One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us determine 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.

One way of determining when you can plant turnips is to look at the USDA zone info for Fairbanks.

Planting Calendar for Turnips

Frost tolerance for turnips:	Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	After the last frost.

It's probably not a good idea to plant turnips until after the last frost has passed because they are not cold tolerant.

The earliest that you can plant turnips 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 turnips and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your turnips may not have a chance to fully mature. If you are starting your turnips indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

The average date of last frost is May 15 in Fairbanks. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -50°F.

It's important to remember that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Fairbanks and it can change quite a bit from year to year. Half of the time in Fairbanks you get surprised by a frost after May 15 so just be sure to be ready to protect your turnips in the event of one of those late frosts.

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.