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For growers

What can I grow in Murmansk?

🇷🇺Murmansk, Russia

Murmansk is in hardiness zone 6a, has about 111 frost-free days a year, and gets about 4,285 chill hours a winter and 20 in (506 mm) of rain a year. Best fits: barley, wheat and canola (rapeseed).

Find land with a climate like Murmansk →
Hardiness zone
Zone 6a
Coldest night -9°F (-23°C)
Frost season
Jun 6 – Sep 23
Last and first frost; 111 frost-free days
Frost-safe planting
After Jun 19
Past the last frost 9 years in 10
Winter chill
4,285 hours
49 chill portions
Summer heat
369 °F·days(205 °C·days)
Degree days above 50°F (10°C)
Hot days
0 days
Above 95°F (35°C) a year
Rain
20 in(506 mm)
Per year
Dry season
None
Months with rain under 2× the average °C

Great fits (80+)

  1. 95%fit

    Barley

    Grain · Annual · Plant in June

    Holding it back: Growing season too cool: 51°F (10°C) here, ideal 52–68°F (11–20°C)

    See it on the chartWhere else it grows
    Why this score ▸
    • Growing-season average91

      Here: 51°F (10°C) · Ideal: 52–68°F (11–20°C)

    • Coldest growing-season night (monthly average)100

      Here: 41°F (5°C) · Ideal: at least 32°F (0°C)

    • Growing-season rain100

      Here: 9.2 in (233 mm) · Ideal: 7.9–20 in (200–500 mm)

    The most cold- and drought-tolerant small grain; malting barley wants a cool, dry finish.

    Hordeum vulgare. Sources: FAO ECOCROP: Hordeum vulgare; FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper 33 (Doorenbos & Kassam 1979). Ranges not yet reviewed by an agronomist.

  2. 94%fit

    Wheat

    Best variety: Winter wheat

    Grain · Annual · Plant in March

    Holding it back: Growing season too cool: 40°F (4°C) here, ideal 41–57°F (5–14°C)

    See it on the chartWhere else it grows
    Why this score ▸
    • Growing-season average87

      Here: 40°F (4°C) · Ideal: 41–57°F (5–14°C)

    • Growing-season rain100

      Here: 17 in (420 mm) · Ideal: 14–31 in (350–800 mm)

    • Coldest-month average100

      Here: 14°F (-10°C) · Ideal: at most 41°F (5°C)

    • Coldest night of the year (average)100

      Here: -9°F (-23°C) · Ideal: at least -13°F (-25°C)

    In mild-winter climates spring wheat is sown in autumn and grows through the cool season. Winter wheat: Sown in autumn; needs a cold spell (vernalisation) and survives frozen ground, especially under snow.

    Triticum aestivum. Sources: FAO ECOCROP: Triticum aestivum; FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper 33 (Doorenbos & Kassam 1979). Ranges not yet reviewed by an agronomist.

  3. 86%fit

    Canola (rapeseed)

    Spring canola

    Oilseed · Annual · Plant in June

    Holding it back: Growing season too cool: 51°F (10°C) here, ideal 54–70°F (12–21°C)

    See it on the chartWhere else it grows
    Why this score ▸
    • Growing-season average74

      Here: 51°F (10°C) · Ideal: 54–70°F (12–21°C)

    • Coldest growing-season night (monthly average)100

      Here: 41°F (5°C) · Ideal: at least 32°F (0°C)

    • Growing-season rain100

      Here: 9.2 in (233 mm) · Ideal: 9.8–22 in (250–550 mm) · covered by irrigation

    Heat over ~30 °C at flowering cuts yield; a cool-season crop in warm climates.

    Brassica napus. Sources: FAO ECOCROP: Brassica napus; Canola Council of Canada: Canola Encyclopedia. Ranges not yet reviewed by an agronomist.

Worth a try (50–79)

  1. 78%fit

    Garlic

    Hardneck (Music, Chesnok Red)

    Vegetable · Annual

    Holding it back: Summers too cool: 56°F (13°C) here, ideal 61–79°F (16–26°C)

    See it on the chartWhere else it grows
    Why this score ▸
    • Coldest-month average100

      Here: 14°F (-10°C) · Ideal: at most 43°F (6°C)

    • Coldest night of the year (average)100

      Here: -9°F (-23°C) · Ideal: at least -22°F (-30°C)

    • Warmest-month average29

      Here: 56°F (13°C) · Ideal: 61–79°F (16–26°C)

    • Yearly rain100

      Here: 20 in (506 mm) · Ideal: 16–39 in (400–1,000 mm)

    Planted in autumn and harvested in early summer; cloves need weeks below ~10 °C to form bulbs (hardnecks more than softnecks).

