Conditional — Some Areas
bay laurel (zones 8-10) reaches only part of New Jersey (6a-8a): zone 8 are in range, so where you are in the state decides it.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
New Jersey spans zones 6a-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 bay laurel against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Bay Laurel Needs
- USDA Zones: 8-10
- Frost-Free Days: 120+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 30 ft tall
- Picking window: ~365 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: Medium
New Jersey Has
- USDA Zones: 6a-8a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 26 - Apr 4
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 5 - Nov 17
- Annual Rainfall: 40-50 inches
- Common Soils: Sandy loam (Pine Barrens), Silt loam, Clay
Plant Zone Range (zones 8-10)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Bay Laurel in New Jersey
The frost window
Across New Jersey, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 26 and Apr 4, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 5 and Nov 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 215-day window you can count on — up to 236 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
Bay Laurel overwinters from USDA zone 8 and warmer (NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder), and New Jersey runs as cold as zone 6, so it does not survive winter in the ground here. It is a woody plant rather than a crop you resow each spring, so neither a fall establishment date nor a harvest countdown describes it in New Jersey — which is why this page gives neither. What it needs here is a way through winter, not a planting date.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Morris County, not the statewide average.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: USDA PLANTS Database. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says bay laurel survives winter in part of New Jersey, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
Bay Laurel wants 120+ frost-free days; a typical New Jersey site sees ~222 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
Growing degree days
Bay Laurel needs ~2000 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. The state median runs ~3340 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so New Jersey's typical season clears that easily.
GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.
Soil + Drainage Fit
Bay Laurel tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.5-8.2) — 3.7 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in New Jersey. 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 and 6.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a New Jersey soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your New Jersey site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
SSURGO maps about 14.3% of New Jersey as poorly or somewhat-poorly drained, and the class flips parcel to parcel. Bay Laurel sits mid-range for drought tolerance, so either extreme can cost you — your soil map unit, not the state average, is the real answer.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. New Jersey soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Bay Laurel in New Jersey — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Conditional — Some Areas
- Plant Zones: 8-10 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 6a-8a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Mar 26 - Apr 4 to Nov 5 - Nov 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
- Days to Maturity: 365 days
What Else to Consider for Bay Laurel in New Jersey
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but New Jersey growers also need to think about:
Sandy Pine Barrens soils are nutrient-poor
Urban heat island effects in northern NJ
Deer browse is extreme in suburban areas
Growing bay laurel here specifically
Bay Laurel likes pH 4.5–8.2 and takes cold to about 46°F, yet neither saves it from wet feet — SSURGO maps about 14.3% of New Jersey poorly-drained, where its crown sit and rot.
Set bay laurel high on bermed, grit-amended ground so winter and storm water drain away from the crown. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every New Jersey grower, not just bay laurel — is covered on the New Jersey growing guide.
Timing shifts within New Jersey
New Jersey isn't one climate. In Morris County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 11 — roughly 11 days later than the recorded state median — so plant bay laurel to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Bay Laurel needs about 120 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Sussex County — New Jersey’s shortest season at 196 frost-free days — clears that by 76 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in New Jersey. What varies is your own parcel.
County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Bay Laurel's 120-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Bay Laurel draws honeybees (low value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, bay laurel can only work that bloom inside New Jersey's frost window — roughly 222 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 26 - Apr 4) and closing at the first (Nov 5 - Nov 17), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Good to Know Before You Plant Bay Laurel
On Growable Ground, Bay Laurel means Laurus nobilis — not to be confused with cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) and California bay (Umbellularia californica). cherry laurel is toxic and not culinary — confirm the leaf is true Laurus nobilis before cooking with it.
Recommended Bay Laurel Varieties for New Jersey
New Jersey publishes no state variety trial for bay laurel, so we won't invent a "best for New Jersey" list. Choose types rated to your USDA hardiness zone (6a-8a), and confirm winter survival and drainage against your own parcel.
New Jersey Cooperative Extension
For New Jersey-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for bay laurel, the canonical source is Rutgers Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Bay Laurel in New Jersey
When can I plant Bay Laurel in New Jersey?
New Jersey's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 26 and Apr 4, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 5 and Nov 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Bay Laurel overwinters only from USDA zone 8 and warmer, and New Jersey runs as cold as zone 6, so it does not survive winter in the ground here — the question for New Jersey growers is how to carry it through winter under cover, not which week to plant it.
What hardiness zone is Bay Laurel grown in across New Jersey?
New Jersey spans USDA hardiness zones 6a-8a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Bay Laurel carries a range of zones 8-10, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical New Jersey site have?
A typical New Jersey site sees ~222 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Bay Laurel needs 120+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Morris, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
How should I amend the soil for Bay Laurel in New Jersey?
Bay Laurel tolerates pH 4.5-8.2 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3.7-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a New Jersey site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Bay Laurel actually grow on my specific land in New Jersey?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores bay laurel against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in New Jersey
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores bay laurel against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that New Jersey bay laurel averages can't show:
We read public map data around New Jersey — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the New Jersey bay laurel average
Explore More
Growing guides for bay laurel
Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →
Cite this dataset
Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643
Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643
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