Zone 2b: What Grows in Interior and Northern Alaska
Zone 2b takes in parts of the Fairbanks area, the Copper River basin and northwest and Arctic Alaska. The same hardy fruit and shrubs that succeed in Fairbanks grow here (zone 2 apples, bush cherries, currants, haskaps, raspberries, rhubarb, lilacs and peonies), and vegetable gardens depend on warming cold soil.
- Coldest winter night
- -45 to -40°F
- ZIP codes in the zone
- 16
Frost in zone 2b
Frost decides the growing season here. Only 4 of zone 2b's 16 ZIP codes have a nearby weather station with frost records, too few for a zone-wide frost date; where it is measured, the frost-free season is about 104 days. Valley gardens can freeze in June or July. Enter your ZIP code to see the frost dates of your nearest station.
What a zone 2b winter means
Zone 2b winters are long and severe, but they fall within the range of the hardiest tested fruit, shrubs and perennials. Snow cover and site decide the outcome more than the zone number. Cold, dense air drains downhill on still nights, so the bottom of a valley can be far colder than a slope a short distance away. UAF Extension describes a valley garden that froze on several summer nights while a nearby upland station did not, and its variety list rates some plums as fully hardy only in the hills above about 800 feet around Fairbanks.
Where zone 2b is
Zone 2b ZIP codes are all in Alaska. They include part of the Fairbanks area around the university, the Copper River basin around Glennallen, McGrath and other communities on the upper Kuskokwim, Eagle on the upper Yukon, and northwest and Arctic communities such as Kotzebue and Utqiagvik.
Fruit and berries
- Apples: UAF’s Interior choices are ‘Trailman’, ‘Schafer’, ‘Alma Sweet’ and the Prairie series, on hardy crabapple rootstock. ‘Parkland’ is only marginally hardy.
- Bush cherries: the Romance series (‘Carmine Jewel’, ‘Juliet’, ‘Romeo’, ‘Valentine’, ‘Crimson Passion’) is hardy to zone 2a.
- Haskaps: cold-hardy, early-ripening, and tolerant of partial shade and wet soil. UAF lists ‘Aurora’, the Boreal series, ‘Berry Blue’, ‘Honey Bee’, ‘Kamchatka’ and ‘Tundra’.
- Currants and gooseberries: six currant species are native to Alaska. ‘Red Lake’ grows in the Interior, and ‘Pixwell’ is the hardiest gooseberry for higher elevations.
- Raspberries and rhubarb: ‘Kiska’ raspberry; ‘Canada Red’ rhubarb.
Perennials and shrubs
Common lilac and rugosa rose are rated to zone 2. Peonies do well with ample snow cover and a warm, sunny spot, blooming in midsummer.
Vegetables
Choose Alaska-tested varieties, sow hardy crops such as peas, radishes, turnips, carrots and leaf lettuce early, and grow cabbage-family crops from transplants. In frost pockets, stick to frost-tolerant crops. On high sites and north of the Yukon, UAF says growing through plastic film may be the only way to mature some crops.
Where zone 2b is
States with zone 2b ZIP codes, the largest first: Alaska.
Zone 2aZone 3aAll zones and the zone finder
Questions
What berries grow well in zone 2b?
Haskaps (honeyberries), currants, gooseberries and summer-bearing raspberries. UAF recommends 'Kiska' as the hardiest raspberry, 'Red Lake' among currants and 'Pixwell' gooseberry for higher elevations. Haskaps need two compatible varieties that bloom together.
Does elevation matter for fruit in zone 2b?
Yes. UAF rates some plums, such as 'Lee Red' and 'Vic Red', as fully hardy only in the hills above about 800 feet around Fairbanks, where cold air drains away. A few feet of extra elevation can also add days to the vegetable season.
Is my zone 2b garden too cold for tomatoes?
Not with help. Choose early varieties, transplant through clear plastic mulch, and cover with row covers or low tunnels early in the season. UAF measured soil under clear plastic 8-10°F warmer than bare soil, with row covers adding 3-6°F more.