    Allium sativum. Sources: UC ANR: Garlic production in California; FAO ECOCROP: Allium sativum. Ranges not yet reviewed by an agronomist.

  2. 75%fit

    Strawberry

    Fruit · Annual · Plant in June

    Holding it back: Growing season too cool: 52°F (11°C) here, ideal 57–75°F (14–24°C)

    See it on the chartWhere else it grows
    Why this score ▸
    • Growing-season average56

      Here: 52°F (11°C) · Ideal: 57–75°F (14–24°C)

    • Coldest growing-season night (monthly average)100

      Here: 41°F (5°C) · Ideal: at least 37°F (3°C)

    • Growing-season rain100

      Here: 7.1 in (180 mm) · Ideal: 5.9–18 in (150–450 mm)

    Grown as a short-season crop in most commercial systems; day-neutral types fruit through summer.

    Fragaria × ananassa. Sources: FAO ECOCROP: Fragaria × ananassa; UC ANR: Strawberry production. Ranges not yet reviewed by an agronomist.

  3. 70%fit

    Potato

    Root crop · Annual · Plant in June

    Holding it back: Growing season too cool: 51°F (10°C) here, ideal 55–68°F (13–20°C)

    Needs irrigation · 48 withoutSee it on the chartWhere else it grows
    Why this score ▸
    • Growing-season average49

      Here: 51°F (10°C) · Ideal: 55–68°F (13–20°C)

    • Coldest growing-season night (monthly average)100

      Here: 41°F (5°C) · Ideal: at least 37°F (3°C)

    • Growing-season rain100

      Here: 9.2 in (233 mm) · Ideal: 14–28 in (350–700 mm) · covered by irrigation

    Tubers form best with cool nights; above ~25 °C tuber growth stalls. In the tropics it's a highland or cool-season crop.

    Solanum tuberosum. Sources: FAO ECOCROP: Solanum tuberosum; FAO Crop Water Information: potato. Ranges not yet reviewed by an agronomist.

