Growing Tomatoes in Alaska: Everything You Need to Know
You want to grow tomatoes in Alaska but want to get some tips and tricks so you can grow tomatoes in this rather cool region in a proper manner?
Great! Stick with me since I will show you how you can grow solid tomato plants in Alaska with only minor additional effort.
Not only will you get information on how to water tomato plants in Alaska, but we will also talk about how to protect your plants from climatic conditions, pests and so on.
After reading this article, you will have a much better idea of what you have to take into account before starting your tomato growth project.
Without further ado, let’s get right into it!
Table of Contents
Do tomatoes grow well in Alaska?
Due to pretty cool climatic conditions, tomato plants usually don’t grow really well in Alaska outdoors.
However, you can still grow tomatoes in Alaska in a proper manner indoors or using greenhouses so you can protect tomato plants from frost and cold weather in a proper manner.
How long does it take to grow tomatoes in Alaska?
Since your tomato plants will often not get many hours of sun and will also have to grow in rather cool climatic conditions, it may take you longer to grow tomatoes in a proper manner compared to people growing tomatoes in Alabama or other warmer places.
On average, you should expect your tomato plants to take 4 to 5 months to grow from seed to harvest.
How big do tomato plants grow in Alaska?
Due to rather cool weather and a lack of really great climatic conditions, many tomato varieties in Alaska grow smaller compared to tomatoes in warmer climatic zones.
Can you expect great yields when growing tomatoes in Alaska?
If you don’t want to grow tomatoes in a greenhouse, you should not expect really great yields since it will often be too cold in many regions of Alaska to grow tomatoes outdoors and some of your plants may just not make it while others will just produce very few flowers and your yields may therefore be pretty limited.
When to grow tomatoes in Alaska?
Depending on your region, the best time to grow tomatoes in Alaska is between April and May when you should start growing tomatoes indoors and transplant them outdoors later on in June when you no longer expect frost anymore so your plants can get stronger before they are exposed to cool weather conditions.
Can you grow tomatoes in Alaska in winter?
Since it is pretty cold in winter and also lighting conditions are not optimal, you will not be able to grow tomatoes in winter unless you protect your plants from the cold and also use artificial lighting so your plants can get proper growing conditions which would cost you lots of energy and growing tomatoes in Alaska in winter can therefore be pretty expensive and may just not be worth it.
Can you grow tomatoes in Alaska multiple times per year?
Since Alaska is a pretty cool place, you will usually only be able to grow tomatoes once a year by starting to grow seedlings indoors in spring and transplanting your seedlings outdoors when you no longer expect frost.
What tomato varieties grow best in Alaska?
As a rule of thumb, you should choose tomato varieties that grow well in cool climatic conditions. Below, you will find some good choices that will usually grow well in Alaska:
- Sub Arctic Tomatoes
- Polar Beauti Tomatoes
- Glacier Tomatoes
- Manitoba Tomatoes
- Moscow Tomatoes
- Purple Russian Tomatoes
- Azoychka Tomatoes
- Beaverlodge Tomatoes
- Red Robin Tomatoes
Is it better to grow tomatoes in Alaska from seeds or seedlings?
If you don’t want to grow tomato plants indoors for quite a long time, you may be better off growing tomatoes from seedlings since it would be the much faster option and you would be able to transplant your tomato plants outdoors sooner.
Should you start growing tomatoes in Alaska indoors?
Since Alaska is a pretty cool place, you should definitely start growing tomatoes indoors in spring so you can grow your tomato plants to a solid size before transplanting them outdoors in summer since if you start growing tomato plants outdoors, they either decay due to the cold or it would just be too late and your plants may not deliver great yields before the first winter frost hits.
How to water tomato plants in Alaska?
Since Alaska is not the hottest place, you don’t have to water your tomato plants in Alaska as much as in regions with warmer climatic conditions.
However, you should still water your plants whenever the soil is already dry.
You can check this by putting your finger in the soil and if soil sticks to your finger, you know that your plants still have enough water and you wait with watering them for a little bit.
Do you have to protect tomatoes against the sun in Alaska?
Since Alaska is not the sunniest place and you will start growing your plants indoors, your plants will already be rather big when transplanting them outdoors and you therefore usually don’t have to protect your tomato plants anymore when you transplant them outdoors in summer.
Will wild animals feed on tomatoes in Alaska?
Depending on where you live, elks, rabbits or other wild animals may try feeding on your tomato plants in Alaska and you should therefore install a fence and take other protective measures so you don’t wake up one day and your tomato plants will be gone.
Pests & plant diseases on tomato plants in Alaska
Like in many other states in the US, you will also have aphids, snails and many other pests that will be trying to feed on your tomato plants.
Fortunately, I provided everything you should know about how to treat pests and diseases on tomato plants in my tomato pest and plant disease control guide.
When to harvest tomatoes in Alaska?
If you start growing tomatoes indoors in spring, you will usually be able to transplant them outdoors in summer and will be able to harvest your tomato plants between August and September before the first frost of the seasons hits in many regions of Alaska.
Additional Information for Growing Tomatoes at Home
I hope you enjoyed my article and got lots of helpful tips and tricks on how to grow tomatoes in Alaska.
If you want to get even more information on how to grow tomatoes at home step-by-step, feel free to also have a look at my tomato grower’s guide.
Moreover, you may also want to check out my growing tomatoes FAQ section where you will get answers to all questions you might still have regarding growing tomatoes at home in a proper manner in general.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato
Own experience.
About the Author
My name is Andreas and I’m really passionate about our environment and also about growing plants. In fact, I have grown several different plants over many years. I love to see my own plants grow and also always try new things to improve my overall conditions at home.
In my blog posts, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can become successful in growing various different plants and improving your home as well, even though you might still be a beginner right now.
