My Climate
I live in a subdivision in the middle of Palmer and Wasilla so all of my neighbors, including myself, have raised beds. One great benefit of raised beds is that they thaw much faster in the spring than frozen ground, so that means you can prepare and transplant earlier. Another reason raised beds work here is our ground is very rocky so it’s just easier to have a raised bed. The raised beds have better drainage, which is great for a rainy week.
Benefit or challenge?
I have been gardening in the Palmer area for 2 years now and so far it’s been fairly easy. The long warm days and mildly warm nights have been great for my garden; especially for my sugar snap peas, tomatoes, and peppers. The biggest challenge I face is the wind. It is pretty important to make sure the plants are supported or protected from the strong winds. Another challenge is bolting. While the long days are great for keeping things warm it can have a negative effect on some plants, such as spinach or broccoli, which require some shade. To keep these from bolting I plant them where they get morning and afternoon sun but shade in the evenings.
The more you know.
Knowing your climate is very important. You can have a successful garden when you rely on the benefits of your area and know what your challenges are so you can prepare or prevent for a negative outcome.
Link to the nearest weather station: Palmer Job Corps weather station
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 4B
Normals for years: 1981-2010
| May | June | July | August | September | |
| Average Daily Temperature ( °F) | 48 | Temp.
55.4 |
Temp.
58.4 |
Temp.
56 |
Temp.
47.7 |
| Average Daily Maximum ( °F) | Temp.
58.7 |
Temp.
65.4 |
Temp.
67.2 |
Temp.
65 |
Temp.
56.5 |
| Average Daily Minimum ( °F) | Temp.
37.4 |
Temp.
45.5 |
Temp.
49.7 |
Temp.
47.1 |
Temp.
38.9 |
| Average rainfall (in.) | Rainfall
1.06 |
Rainfall
1.61 |
Rainfall
2.72 |
Rainfall
2.83 |
Rainfall
3.07 |
| 32 °F is used here to determine frosts. | Probable Growing Season (90% probability) | Possible Growing Season (10% probability) |
| Date of First frost | Date.
09/30 |
Date.
09/04 |
| Date of Last frost | Date.
05/04 |
Date.
05/29 |
| Freeze Free Period | Number of days between first and last frost.
105 |
Number of days between first and last frost.
142 |
| When day lengths are longer than 12 hours | Date. | Date. |
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