What Grows in Aleneva, Alaska

USDA Zones 7a · 40K acres

Aleneva, Alaska, sits in USDA hardiness zone 7a — a range where zone-matched perennials and frost-aware annual timing set what succeeds.

Crops well matched to these conditions include cabbage, pawpaw, california poppy, and collard greens — though what thrives on any one site still turns on its specific soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Aleneva, no two yards are alike.

A low spot, a south-facing slope, or a stand of trees moves the frost date and sun across a single Aleneva lot. Enter your address and we'll score 1,086 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.

We read public map data around Aleneva — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

No card required · your full report in seconds

Aleneva — the short answer

Aleneva, Alaska: USDA zone 7a, about 181 days between hard freezes, across 40K acres of town.

USDA zone
7a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 19
Kodiak Island Borough normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 17
Kodiak Island Borough normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~181
Kodiak Island Borough normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Town area
40K acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. No 30-year normal resolves at this town’s own centroid, so the hard-freeze dates are Kodiak Island Borough’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

7a7a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 7a is Aleneva's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Aleneva's 181-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Aleneva

Each reading below is measured for Aleneva itself — here is what it means for a garden here, and the move an experienced grower makes about it.

Season length

From county records

Aleneva runs about 181 days between hard freezes (read from Kodiak Island Borough, the closest normal to Aleneva) — a moderate growing season.

There is room for the full run of cool-season crops plus a warm-season main crop, but the calendar is tight enough that a late spring or early fall frost still decides how much finishes.

Time warm-season transplants to your last hard freeze, and a few weeks of season extension turns a near-miss harvest into a sure one.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Aleneva sits in USDA hardiness zone 7a.

The zone sets which perennials, shrubs, and fruit trees live through an average winter here — a plant rated for a colder zone is a safe bet, one rated warmer needs winter protection or gets treated as an annual.

Match perennials and fruit to the zone before you buy, so nothing you plant is a gamble against the cold.

USDA PHZM 2023

What Grows in Aleneva

Every plant below cleared Aleneva's own zone 7a and its 181-day season. Each card opens that plant's Alaska profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in AlaskaZones 2–11Aleneva's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Alaska pawpaw guideZones 5–9Aleneva's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in AlaskaZones 6–10Aleneva's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Alaska growing notesZones 2–11Aleneva's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pecan, photograph
Growing pecan in AlaskaZones 5–9Aleneva's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Alaska lavender guideZones 5–8Aleneva's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in AlaskaZones 2–10Aleneva's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear: Alaska growing notesZones 5–10Aleneva's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in AlaskaAleneva's 181 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Alaska kale guideZones 2–11Aleneva's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Hazelnut in AlaskaZones 4–9Aleneva's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Alaska growing notesZones 2–11Aleneva's 181 days clear the ~70 it needs.
blackberry, photograph
Growing blackberry in AlaskaZones 5–8Aleneva's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Alaska okra guideZones 2–12Aleneva's 181 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in AlaskaZones 2–11Aleneva's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Alaska growing notesZones 3–10Aleneva's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in AlaskaZones 2–11Aleneva's 181 days clear the ~70 it needs.
holly, photograph
Alaska holly guideZones 5–11Aleneva's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in AlaskaZones 3–8Aleneva's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Alaska growing notesZones 3–8Aleneva's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in AlaskaAleneva's 181 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Alaska lilac guideZones 4–10Aleneva's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in AlaskaZones 3–9Aleneva's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Alaska growing notesZones 6–8Aleneva's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in AlaskaZones 3–9Aleneva's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Alaska ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Aleneva's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in AlaskaZones 2–7Aleneva's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
western red cedar, photograph
Western red cedar: Alaska growing notesZones 4–10Aleneva's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in AlaskaZones 5–10Aleneva's 181 days clear the ~45 it needs.
Indian grass, photograph
Alaska indian grass guideZones 4–9Aleneva's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Aleneva?

For most of the year, no — what changes is which crops still fit the days remaining. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 22; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 19 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 17 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Even past midsummer there is room for a true fall garden here, and garlic planted near the close carries the momentum into next year.

What's on the federal record near Aleneva

Closest first, within ~10 miles of Aleneva. Listing isn't leaking, and distance isn't exposure.

