Generally — Most Areas
highbush cranberry (zones 4-10) suits most of Alaska (1a-9a) — zones 4-9 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Highbush Cranberry in Alaska — the short answer
Highbush Cranberry in Alaska: hardy in zones 4–10, shade, against a state median of ~147 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 4-10
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Alaska zones
- 1a-9a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Apr 16 - May 15 – Sep 24 - Oct 29
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 85 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Alaska spans zones 1a-9a, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score highbush cranberry against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Alaska is not one climate
A single Alaska answer averages 28 counties whose growing seasons are 155 days apart — from 85 frost-free days in Southeast Fairbanks County to 240 in Sitka County. Which end of that your land sits nearer changes what highbush cranberry can finish before the first hard freeze.
The middle half of 28 counties runs 118–196 days, with a median of 145 days — a 155-day span end to end.
Measured across 28 Alaska counties. NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where Highbush Cranberry Stands in Alaska
Highbush Cranberry is rated for zones 4–10 — a cold floor USDA puts at -30 to -20°F. No Alaska county sits inside it, so in open ground this is a grown-under-cover plant here rather than a bed plant — which is a statement about Alaska winters, not about highbush cranberry.
Below the zone 4 floor
30 counties
- Aleutians East County · zone 3a-4b
- Aleutians West County · zone 3a-4b
- Anchorage County · zone 3a-4b
3 of 30 shown
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Zone Comparison
Highbush Cranberry Needs
- USDA Zones: 4-10
- Frost-Free Days: 110+
- Sun: Shade
- Mature size: 12 ft tall
- Picking window: ~28 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: Medium
Alaska Has
- USDA Zones: 1a-9a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 16 - May 15
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Sep 24 - Oct 29
- Annual Rainfall: 10-160 inches
- Common Soils: Permafrost, Glacial silt, Volcanic ash
Plant Zone Range (zones 4-10)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Highbush Cranberry in Alaska
The frost window
Across Alaska, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 16 and May 15, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 24 and Oct 29 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 132-day window you can count on — up to 196 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
Winter standing
Alaska runs as cold as USDA zone 1, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for highbush cranberry, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether highbush cranberry is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Alaska; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says highbush cranberry survives winter in part of Alaska, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
Highbush Cranberry wants 110+ frost-free days; a typical Alaska site sees ~147 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020). That leaves a workable window — start indoors to bank time.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Highbush Cranberry likes near-neutral soil (pH 5.2-7). That's the common-ground band across Alaska's permafrost and glacial silt — a soil test confirms it for your site.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Alaska soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Highbush Cranberry in Alaska
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Alaska growers also need to think about:
Extremely short growing season (70-110 frost-free days)
Permafrost prevents deep root growth in many areas
Limited soil development in glacial terrain
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Alaska grower, not just highbush cranberry — is covered on the Alaska growing guide.
Timing shifts within Alaska
Highbush Cranberry needs about 110 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. 25 of Alaska’s 28 counties give it that outright. The tightest that does is Fairbanks North Star County at 114 frost-free days — 4 to spare. Below that line you are transplanting or extending the season, not direct-sowing.
Across Alaska’s 28 counties the frost-free season runs from 85 days in Southeast Fairbanks County to 240 days in Sitka County — a spread of 155 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Alaska county sees 147 frost-free days, leaving highbush cranberry about 37 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Highbush Cranberry's 110-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Highbush Cranberry draws honeybees, native bees, and butterflies (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, highbush cranberry can only work that bloom inside Alaska's frost window — roughly 147 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 16 - May 15) and closing at the first (Sep 24 - Oct 29), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020.
Alaska Cooperative Extension
For Alaska-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for highbush cranberry, the canonical source is UAF Cooperative Extension Service. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Highbush Cranberry native to Alaska?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Highbush Cranberry as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Alaska's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Alaska natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Alaska growing guide lists USDA-documented natives for the state.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
Common Questions About Growing Highbush Cranberry in Alaska
When can I plant Highbush Cranberry in Alaska?
Alaska's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 16 and May 15, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Sep 24 and Oct 29 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Highbush Cranberry, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Alaska and publishes no fall establishment date for it — check its hardiness range against your own zone before treating it as a permanent planting.
What hardiness zone is Highbush Cranberry grown in across Alaska?
Alaska spans USDA hardiness zones 1a-9a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Highbush Cranberry carries a range of zones 4-10, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Alaska site have?
A typical Alaska site sees ~147 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS station record, 1991-2020). Highbush Cranberry needs 110+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Highbush Cranberry native to Alaska?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Highbush Cranberry as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Alaska's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Alaska natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Highbush Cranberry in Alaska?
Highbush Cranberry prefers pH 5.2-7 (USDA PLANTS). That sits in the common-ground band across Alaska soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Highbush Cranberry actually grow on my specific land in Alaska?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores highbush cranberry against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Alaska
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores highbush cranberry against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Alaska highbush cranberry averages can't show:
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