Alaska
Planting zones in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska
Every ZIP code in this census area is USDA zone 7a — so unlike most of the places people look up, there is one right answer here and it holds wherever you are in the census area.
Your ZIP code
Get the exact answer for your address
Everything above describes Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska as a whole. Hardiness zones and freeze dates are published per ZIP code, so yours is exact — enter it and this page will tell you your zone, which NOAA station it comes from and how far away that station is.
The growing season in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area is closing
Nothing in the 32-crop table still has time to mature here. The first fall freeze normally arrives September 16 – November 1 across the 5 NOAA stations serving this census area .
Your next season already has a date
The first job of it is 🧅 Green Onions, start indoors, around March 1 – April 4 — counted back from a last spring freeze of April 26 – May 30 here.
These are ranges across the whole census area. The ZIP lookup above gives the dates from your own nearest station instead.
All 5 stations agreeAt least one station
Every one of the 5 NOAA stations serving this census area counts May 30 – September 16 as growing season (109 days). Widening to any single station gives April 26 – November 1 (189 days).
That is a 80-day difference inside one census area — which is why this page gives ranges rather than a single planting date. The ZIP lookup above resolves it to one station.
Your freeze dates
Across the 5 NOAA stations serving this census area. These are medians — half of years freeze later than the date shown — so treat the later end of each range as the cautious one.
The growing season runs 107–188 days depending which station you are nearest, as published by NOAA rather than computed from the dates above. Summer highs average 57.6–63.7 °F in June–August. Summer rain over the same months runs 10.8–24.0" across those 5 stations, against the rough inch a week — about 13 inches over the same 92 days — that a vegetable garden is usually reckoned to want. At the middle station that is covered, so watering in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area is for the gaps between storms rather than the whole season. The inches are NOAA's published normals; the inch a week is a rule of thumb, and it takes no account of a 61 °F summer afternoon drying the soil faster than a cool one.
Every ZIP code in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area
Zones are published per ZIP code, not per census area, so this is the exact answer rather than the census area's average. The station column is the nearest one to that ZIP code's centroid and how far away it is — the same figure the tools use, shown here so you can see which ZIP codes are well covered and which are reaching.
| ZIP code | USDA zone | Nearest NOAA station | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99820 | 7a | Hidden Falls Hatchery, AK | 40.1 km |
| 99825 | 7a | Elfin Cove, AK | 12.0 km |
| 99826 | 7a | Gustavus, AK | 5.8 km |
| 99829 | 7a | Hoonah, AK | 11.6 km |
| 99832 | 7a | Pelican, AK | 8.3 km |
| 99841 | 7a | Hoonah, AK | 17.6 km |
ZIP-code positions are area centroids, so a large rural ZIP code's listed distance is measured from the middle of its area rather than from any particular address in it.
When to start seeds in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area
Every date below is anchored on the last spring freeze at each station and reported as a range across all 5 of them, because no one station speaks for the census area.
| Crop | Job | When | Offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🧅 Green Onions | Start indoors | March 1 – April 4 | 8 wk before |
| 🌶️ Peppers | Start indoors | March 1 – April 4 | 8 wk before |
