F | Jun 1 | Jun 12 | Sep 24 | Oct 6 | 114 |
| 24°F | May 20 | Jun 3 | Oct 1 | Oct 15 | 133 |
32°F is the standard "freeze" line that damages tender crops; lighter 36°F frost can nip the most cold-sensitive plants, while hardy crops shrug off light frost down toward 28°F. Use the threshold that matches what you are protecting.
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. Warm-season crops need a long, warm GDD total; a short, cool GDD total favors greens and brassicas.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 175 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 899 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 2b
Point Lay sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 2b on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about −45 to −40 °F. That number tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here; it does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above.
Explore more places in zone 2b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Point Lay?
- Point Lay, Alaska is in USDA plant hardiness zone 2b on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature −45 to −40 °F) — from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. See the methodology page for sources.
- When is the last frost in Point Lay?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around June 10, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as June 23, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Point Lay?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around September 11. That leaves a growing season of about 92 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Point Lay?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Apr 15 – Apr 29 and transplant them outside about Jun 17 – Jun 24, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Aug 16 – Sep 5.
- How long is the growing season in Point Lay?
- About 92 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~June 10) and the average first fall frost (~September 11). Cold-hardy crops extend usable time at both ends; frost-tender crops fit inside it.
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 for station USW00026642 (Kivalina Ap, 233.4 km away). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.