Anchorage, AK · zone 5a · ~151 frost-free days
When to plant in Anchorage: frost dates and zone 5a.
In Anchorage, the typical last spring frost lands around May 1 and the first fall frost around Sep 29, giving you about 151 frost-free days. Cool-season crops go out before the last frost; warm-season crops wait until after it.
The 2026 windows
Sow dates for Anchorage, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Mar 27 to May 23 | May 8 to Jul 4 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Mar 24 to May 8 | Jul 16 to Sep 14 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 24 to Apr 26 | Jul 4 to Jul 30 |
| Bush Bean | — | May 1 to Jun 21 | — |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | May 8 to Jul 13 | — |
| Pepper, bell | Apr 5 to May 26 | May 17 to Jul 7 | — |
| Kale | Feb 10 to Mar 10 | Mar 24 to Apr 21 | Jun 29 to Aug 14 |
| Spinach | — | Mar 10 to Apr 21 | Jul 16 to Sep 3 |
Anchorage sits in Zone 5a, but two gardens in the same city can be a week or two apart. The planner works from your ZIP code's frost dates, not the zone, so the dates land right for your block, not the metro average.
Build your Anchorage garden plan.
Tell the free planner what you want to eat and who you're feeding. It returns plant counts, spacing, and frost-safe sow dates for ZIP 99501 in about 60 seconds.
Anchorage planting questions
What planting zone is Anchorage, AK?+
Anchorage is in USDA hardiness zone 5a. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 5a here. It tells you what survives winter, not when to plant. Frost dates set your planting time, and the free planner uses your exact ZIP code's frost dates, which can differ by weeks across one metro.
When is the last frost date in Anchorage?+
The typical last spring frost in Anchorage, AK is around May 1. That is an average from local history, not a guarantee, so tender crops like tomatoes and peppers are safer with a week of buffer after it.
When is the first frost date in Anchorage?+
The typical first fall frost in Anchorage, AK arrives around Sep 29, closing a growing season of roughly 151 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Anchorage?+
It depends on the date. Cool-season crops like lettuce, kale, and spinach go out weeks before the last frost; warm-season crops like tomatoes and peppers wait until after May 1. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.