  1. Muskomee BayMining · 6.5 mi

Measured from Aleneva's center, not your beds. Run your own address for what's upwind of you specifically.

Environmental Intelligence

The counts behind that headline — every source type on the record near Aleneva.

Total Sites

2

within ~10 miles of Aleneva

Risk Level

Low

Highest-severity

2 mining sites (prospects, none worked)

Sources Checked

within ~10 miles of Aleneva

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Aleneva

High0Moderate2Low0

Highest-Severity Sites

Muskomee Bay
Mining Sites · Occurrence
Muskomee Bay
Mining Sites · Prospect

Know Before You Grow

  • Mine waste leaches heavy metals. Test for lead, arsenic and cadmium before growing food here.
Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Aleneva

Get exact proximity distances to contamination sources for your specific parcel — plus soil, sun, drainage, and 1,086 plant recommendations.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Aleneva average

Your land is one point inside Aleneva

Everything above resolves to Aleneva as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 40K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Kodiak Island Borough’s record because no 30-year normal resolves at this town’s own centroid. Your parcel is one point inside that footprint. Slope, tree cover, a low spot that pools cold air, and what is in the soil are all resolved at the address, and none of them are visible at town scale. That is the honest boundary of this page, and the reason the next step is a reading of your own ground rather than a better local average.

Your Lot vs the Aleneva Average

Aleneva Average

  • USDA Zones 7a, averaged across Aleneva
  • One soil character for all of Aleneva
  • Frost dates read at Aleneva's scale: Apr 19 to Oct 17

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Aleneva's 7a
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Aleneva

Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Aleneva, Alaska — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, and scored plant recommendations.

Three things about your lot that Aleneva averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Aleneva averages 181Your sun & shade

We read public map data around Aleneva — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Aleneva average

How we know this about Aleneva

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this town’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Kodiak Island Borough’s record, because none resolves here; boundaries and acreage from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination records from the federal sources named in their beats above. Soil is not read at town grain anywhere on this page — there is no town-resolution survey in our data, which is why you will find no soil grid here rather than a statewide one wearing a local label. The resolution ledger below names every figure this page inherited.

Common questions about Aleneva

When does frost risk typically end in Aleneva?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Aleneva typically lands around Apr 19, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — earlier than the light-frost dates most charts quote. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost — lighter frosts keep biting past it, which is why tender transplants here wait until about May 10.

When is the first frost in Aleneva?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Aleneva typically arrives around Oct 17, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 3, so the watching starts about Sep 17 — about 181 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Aleneva?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Aleneva sees about 181 frost-free days — roughly Apr 19 through Oct 17, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 10 to Oct 3, about 146 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Aleneva?

The federal record around Aleneva is light — 2 documented sites across the 9 federal source types we checked, mostly Mining entries (2), the nearest Mining record about 6.5 miles out — and proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard. Growing food here starts from a strong position; a soil test before new food beds settles any site-specific question.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Aleneva?

From about Sep 17 the job here turns from planting to protecting — the last start even a 30-day crop can finish. As the season closes around the first 28°F hard freeze near Oct 17 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals), three moves buy time: row cover or an old sheet over tender plants on still, clear nights; water the soil the afternoon before a freeze, so it holds warmth overnight; and harvest tomatoes, peppers and basil before Oct 17. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Aleneva's scale — its 7a band and its 181-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Aleneva's numbers: we read soil, sun, drainage and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.

What this page reads at Aleneva’s own scale

4 of the readings below were taken at Aleneva's own scale — the 39,813 acres it covers and 2 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Aleneva's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 2 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Aleneva, the closest Mining record about 6.5 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Aleneva's boundary and the 39,813 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7a and a ~181-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Aleneva has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Kodiak Island Borough
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Aleneva's 39,813 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Kodiak Island County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Kodiak Island County
  • The growing challenges every Alaska grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Alaska
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Kodiak Island County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Aleneva's 39,813 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Aleneva you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 39,813 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Mining record about 6.5 miles out, measured from the town centrehow we read the record
  • Where cold air settles, which slopes face the sun, and which way the wind runs on your own ground — measured at your address, and averaged away by any Aleneva-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address

More in Alaska

Wider growing context

What grows across Alaska

Aleneva sits outside our named growing regions, so Alaska as a whole is its closest context here.