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What Can Grow in Northwest Territories?

Growing Zone Zone 1
Frost-Free Days 61
Last Frost mid-June
First Frost mid-August

The NWT has an arctic to subarctic climate. Only the very hardiest crops survive the extremely short summer. Gardening under cover is the primary approach.

Find your exact zone:
Northwest Territories spans 3 different growing zones. The planting calendar below uses the most common zone (Zone 1). Use the search above or browse all zones here:
Zone 0 Zone 1 Zone 2

📅 Planting Calendar for Northwest Territories

When to start seeds indoors and transplant outdoors, based on your average frost dates. Actual timing shifts year to year — use these as a starting point, not a fixed schedule.

Plant Start Indoors Transplant Out Direct Sow Harvest
🥬 Cabbage May 4 Jun 15 — Aug 24 – Oct 13
🌱 Microgreens — — Jun 15 Jun 22 – Jul 6

Dates are averages based on Zone 1 frost dates (last frost: mid-June, first frost: mid-August). Frost can come earlier or later than usual — always check your 10-day forecast before transplanting.

🥦 Vegetables

⚠️ Worth Trying (Marginal)

These plants are outside the ideal zone range but possible with the right approach.

🗺️ Canadian Plant Hardiness Zones

Zone 1 is shown in this colour on the map below
Canadian Plant Hardiness Zone Map — zones 0 to 9

Canadian Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2014) — Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada / Canadian Forest Service

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Canadian zones run 0–9 (coldest to warmest) — a separate system from USDA zones. Browse all Canadian zones →

Browse Related Zones

Canadian Zone 0 Canadian Zone 1 Canadian Zone 2 Canadian Zone 3 Canadian Zone 4 Canadian Zone 5 Canadian Zone 6

Frequently Asked Questions

The NWT has an arctic to subarctic climate. Only the very hardiest crops survive the extremely short summer. Gardening under cover is the primary approach. Vegetables like Cabbage, Microgreens all grow well here.
The growing season is short — roughly 61 days. Focus on fast-maturing varieties and start seeds indoors as early as possible.
Top vegetables for Northwest Territories: Cabbage, Microgreens.
Most common herbs grow well in Zone 1.