| 🥦 Broccoli | Start indoors | March 15 – April 18 | 6 wk before |
| 🥬 Cabbage | Start indoors | March 15 – April 18 | 6 wk before |
| 🥬 Collards | Start indoors | March 15 – April 18 | 6 wk before |
| 🥬 Kale | Start indoors | March 15 – April 18 | 6 wk before |
| 🥬 Leaf Lettuce | Start indoors | March 15 – April 18 | 6 wk before |
| 🫛 Peas | Direct sow | March 15 – April 18 | 6 wk before |
| 🥬 Spinach | Direct sow | March 15 – April 18 | 6 wk before |
| 🍠 Sweet Potato | Start indoors | March 15 – April 18 | 6 wk before |
| 🍅 Tomatoes | Start indoors | March 15 – April 18 | 6 wk before |
| 🥬 Bok Choy | Start indoors | March 22 – April 25 | 5 wk before |
| 🥬 Kohlrabi | Start indoors | March 22 – April 25 | 5 wk before |
| 🥬 Swiss Chard | Start indoors | March 22 – April 25 | 5 wk before |
| 🥬 Arugula | Direct sow | March 29 – May 2 | 4 wk before |
| 🥬 Baby Salad Greens | Direct sow | March 29 – May 2 | 4 wk before |
| 🥕 Beets | Direct sow | March 29 – May 2 | 4 wk before |
| 🧅 Green Onions | Direct sow | March 29 – May 2 | 4 wk before |
| 🥬 Mustard Greens | Direct sow | March 29 – May 2 | 4 wk before |
| 🌶️ Okra | Start indoors | March 29 – May 2 | 4 wk before |
| 🌱 Radishes | Direct sow | March 29 – May 2 | 4 wk before |
| 🥔 Turnips | Direct sow | March 29 – May 2 | 4 wk before |
| 🥬 Cabbage | Set out | April 5 – May 9 | 3 wk before |
| 🥕 Carrots | Direct sow | April 5 – May 9 | 3 wk before |
| 🥬 Collards | Direct sow | April 5 – May 9 | 3 wk before |
| 🥬 Collards | Set out | April 5 – May 9 | 3 wk before |
| 🥒 Cucumbers | Start indoors | April 5 – May 9 | 3 wk before |
| 🧅 Green Onions | Set out | April 5 – May 9 | 3 wk before |
| 🥬 Kale | Direct sow | April 5 – May 9 | 3 wk before |
| 🥬 Kale | Set out | April 5 – May 9 | 3 wk before |
| 🥬 Kohlrabi | Direct sow | April 5 – May 9 | 3 wk before |
| 🥬 Kohlrabi | Set out | April 5 – May 9 | 3 wk before |
| 🥬 Leaf Lettuce | Direct sow | April 5 – May 9 | 3 wk before |
| 🎃 Pumpkins | Start indoors | April 5 – May 9 | 3 wk before |
| 🎃 Summer Squash | Start indoors | April 5 – May 9 | 3 wk before |
| 🎃 Winter Squash | Start indoors | April 5 – May 9 | 3 wk before |
| 🥒 Zucchini | Start indoors | April 5 – May 9 | 3 wk before |
| 🥬 Bok Choy | Direct sow | April 12 – May 16 | 2 wk before |
| 🥬 Bok Choy | Set out | April 12 – May 16 | 2 wk before |
| 🥦 Broccoli | Set out | April 12 – May 16 | 2 wk before |
| 🌿 Cilantro | Direct sow | April 12 – May 16 | 2 wk before |
| 🥬 Leaf Lettuce | Set out | April 12 – May 16 | 2 wk before |
| 🥬 Swiss Chard | Direct sow | April 12 – May 16 | 2 wk before |
| 🥬 Swiss Chard | Set out | April 12 – May 16 | 2 wk before |
| 🌿 Dill | Direct sow | April 19 – May 23 | 1 wk before |
| 🫘 Bush Beans | Direct sow | May 3 – June 6 | 1 wk after |
| 🥒 Cucumbers | Set out | May 3 – June 6 | 1 wk after |
| 🎃 Pumpkins | Direct sow | May 3 – June 6 | 1 wk after |
| 🎃 Pumpkins | Set out | May 3 – June 6 | 1 wk after |
| 🎃 Summer Squash | Direct sow | May 3 – June 6 | 1 wk after |
| 🎃 Summer Squash | Set out | May 3 – June 6 | 1 wk after |
| 🌽 Sweet Corn | Direct sow | May 3 – June 6 | 1 wk after |
| 🍅 Tomatoes | Set out | May 3 – June 6 | 1 wk after |
| 🎃 Winter Squash | Direct sow | May 3 – June 6 | 1 wk after |
| 🎃 Winter Squash | Set out | May 3 – June 6 | 1 wk after |
| 🥒 Zucchini | Direct sow | May 3 – June 6 | 1 wk after |
| 🥒 Zucchini | Set out | May 3 – June 6 | 1 wk after |
| 🥒 Cucumbers | Direct sow | May 10 – June 13 | 2 wk after |
| 🌶️ Okra | Direct sow | May 10 – June 13 | 2 wk after |
| 🌶️ Okra | Set out | May 10 – June 13 | 2 wk after |
| 🌶️ Peppers | Set out | May 10 – June 13 | 2 wk after |
| 🫘 Southern Peas | Direct sow | May 10 – June 13 | 2 wk after |
| 🍠 Sweet Potato | Set out | May 10 – June 13 | 2 wk after |
Offsets are published guidance; the dates they land on are computed from measured NOAA normals. The seed-starting tool does this for your own ZIP code and counts the days.
