When to Plant Mustard in Fairbanks, AK

Before planting it is a good idea to find your USDA Zone info to estimate your garden schedule. The zone info helps tell us things like average date of last frost and lowest expected temperature for your area.

The best time to plant mustard in Fairbanks should be figured out by reviewing the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Mustard

Frost tolerance for mustard: Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant: After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

Since mustard do not do well in cold weather it is necessary to wait until after all chance of frost has passed before you can plant them.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant mustard
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant mustard
Probably not a good time to plant mustard

The earliest that you can plant mustard in Fairbanks is May. However, you really should wait until June if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant mustard and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your mustard may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your mustard indoors is a great way to get them started a little bit earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Fairbanks the average date of last frost happens on May 15. In the coldest months of winter you can expect an average low temperature of -50°F.

Remember that the actual date of last frost is an average because it is based on the USDA zone info for Fairbanks and it will vary from year to year. Since half of the time in Fairbanks last frost occurs after May 15 be ready to protect your mustard in the event of a surprise late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Fairbanks

Here is the info for USDA Zone 2a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)August 15
Lowest Expected Low-50°F
Highest Expected Low-45°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -50°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -45°F.

Plants to Grow in Fairbanks

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Fairbanks.