Conditional — Some Areas
atemoya (zones 9-11) reaches only part of Georgia (7a-9b): zone 9 are in range, so where you are in the state decides it.
Atemoya in Georgia — the short answer
Atemoya in Georgia: hardy in zones 9–11, full sun.
- Plant zones
- 9-11
- Not verified
- Georgia zones
- 7a-9b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Feb 17 - Mar 10 – Nov 24 - Dec 4
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 204 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.
Georgia spans zones 7a-9b, 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 atemoya 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
Georgia is not one climate
Georgia’s winter-low ladder runs across 159 counties, from zone 7.5 in Fannin County to zone 9 in Worth County. That is 15°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between atemoya overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 159 counties runs 8–9 zones, with a median of 8.5 zones — a 1.5-zone span end to end.
Measured across 159 Georgia 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 in Georgia Fits Best
Atemoya is rated for zones 9–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at 20 to 30°F. Against Georgia’s 159 counties that band holds in 43 of them, and the line runs at Atkinson County (zone 9a), the coldest county still inside it.
Inside zones 9–11
43 counties
- Bacon County · zone 9a
- Ben Hill County · zone 9a
- Berrien County · zone 9a
3 of 43 shown
Below the zone 9 floor
116 counties
- Fannin County · zone 7b
- Gilmer County · zone 7b
- Rabun County · zone 7b
3 of 116 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.
Even within Georgia's zones 7a-9b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for atemoya (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Atemoya Needs
- USDA Zones: 9-11
- Sun: Full Sun
- Drought tolerance: HighWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Georgia Has
- USDA Zones: 7a-9b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Feb 17 - Mar 10
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 24 - Dec 4
- Annual Rainfall: 45-55 inches
- Common Soils: Red clay (Piedmont), Sandy loam (Coastal Plain), Alluvial
Plant Zone Range (zones 9-11)
Preferred Soil pH
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
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 Atemoya in Georgia
The frost window
Across Georgia, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 17 and Mar 10, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 24 and Dec 4 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 259-day window you can count on — up to 290 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
Georgia runs as cold as USDA zone 7, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for atemoya, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether atemoya is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Georgia; 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
Atemoya tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.3-8.5) — 4.2 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Georgia. 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 7 and 8 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Georgia soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Georgia site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, a raised bed lifts the roots above wet ground, or work in compost. pH range, preferred pH and 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. Georgia soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant atemoya 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 atemoya goes in. What follows is Georgia’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 Georgia — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Georgia — 28,246 documented sites across 7 of the 8 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 521 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Georgia 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 Georgia
Severity Distribution
across Georgia
Highest-Severity Sites
Know Before You Grow
- •Underground tanks leak petroleum as they age — near a former filling station, test the soil.
- •TRI facilities report what they release. Check the wind — downwind beds catch more of it.
- •A Superfund listing means federally documented contamination. Test soil and water before planting edibles nearby.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 950K documented sites tracked nationwide across 8 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Atemoya in Georgia
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Georgia growers also need to think about:
Heavy red Piedmont clay is difficult to work and drains poorly
High humidity drives fungal diseases in summer
Fire ants are a persistent pest in gardens across the state
Summer heat (90-100F) can stress cool-season crops by May
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Georgia grower, not just atemoya — is covered on the Georgia growing guide.
Where in Georgia Atemoya Is Zone-Hardy
Atemoya is rated for USDA zones 9–11. 43 of Georgia’s 159 counties fall inside that band. The coldest that does is Atkinson County at zone 9a. 116 counties sit below the plant’s zone 9 floor, where an unprotected plant is relying on snow cover and a mild year. Where you are in Georgia decides this one.
Across those 159 counties Georgia’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 7b in Fannin County to zone 9a in Worth County — 1.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 15°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. That is why a statewide hardiness answer is where you start and not where you finish.
The planting window moves with it. Union County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about Apr 7, while Worth County is clear by Feb 7 — 59 days apart. Set atemoya out on your county’s date, not the state’s.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F killing freeze — earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost". Atemoya’s zone 9–11 band: Not verified. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Atemoya draws native bees (low value). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, atemoya can only work that bloom inside Georgia's frost window — roughly 275 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Feb 17 - Mar 10) and closing at the first (Nov 24 - Dec 4), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Pollinator value: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Georgia Cooperative Extension
For Georgia-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for atemoya, the canonical source is UGA Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Atemoya in Georgia
When can I plant Atemoya in Georgia?
Georgia's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 17 and Mar 10, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 24 and Dec 4 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Atemoya, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Georgia 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 Atemoya grown in across Georgia?
Georgia spans USDA hardiness zones 7a-9b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Atemoya carries a range of zones 9-11, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Georgia site have?
A typical Georgia site sees ~275 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Atemoya needs 210+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
How should I amend the soil for Atemoya in Georgia?
Atemoya tolerates pH 4.3-8.5 and well (dry spells) drainage. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. That is a 4.2-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Georgia site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Atemoya actually grow on my specific land in Georgia?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores atemoya 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 Georgia
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores atemoya against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Georgia atemoya averages can't show:
We read public map data around Georgia — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Georgia atemoya average
Explore More
Growing guides for atemoya
Explore Georgia county by county
Georgia carries 159 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for atemoya there:
Where else atemoya grows
Atemoya's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Georgia 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 Georgia
Georgia has a growing page for 1,029 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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