Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
cassava (zones 8-12) does not overlap with New York's zone range (4a-7b). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
One zone short — what would close it
Cassava is hardy to zone 8, and the warmest ground in New York is zone 7 — 1 zone short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a New York winter. To grow it here, grow cassava in a container and move it under cover for the coldest weeks, or give it a greenhouse.
Season extension and overwintering under cover both work at this margin. How to buy the weeks →
Zone math from 8-12 (plant) against 3-7 (New York). Lift modeled by crop_engine Sprint 20B effective_zone_modifier (+2 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
New York spans zones 4a-7b, 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 cassava against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Zone Comparison
Cassava Needs
- USDA Zones: 8-12
- Frost-Free Days: 180+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 8 ft tall
- Picking window: ~30 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: Low
New York Has
- USDA Zones: 4a-7b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 13 - Apr 29
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 18 - Nov 5
- Annual Rainfall: 30-50 inches
- Common Soils: Glacial till, Silt loam, Clay loam
Plant Zone Range (zones 8-12)
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 Cassava in New York
The frost window
Across New York, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 13 and Apr 29, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 18 and Nov 5 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 172-day window you can count on — up to 206 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
Cassava overwinters from USDA zone 10 and warmer (NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder), and New York runs as cold as zone 4, 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 York — 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 — Hamilton 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 cassava does not survive a New York winter in the ground. The season figures below measure a different question — whether it could finish a season here at all — and they only bear on New York under protection.
Frost-free days
Cassava wants 180+ frost-free days; a typical New York site sees ~185 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves a tight window — use transplants and pick early-maturing cultivars.
Growing degree days
Cassava needs ~4000 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. The state median runs ~2042 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so New York's typical season runs short on heat — pick a south-facing site and consider season extension.
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
Cassava tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4-9) — 5 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in New York. 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 8 — worth knowing before you decide whether a New York soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your New York site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
Your land, not the state average
Whether cassava is safe to eat from New York soil is a block-by-block question, not a town-wide one — 75,562 documented contamination sites mean levels spike on some parcels and not the one next door. Cassava roots to about 19 inches, so it is the top 19 inches under your address that decide what it takes up, so only a test on your address settles it.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO + EPA/state contamination databases.
Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. New York soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Cassava in New York — Quick Answer
- Verdict: Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
- Plant Zones: 8-12 (USDA PLANTS Database)
- State Zones: 4a-7b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
- Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Apr 13 - Apr 29 to Oct 18 - Nov 5 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)
- Days to Maturity: 270 days
What Else to Consider for Cassava in New York
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but New York growers also need to think about:
Short upstate growing season (100-140 frost-free days in Adirondacks)
Heavy clay soils in western NY require drainage improvement
Late spring frosts through May in higher elevations
Deer browse pressure is heavy in suburban and rural areas
Growing cassava here specifically
Cassava grows its edible root in the soil itself, so on any of New York's 75,562 documented contamination sites it can carry up lead you'd then eat.
Keep cassava in raised beds of screened clean soil and confirm your parcel's lead level before the first crop. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every New York grower, not just cassava — is covered on the New York growing guide.
Timing shifts within New York
New York isn't one climate. In Hamilton County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about May 19 — roughly 27 days later than the recorded state median — so plant cassava to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Cassava needs about 180 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. 38 of New York’s 62 counties give it that outright. The tightest that does is Lewis County at 180 frost-free days — 0 to spare. Below that line you are transplanting or extending the season, not direct-sowing.
Across New York’s 62 counties the frost-free season runs from 136 days in Hamilton County to 258 days in New York County — a spread of 122 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median New York county sees 185 frost-free days, leaving cassava about 5 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.
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"). Cassava's 180-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
Cassava draws honeybees (low value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, cassava can only work that bloom inside New York's frost window — roughly 185 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Apr 13 - Apr 29) and closing at the first (Oct 18 - Nov 5), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Good to Know Before You Plant Cassava
Cassava is listed as toxic to dogs, cats (all) at a severe level (Cornell). Most listed plants only cause brief upset — a raised bed or a fenced corner usually keeps curious pets clear. Worth knowing for placement: cassava is woody and hardy only from zone 10, against a New York low of zone 4, so it is overwintered under cover here rather than left standing outside — which is where it will be in reach.
New York Cooperative Extension
For New York-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for cassava, the canonical source is Cornell Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Cassava native to New York?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Cassava as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of New York's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few New York natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The New York growing guide lists USDA-documented natives for the state.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
Common Questions About Growing Cassava in New York
When can I plant Cassava in New York?
New York's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 13 and Apr 29, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 18 and Nov 5 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Cassava overwinters only from USDA zone 10 and warmer, and New York runs as cold as zone 4, so it does not survive winter in the ground here — the question for New York growers is how to carry it through winter under cover, not which week to plant it.
What hardiness zone is Cassava grown in across New York?
New York spans USDA hardiness zones 4a-7b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Cassava carries a range of zones 8-12, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical New York site have?
A typical New York site sees ~185 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Cassava needs 180+ 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 Hamilton, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Cassava native to New York?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Cassava as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of New York's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few New York natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Cassava in New York?
Cassava tolerates pH 4-9 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 5-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a New York site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Cassava actually grow on my specific land in New York?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores cassava 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 York
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores cassava against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that New York cassava averages can't show:
We read public map data around New York — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the New York cassava average
Explore More
Growing guides for cassava
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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