Barley is a cover crop — grown to build and protect the soil rather than for a harvest of its own. It's hardy across USDA zones 3 through 10. It roots deep, which helps it reach moisture in a dry spell and open up tight soil as it establishes.
Barley — the short answer
Barley: grown in zones 3–10, full sun, pH 6–8, about 90 days to maturity.
- USDA zones
- 3–10
- Manual horticultural correction (source not retained); NC State Extension and Missouri Botanical Garden, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation
- Soil pH
- 6–8
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
- Days to Maturity
- 90 days
- USDA-NRCS
- Frost-kill temperature
- 32°F
- FAO ECOCROP
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Barley on your exact land.
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What Barley is
Barley grows as an annual and reaches around three feet at maturity. It blooms yellow in spring.
How to grow Barley
Barley grows in USDA zones 3 through 10. Barley does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 6 to 8, on well-drained ground. It needs around 1,500 growing degree days to mature and a growing season of at least 90 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
3-10
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
6 - 8
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Kill Temperature
32°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
FAO ECOCROP
Minimum Growing Temperature
35.6°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Days to Maturity
90 days
Barley; cool-season grain + cover crop; spring or fall plant.
USDA-NRCS
GDD Required
1500+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Mature Height
3 ft
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
90+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant barley in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun. It grows in the cool halves of the year, so sow it in spring or late summer rather than waiting for midsummer heat.
Match the soil
Barley prefers pH 6 to 8 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Turn it in before it seeds
Cut barley down or turn it into the soil before it sets seed, while the growth is still green — that's when it returns the most to the ground.
Where Barley thrives
On hardiness alone, barley grows across most of the country — its range (USDA zones 3 through 10) is unusually wide. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 3–10 spans average winter lows from -40°F to 40°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 47 outright and splits 4 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 3–10·Where Barley growsOpen map →
Where Barley stands, state by state
Barley is rated for zones 3–10 — a cold floor USDA puts at -40 to -30°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 47 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 4 more, and 0 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 3–10
47 states
3 of 47 shown
The line runs through
4 states
- Alaska · zones 1a-9a
- California · zones 4b-11a
- Florida · zones 8b-12a
3 of 4 shown
Barley’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Barley
Growing guides for barley
In rotation planning, barley counts as a Grass — beds recover best when grass crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Related plants in cover crop
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — barley isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Barley isn't classified as a notable pollinator plant in our data — pair it with high-value bloomers nearby to feed bees.
Your land is one point inside Barley's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Barley will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether barley actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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How we know this about Barley
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Barley in my zone?
Barley grows in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 10 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Barley?
Barley is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Barley need?
Barley needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Barley need?
Barley prefers soil pH 6 to 8, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Barley attract pollinators?
Barley isn't classified as a notable pollinator plant in our data. Pairing it with high-value bloomers nearby keeps bees and butterflies fed.
Is Barley safe for pets?
Barley is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)