One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your 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.

You can determine when to plant thyme in Fairbanks by looking at the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Thyme

Frost tolerance for thyme:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Thyme do well in pretty solid cold which means that you can plant them much earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

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

The last month that you can plant thyme and expect a good harvest is probably August. If you wait any later than that and your thyme may not have a chance to grow to maturity. If you are starting your thyme indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost has passed is on May 15 in Fairbanks. You should expect an average low temperature of -50°F in the coldest months of winter.

Just be sure to remember that USDA zone info for Fairbanks may not be accurate from year to year and 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 prepared to cover your thyme if you have 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.