One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us figure out your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Fairbanks you can estimate when it's a good idea to plant sweet corn by referring to the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Sweet corn

Frost tolerance for sweet corn:	Tolerant of a very small amount of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 3 weeks before last frost.

Sweet corn tend to make it in some cold which means that you can plant them just a tiny bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant sweet corn 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 sweet corn and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your sweet corn may not have a chance to really do well. Starting your sweet corn 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. You should expect an average low temperature of -50°F in the coldest months of winter.

Since the USDA zone info for Fairbanks is not always accurate the actual date of last frost will vary from year to year. Half of the time in Fairbanks you get surprised by a frost after May 15 so make sure that you are ready to cover your sweet corn 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.