Won't grow here (36)▸
  • Almond: Winters get too cold: -9°F (-23°C) here, ideal at least 9°F (-13°C)
  • Apple: Not enough winter chill: 39 portions here, ideal at least 60 portions
  • Avocado: Winters get too cold: -9°F (-23°C) here, ideal at least 32°F (0°C)
  • Banana: Winters too cold: 14°F (-10°C) here, ideal at least 61°F (16°C)
  • Blueberry: Not enough winter chill: 39 portions here, ideal at least 55 portions
  • Cacao: Winters too cold: 14°F (-10°C) here, ideal at least 68°F (20°C)
  • Cassava: Too cool overall: 34°F (1°C) here, ideal 72–86°F (22–30°C)
  • Cherry: Not enough winter chill: 39 portions here, ideal at least 60 portions
  • Citrus: Winters get too cold: -9°F (-23°C) here, ideal at least 28°F (-2°C)
  • Coffee (arabica): Too cool overall: 34°F (1°C) here, ideal 64–72°F (18–22°C)
  • Cotton: Growing season too cool: 29°F (-2°C) here, ideal 72–90°F (22–32°C)
  • Date palm: Summers too cool: 56°F (13°C) here, ideal 88–104°F (31–40°C)
  • Fig: Winters get too cold: -9°F (-23°C) here, ideal at least 18°F (-8°C)
  • Hemp: Growing season too cool: 51°F (10°C) here, ideal 61–79°F (16–26°C)
  • Hops: Summers too cool: 56°F (13°C) here, ideal 63–75°F (17–24°C)
  • Kiwifruit: Winters get too cold: -9°F (-23°C) here, ideal at least 14°F (-10°C)
  • Lavender: Summers too cool: 56°F (13°C) here, ideal 63–79°F (17–26°C)
  • Macadamia: Winters get too cold: -9°F (-23°C) here, ideal at least 30°F (-1°C)
  • Maize (corn): Growing season too cool: 51°F (10°C) here, ideal 64–86°F (18–30°C)
  • Mango: Winters get too cold: -9°F (-23°C) here, ideal at least 39°F (4°C)
  • Olive: Winters get too cold: -9°F (-23°C) here, ideal at least 18°F (-8°C)
  • Peach: Frost-free season too short: 111 days here, ideal at least 170 days
  • Peanut: Growing season too cool: 25°F (-4°C) here, ideal 72–86°F (22–30°C)
  • Pear: Not enough winter chill: 39 portions here, ideal at least 60 portions
  • Pecan: Frost-free season too short: 111 days here, ideal at least 210 days
  • Pistachio: Not enough winter chill: 39 portions here, ideal at least 58 portions
  • Rice: Growing season too cool: 21°F (-6°C) here, ideal 72–88°F (22–31°C)
  • Saffron: Winters too cold: 14°F (-10°C) here, ideal 30–50°F (-1 to 10°C)
  • Sorghum: Growing season too cool: 21°F (-6°C) here, ideal 72–91°F (22–33°C)
  • Soybean: Growing season too cool: 51°F (10°C) here, ideal 68–86°F (20–30°C)
  • Sugarcane: Too cool overall: 34°F (1°C) here, ideal 72–86°F (22–30°C)
  • Sunflower: Growing season too cool: 51°F (10°C) here, ideal 64–82°F (18–28°C)
  • Tea: Winters get too cold: -9°F (-23°C) here, ideal at least 14°F (-10°C)
  • Tomato: Growing season too cool: 21°F (-6°C) here, ideal 64–81°F (18–27°C)
  • Walnut: Frost-free season too short: 111 days here, ideal at least 180 days
  • Wine grapes: Too cool to ripen: 369 °F·days (205 °C·days) here, ideal 2,610–3,510 °F·days (1,450–1,950 °C·days)

Climate vs. crop needs

Temperature (°F)

HighLowAverage

Ideal average in the growing season0°20°40°60°80°JFMAMJJASONDHigh Jan: 20°High Feb: 20°High Mar: 28°High Apr: 37°High May: 47°High Jun: 56°High Jul: 63°High Aug: 60°High Sep: 51°High Oct: 39°High Nov: 29°High Dec: 24°Low Jan: 8°Low Feb: 9°Low Mar: 16°Low Apr: 26°Low May: 35°Low Jun: 41°Low Jul: 48°Low Aug: 46°Low Sep: 41°Low Oct: 32°Low Nov: 21°Low Dec: 14°Average Jan: 14°Average Feb: 15°Average Mar: 22°Average Apr: 32°Average May: 41°Average Jun: 49°Average Jul: 56°Average Aug: 53°Average Sep: 46°Average Oct: 35°Average Nov: 25°Average Dec: 19°

Rain (in per month)

 

0123JFMAMJJASONDRain Jan: 1.2Rain Feb: 0.9Rain Mar: 1.1Rain Apr: 1.2Rain May: 1.5Rain Jun: 2.0Rain Jul: 2.6Rain Aug: 2.5Rain Sep: 2.1Rain Oct: 2.1Rain Nov: 1.4Rain Dec: 1.3
  • Ideal average in the growing season: 52–68°F. Compare with the gray dashed average line.
  • Growing season: Jun–Sep
  • Ideal rain over the growing season: 7.9–20 in. Here: 9.2 in.

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Planning to plant or buy land? We're building detailed reports for Murmansk: frost risk year by year, the right varieties and rootstocks, water needs, and how the climate is shifting by 2050.

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How these scores work

Each crop has an ideal range and hard limits for things like winter cold, chill hours, summer heat and rain. A score of 100 means everything is in range; one hard limit crossed means 0. Annual crops are scored over their best growing season, which sets the planting month. Scores assume irrigation where rain falls short, and flag crops that need it.

Climate comes from 1991–2020 monthly averages for the 4 km climate cell around the town. Frost dates, chill and hardiness zones are estimated from those averages by simulating daily weather, so check them against local records. Soil, slope and water rights matter as much as climate. Crop ranges come from FAO ECOCROP and university extension guides and haven't been reviewed by an agronomist yet.

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