What Grows in Kasaan, Alaska

USDA Zones 7b · 4K acres

Kasaan, Alaska, sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b — room for a real mix of vegetables, fruit, and perennials matched to the local frost calendar.

Growers here do well with cabbage, prickly pear, california poppy, and collard greens — with the usual caveat that any single yard's soil, sun, and drainage cast the deciding vote.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Kasaan, 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 Kasaan 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 Kasaan — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

No card required · your full report in seconds

Kasaan — the short answer

Kasaan, Alaska: USDA zone 7b, about 211 days between hard freezes, across 4K acres of city.

USDA zone
7b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 13
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 10
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~211
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
City area
4K 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

7b7b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 7b is Kasaan's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Kasaan's 211-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Kasaan

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

Season length

From county records

Kasaan runs about 211 days between hard freezes (read from Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, the closest normal to Kasaan) — a long growing season.

There is slack for succession plantings and slow-finishing crops: many vegetables can be sown twice, and the heat-lovers have time to ripen fully.

Plan a second sowing of quick crops after the first comes out, and use the fall window most gardeners let sit idle.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Kasaan sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b.

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 Kasaan

Every plant below cleared Kasaan's own zone 7b and its 211-day season. Each card opens that plant's Alaska profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in AlaskaZones 2–11Kasaan's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Alaska prickly pear guideZones 5–10Kasaan's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in AlaskaZones 6–10Kasaan's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Alaska growing notesZones 2–11Kasaan's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Growing fig in AlaskaZones 6–10Kasaan's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Alaska lavender guideZones 5–8Kasaan's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in AlaskaZones 2–10Kasaan's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
grape, photograph
Grape: Alaska growing notesZones 6–9Kasaan's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in AlaskaKasaan's 211 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Alaska kale guideZones 2–11Kasaan's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Hazelnut in AlaskaZones 4–9Kasaan's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Alaska growing notesZones 2–11Kasaan's 211 days clear the ~70 it needs.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in AlaskaZones 5–9Kasaan's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Alaska okra guideZones 2–12Kasaan's 211 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in AlaskaZones 2–11Kasaan's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Alaska growing notesZones 3–10Kasaan's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in AlaskaZones 2–11Kasaan's 211 days clear the ~70 it needs.
holly, photograph
Alaska holly guideZones 5–11Kasaan's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in AlaskaZones 3–8Kasaan's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Alaska growing notesZones 3–8Kasaan's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in AlaskaKasaan's 211 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Alaska lilac guideZones 4–10Kasaan's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in AlaskaZones 3–9Kasaan's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Alaska growing notesZones 6–8Kasaan's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Growing douglas fir in AlaskaZones 4–10Kasaan's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Alaska ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Kasaan's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in AlaskaZones 2–7Kasaan's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
western red cedar, photograph
Western red cedar: Alaska growing notesZones 4–10Kasaan's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in AlaskaZones 5–10Kasaan's 211 days clear the ~45 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Alaska ajuga guideZones 5–11Kasaan's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Kasaan?

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 16; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 13 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 10 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. A long window like this one runs successions deep into fall — and even its last weeks take quick greens and garlic.

What's on the federal record near Kasaan

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

  1. Sunny Day ProspectMining · 0.8 mi
  2. ColemanMining · 0.9 mi
  3. Copper KingMining · 1.2 mi
  4. Poorman ProspectMining · 1.2 mi
  5. Copper King ProspectMining · 1.3 mi
  6. Iron King MagnetiteMining · 1.4 mi
  7. Poorman MagnetiteMining · 1.6 mi
  8. Morning Star ProspectMining · 1.7 mi
  9. Copper Queen ProspectMining · 2.3 mi
  10. It Mining Co.Mining · 2.6 mi
  11. ItMining · 2.8 mi
  12. Uncle Sam MineMining · 2.8 mi

6 more sites are on the record inside the same radius. See them on the map

Measured from Kasaan'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 Kasaan.

Total Sites

63

within ~10 miles of Kasaan

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

3 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Kasaan

High1Moderate61Low1

Highest-Severity Sites

Salt Chuck Mine
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Alarm
Mining Sites · Occurrence
Big Five
Mining Sites · Occurrence
Brown and Metzdorf Prospect
Mining Sites · Occurrence
Charles Prospect
Mining Sites · Occurrence

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Kasaan, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Kasaan — Mining (59 sites) and Superfund (3 sites). That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.

Mining: Mining sites — both historic and active — can leach heavy metals (arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury) into soil and water for centuries after operations cease.

Superfund: Superfund sites represent the most severe contamination in the federal system.

Test soil for heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury) — this is essential near any mining site.

Commission professional soil testing before any food production (test for heavy metals, VOCs, and SVOCs).

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Kasaan

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 Kasaan average

Your land is one point inside Kasaan

Everything above resolves to Kasaan as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 4K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area’s record because no 30-year normal resolves at this city’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 city 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 Kasaan Average

Kasaan Average

  • USDA Zones 7b, averaged across Kasaan
  • One soil character for all of Kasaan
  • Frost dates read at Kasaan's scale: Apr 13 to Nov 10

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Kasaan

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Kasaan averages 211Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Kasaan

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this city’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area’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 city grain anywhere on this page — there is no city-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 Kasaan

When does frost risk typically end in Kasaan?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Kasaan typically lands around Apr 13, 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 4.

When is the first frost in Kasaan?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Kasaan typically arrives around Nov 10, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 27, so the watching starts about Oct 11 — about 211 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Kasaan?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Kasaan sees about 211 frost-free days — roughly Apr 13 through Nov 10, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 4 to Oct 27, about 176 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Kasaan?

The federal record around Kasaan is a meaningful one — 63 documented sites, mostly Mining entries (59), the nearest Mining record about 0.8 miles out — so a soil test before new food beds is a sensible precaution here, not a reason to hold back from growing. Remember that proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what sits where.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Kasaan?

From about Oct 11 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 Nov 10 (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 Nov 10. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Kasaan's scale — its 7b band and its 211-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Kasaan'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 Kasaan’s own scale

4 of the readings below were taken at Kasaan's own scale — the 3,880 acres it covers and 63 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Kasaan's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 63 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Kasaan, the closest Mining record about 0.8 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Kasaan's boundary and the 3,880 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7b and a ~211-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Kasaan has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Kasaan's 3,880 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Prince of Wales-Hyder County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Prince of Wales-Hyder 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Kasaan's 3,880 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Kasaan you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 3,880 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Mining record about 0.8 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 Kasaan-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address