What lives through a zone 7a winter
Of 74 perennial edibles, 58 come through a zone 7a winter — and 1 fail here for being too warm rather than too cold, needing more winter chill than this census area gets or more heat than they tolerate. Among the ones that work: Cranberry, Honeyberry, Apple, Aronia, Black Currant, Elderberry, Gooseberry, Summer Raspberry.
Hardiness ranges are a judgement, published by growers rather than measured; the zone they are compared against is measured. On a warm-end verdict, check with your local extension service — a coastal zone 8 and an inland zone 8 are not the same summer.
Cautious — shortens the seasonMedian across stationsOptimistic
- Last spring freeze
- Plan to July 4 to be careful. Median April 26 – May 30 across 5 stations; April 8 is the optimistic end.
- First fall freeze
- Plan to August 29 to be careful. Median September 16 – November 1 across 5 stations; November 18 is the optimistic end.
NOAA publishes these as probabilities, not averages — the middle figure is a median, so half of years fall either side of it. The cautious end is the 10% tail: in roughly nine years in ten the freeze falls on the safe side of it.
The 5 stations behind these numbers
All 5 NOAA stations whose normals this page quotes, spanning about 132 km north to south. Every one is named with its identifier in the station list below — this page does not single one out, because no one station speaks for a whole census area.
A relative sketch, not a map with a projection: longitude is adjusted for latitude so the shape is not stretched, and there is no basemap. For the one station nearest a specific address, with its real distance, use the ZIP lookup above.
These are the stations this census area's ZIP codes actually cite as nearest — not a claim that each one sits inside its boundary, since a rural ZIP legitimately reaches over it. Every figure above comes from them, and each is named so you can check it.
| Station | NOAA ID | Last spring freeze | First fall freeze | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elfin Cove, AK | USC00502785 | April 26 | November 1 | 188 days |
| Gustavus, AK | USW00025322 | May 30 | September 16 | 107 days |
| Hidden Falls Hatchery, AK | USC00503605 | April 29 | October 25 | 176 days |
| Hoonah, AK | USC00503695 | May 9 | October 4 | 145 days |
| Pelican, AK | USC00507141 | May 4 | October 19 | 167 days |
These are medians, not averages — NOAA publishes freeze dates as a probability distribution, and half of years freeze later than the date shown.
Your own ZIP
Work out your own dates
This page describes a whole census area. Every tool below answers for one ZIP code, which is the grain the underlying data is published at.
Other places to compare
Hoonah-Angoon Census Area sits in Alaska. That page carries the whole state's zone spread, its metro areas, and every other census area in it with a page here.
More of Alaska
- Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, AK 1a–3b
- Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK 4b–6b
- Lake and Peninsula Borough, AK 4a–6b
- Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, AK 6b, 7b, 8a
- Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, AK 1b–3b
Counties with the same zones — 7a
Matched on the exact zone set, not a dominant zone, so the winter answer on these pages really is the same one as here.
Gear
If you want to act on this
Each link opens an Amazon search rather than a product we picked. We have not tested these and do not rank them — the search is the honest version, and you choose.
- Row cover and frost clothThe season here closes at the first fall freeze dated above — a cover buys back some of those days at the end.
- MulchFor the perennials nearest their cold limit in zone 7a, where an insulated crown is what decides whether they come back.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. That costs you nothing extra, and it buys no influence over anything on this site: the dates come from NOAA normals and the zones from the USDA, and no product affects either.
Sources
Where these numbers come from
Hardiness zones are the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, published per ZIP code by PRISM at Oregon State. Freeze dates and growing-season lengths are NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, taken per station and cited above by name and NOAA ID.
County boundaries come from the Census ZCTA-to-county relation, which is what places each ZIP code — and which treats parishes, boroughs and census areas as county equivalents. No station is chosen to represent this census area: every range above is taken across all of them and the count is stated, because picking one would be a judgement dressed as a measurement.