Fruit Trees for Alaska

These are the cold hardy fruit trees, berries and vines that grow in Alaska, picked against real winter lows, not an average. Across the 4 areas we've mapped in Alaska, the cold to plan for runs from −15°F on the warmest ground around the Kenai Peninsula to −65°F in the cold pockets around Fairbanks and the Tanana Valley. Pick your area below and the list trims itself to what has come through that cold. Everything here ships bare root in spring 2027.

What fruit trees grow in Alaska?

The best fruit trees for Alaska are the ones that have already lived through the cold your spot gets. On typical Alaska ground (−38°F, the middle of our mapped areas), 148 of the plants we're selling for spring 2027 have come through that cold: apples like Honeycrisp, Prairie Sensation, Frostbite and Haralson; pears like Larinskaya, Krazulya and Summercrisp; plums like Native American plum, Prairie Red and Mount Royal; tart and bush cherries like Romeo, Juliet and Nanking; apricots like Westcot and Manchurian. Berry bushes are the safest bet anywhere in the state.

For your exact address, the cold hardiness calculator gives you the number to plan for and every plant we grow that has survived it.

Alaska growing zones for fruit trees

Most of the ground we've mapped in Alaska falls in MFTC zones 1 to 3, with the warmest spots in zone 5b (−15°F) and the coldest bottoms down in zone 0b (−65°F). That's colder than USDA's map, and it's on purpose: USDA's zone comes from an average winter's coldest night, ours from the bad winter a tree has to live through. Every plant we sell is zoned to the coldest temperature it has actually survived. Here's each area we've mapped, with the planning low for most of its ground and the range from its warmest benches to its coldest bottoms.

Shopping by zone instead? Start with our zone 1 fruit trees, zone 2 fruit trees, zone 3 fruit trees, zone 4 fruit trees and zone 5 fruit trees. A few spots on each map run a zone colder than the town next door, and that's what the maps are for.

Fairbanks and the Tanana Valley. On a still winter night the hills above Fairbanks can run 30°F warmer than town. Downtown plans for −54°F, North Pole −65°F, and the ridges above 1,100 feet about −45°F.

The Kenai Peninsula. Kenai's airport has hit −48°F, and Homer's coldest on record is −24°F. An average winter's coldest night runs about −25°F at Soldotna and −4°F at Homer.

See every Alaska map on our Alaska microclimate maps page.

Native fruit we grow

If you're after native fruit, huckleberry, Native American plum, American elderberry, Montana black currant and serviceberry are the ones we grow. They feed birds and wildlife and shrug off cold that would kill a lot of grafted trees.

Getting fruit trees to make it in Alaska

Cold is only part of it. Plant on a slope or bench, not the bottom of a draw, since cold air drains downhill and pools in the low spots on a still night, and that's where blossoms get frosted. Give trees shelter from the wind, put them on drip so the soil never dries out through the summer, then taper it off from mid August so they harden off before the first hard freeze. Paint the trunks white against sunscald (how we do it) and put a quarter inch hardware cloth guard, at least two feet tall, around each trunk for voles and ground squirrels.

Rootstock matters as much as the variety. In the coldest ground we graft onto hardy standard rootstocks, and our rootstock guide explains the tradeoffs. Most apples, pears, plums and sweet cherries need a second variety blooming at the same time to pollenize them; our pollination maps show which ones pair up. Short on room for two? Westcot apricot, Romeo dwarf cherry and Mount Royal plum are self fertile, and so is everything in our self fertile fruit trees collection.

Ordering bare root trees for Alaska

Everything on this page ships bare root in spring 2027, dormant, with the roots wrapped in moist sawdust and a vapor barrier, so you can plant as soon as your ground can be worked. Put your order in over the winter, since the best sellers run out. Not sure what to pick? Fill out our We Pick Your Trees form and we'll put a list together for your spot, or email us through the contact page with where you are and what you want to grow. Every plant is guaranteed to bud out (details in our FAQ).

Questions people ask about fruit trees in Alaska

Can you grow fruit trees in Alaska?

Yes. The trick is picking varieties zoned to the cold your spot actually gets. Our maps put most of the Alaska ground we've mapped at −38°F for planning, and 148 of the plants we're selling for spring 2027 have come through that, from hardy apples and pears to plums, tart cherries and berries.

What are the best apple trees for Alaska?

For most of the Alaska ground we've mapped we'd start with Honeycrisp, Prairie Sensation, Frostbite, Haralson and Zestar!®. Each has come through −38°F or colder. Nothing we sell is rated for the coldest pockets, around Fairbanks and the Tanana Valley (−65°F), so use the map to find the warmer slopes and benches above them.

What growing zone is Alaska for fruit trees?

Most of the ground we've mapped in Alaska is MFTC zones 1 to 3, running from −15°F on the warmest ground around the Kenai Peninsula down to −65°F around Fairbanks and the Tanana Valley. USDA's map reads warmer because it's built on an average winter, not the bad one.

Can cherry trees grow in Alaska?

Tart and bush cherries, yes: Romeo dwarf cherry, Juliet dwarf cherry and Nanking cherry all fit most of the Alaska ground we've mapped. Sweet cherries are a long shot. The hardiest we sell, like Lapins sweet cherry, have come through −35°F, and not much Alaska ground plans that warm.

Can you grow peaches in Alaska?

Not on the ground we've mapped. Siberian C peach has the winter hardiness (−35°F) for the warmest spots in Anchorage and the Mat-Su; and the Kenai Peninsula, but it ripens very late and the season there is too short to finish it. Put that sunny spot into plums or a tart cherry instead.

Where is the warmest ground for fruit trees in Alaska?

On our maps the warmest growing ground is Homer Spit in the Kenai Peninsula (−15°F), then Bear Valley in Anchorage and the Mat-Su (−20°F) and foothills east of Talkeetna in Willow, Talkeetna and the upper Susitna (−37°F). Those numbers are the planning lows, the cold a tree there has to live through in a bad winter.

Where are the coldest frost pockets in Alaska?

The coldest spots on our Alaska maps are North Pole in Fairbanks and the Tanana Valley (−65°F), flat southwest of Trapper Creek in Willow, Talkeetna and the upper Susitna (−46°F), and Willow in Anchorage and the Mat-Su (−45°F). Low ground like that is where cold air pools on a still night, so it runs colder than the town nearby.

What's the coldest temperature on Alaska's microclimate maps?

The coldest reading on our Alaska maps is −66°F at Fairbanks on January 14, 1934, on the Fairbanks and the Tanana Valley map.

How long is the growing season in Alaska?

Our maps put the frost free season anywhere from about 110 days at Fairbanks (Fairbanks and the Tanana Valley) to about 130 days at Merrill Field (Anchorage and the Mat-Su). That's why the area you're in matters as much as the state.

When should I plant fruit trees in Alaska?

In spring, as soon as the ground thaws and can be worked, while the trees are still dormant. We ship bare root in spring 2027 so the trees arrive dormant and ready to go in the ground.

Do you ship bare root fruit trees to Alaska?

Yes. We ship bare root trees, berries and vines to Alaska every spring, and you can also pick up in Missoula, Montana, if you choose that at checkout.

Fruit trees for other states

Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming. Or start from the fruit trees by state page.