Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
acerola (zones 10-11) does not overlap with Pennsylvania's zone range (5b-8a). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
Acerola in Pennsylvania — the short answer
Acerola in Pennsylvania: hardy in zones 10–11, full sun.
- Plant zones
- 10-11
- Hardy to zone 10a: Tropical Plants Database (Useful Tropical Plants) lists -2 °C, converted to zone 10a, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: our plant database.
- Pennsylvania zones
- 5b-8a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Apr 6 - Apr 24 – Oct 25 - Nov 3
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 160 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Pennsylvania spans zones 5b-8a, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score acerola against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
No card required · your parcel report in seconds — read in full free for your first 14 days
Pennsylvania is not one climate
Pennsylvania’s winter-low ladder runs across 67 counties, from zone 5.5 in Cambria County to zone 7.5 in Philadelphia County. That is 20°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between acerola overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 67 counties runs 6–7 zones, with a median of 6.5 zones — a 2-zone span end to end.
Measured across 67 Pennsylvania counties. USDA PHZM 2023, per county. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where Acerola Stands in Pennsylvania
Acerola is rated for zones 10–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at 30 to 40°F. No Pennsylvania county sits inside it, so in open ground this is a grown-under-cover plant here rather than a bed plant — which is a statement about Pennsylvania winters, not about acerola.
Below the zone 10 floor
67 counties
- Cambria County · zone 5b
- Cameron County · zone 5b
- Elk County · zone 5b
3 of 67 shown
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Zone Comparison
Acerola Needs
- USDA Zones: 10-11
- Sun: Full SunWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Pennsylvania Has
- USDA Zones: 5b-8a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 6 - Apr 24
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 25 - Nov 3
- Annual Rainfall: 36-48 inches
- Common Soils: Silt loam, Shale-derived, Limestone-derived
Plant Zone Range (zones 10-11)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Acerola in Pennsylvania
The frost window
Across Pennsylvania, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 6 and Apr 24, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 25 and Nov 3 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 184-day window you can count on — up to 211 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.
Winter standing
Pennsylvania runs as cold as USDA zone 5, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for acerola, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether acerola is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Pennsylvania; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Acerola tolerates a wide pH range (pH 5-8) — 3 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Pennsylvania. A soil test is still worth having, but for what else it tells you about this site, not to clear this plant. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5.5 and 7.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Pennsylvania soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Pennsylvania site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, a raised bed lifts the roots above wet ground, or work in compost. Drainage need: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Pennsylvania soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant acerola for food
Anything you grow to eat takes up what is in the ground it grows in, so what is on record near you is worth knowing before acerola goes in. What follows is Pennsylvania’s documented federal record at state scale — a screening signal, not a soil test, and not a statement about any one lot.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across Pennsylvania — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Pennsylvania — 39,009 documented sites across 7 of the 8 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 393 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Pennsylvania carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds of imported, lab-tested soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Sources Checked
across Pennsylvania
Severity Distribution
across Pennsylvania
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around Pennsylvania, CAFO runs higher than the national average — 642 sites across Pennsylvania. Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.
CAFO: CAFOs pose a different contamination profile than chemical sources.
Wash all produce consumed raw thoroughly, especially leafy greens grown near CAFOs.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 950K documented sites tracked nationwide across 8 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Acerola in Pennsylvania
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Pennsylvania growers also need to think about:
Rocky shale soils in the ridge-and-valley region
Short mountain seasons in the Poconos and Alleghenies
Deer pressure is among the highest in the US
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Pennsylvania grower, not just acerola — is covered on the Pennsylvania growing guide.
Where in Pennsylvania Acerola Is Zone-Hardy
Acerola is rated for USDA zones 10–11. No Pennsylvania county reaches it. Even Philadelphia County, the state’s mildest winter at zone 7b, sits below the plant’s zone 10 floor — so in open ground this one needs winter protection here, or a container that comes under cover.
Across those 67 counties Pennsylvania’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 5b in Cambria County to zone 7b in Philadelphia County — 2 USDA zones of spread, which is 20°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. None of that range reaches the band acerola needs, so here the statewide answer really is the answer.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. Acerola’s zone 10–11 band: Hardy to zone 10a: Tropical Plants Database (Useful Tropical Plants) lists -2 °C, converted to zone 10a, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: our plant database.. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Acerola draws native bees (high value). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, acerola can only work that bloom inside Pennsylvania's frost window — roughly 197 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 6 - Apr 24) and closing at the first (Oct 25 - Nov 3), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Pollinator value: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Pennsylvania Cooperative Extension
For Pennsylvania-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for acerola, the canonical source is Penn State Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Acerola native to Pennsylvania?
Acerola is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) does not record it growing in Pennsylvania. It can still earn a place in a Pennsylvania garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Pennsylvania growing guide lists plants that USDA PLANTS records growing in Pennsylvania and that Kew and NatureServe Explorer both list in its native range, leaving out any that NatureServe flags as exotic there or that our audit holds.
State records: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution data (presence, not state-level nativity), accessed 2026-10-19.
Common Questions About Growing Acerola in Pennsylvania
When can I plant Acerola in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 6 and Apr 24, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 25 and Nov 3 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Acerola, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Pennsylvania and publishes no fall establishment date for it — check its hardiness range against your own zone before treating it as a permanent planting.
What hardiness zone is Acerola grown in across Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-8a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Acerola is listed for zones 10-11, which do not overlap them, so there is no zone in Pennsylvania where this page can call outdoor growing reliable. A parcel report resolves your own address's zone.
How many frost-free days does a typical Pennsylvania site have?
A typical Pennsylvania site sees ~197 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Acerola needs 270+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Acerola native to Pennsylvania?
Acerola is native to parts of the Lower 48, but the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) does not record it growing in Pennsylvania. It can still earn a place in a Pennsylvania garden — the zone comparison above tells you whether it will thrive.
How should I amend the soil for Acerola in Pennsylvania?
Acerola tolerates pH 5-8 and well (dry spells) drainage. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. That is a 3-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Pennsylvania site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Acerola actually grow on my specific land in Pennsylvania?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores acerola against your address's mapped soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Pennsylvania
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores acerola against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Pennsylvania acerola averages can't show:
We read public map data around Pennsylvania — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Pennsylvania acerola average
Explore More
Growing guides for acerola
Explore Pennsylvania county by county
Pennsylvania carries 67 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for acerola there:
Where else acerola grows
Acerola's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Pennsylvania in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has a growing page for 890 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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