Generally — Most Areas
Concord grape (zones 4-8) suits most of Alabama (7b-9b) — zones 7-8 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Concord Grape in Alabama — the short answer
Concord Grape in Alabama: hardy in zones 4–8, full sun.
- Plant zones
- 4-8
- Not verified
- Alabama zones
- 7b-9b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Feb 24 - Mar 16 – Nov 15 - Nov 28
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 225 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
- To first harvest
- ~3 years
- Growable Ground Plant Database
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.
Alabama spans zones 7b-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 concord grape 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
Alabama is not one climate
Alabama’s winter-low ladder runs across 67 counties, from zone 7.5 in Jackson County to zone 9 in Mobile County. That is 15°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between concord grape overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 67 counties runs 8–8.5 zones, with a median of 8.5 zones — a 1.5-zone span end to end.
Measured across 67 Alabama 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 Alabama Fits Best
Concord Grape is rated for zones 4–8 — a cold floor USDA puts at -30 to -20°F. Against Alabama’s 67 counties that band holds in 33 of them, and the line runs at Jackson County (zone 7b), the coldest county still inside it.
Inside zones 4–8
33 counties
- Lauderdale County · zone 7b
- Marion County · zone 7b
- Winston County · zone 7b
3 of 33 shown
Above the zone 8 ceiling
34 counties
- Autauga County · zone 8b
- Barbour County · zone 8b
- Bullock County · zone 8b
3 of 34 shown
Too little winter chill rather than too much cold — a low-chill selection is what changes it.
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 Alabama's zones 7b-9b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for concord grape (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Concord Grape Needs
- USDA Zones: 4-8
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 20 ft tall
- Picking window: ~45 days of harvestWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Drought tolerance: MediumWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Alabama Has
- USDA Zones: 7b-9b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Feb 24 - Mar 16
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 15 - Nov 28
- Annual Rainfall: 50-65 inches
- Common Soils: Red clay, Sandy loam, Alluvial
Plant Zone Range (zones 4-8)
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 Concord Grape in Alabama
The frost window
Across Alabama, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 24 and Mar 16, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 15 and Nov 28 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 244-day window you can count on — up to 277 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
Alabama runs as cold as USDA zone 7, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for concord grape, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether concord grape is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Alabama; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Marion County, not the statewide average.
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.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says concord grape survives winter in part of Alabama, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Growing degree days
Concord Grape needs ~2200 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. The state median runs ~5383 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Alabama's typical season clears that easily.
Chill hours
Concord Grape requires ~600 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Alabama typically banks ~1226 chill hours per winter (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), which keeps this plant on track.
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
Concord Grape likes near-neutral soil (pH 4.9-7.5). That's the common-ground band across Alabama's red clay and sandy loam — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 6 and 6.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Alabama soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Alabama site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, a raised bed lifts the roots above wet ground, or work in compost.
Your land, not the state average
SSURGO maps about 14.1% of Alabama as poorly or somewhat-poorly drained, and the class flips parcel to parcel. Concord Grape 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 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. Alabama soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant concord grape 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 concord grape goes in. What follows is Alabama’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 Alabama — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Alabama — 20,346 documented sites across 7 of the 8 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 327 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Alabama 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 Alabama
Severity Distribution
across Alabama
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around Alabama, CAFO runs higher than the national average — 1,551 sites across Alabama. That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.
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 Concord Grape in Alabama
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Alabama growers also need to think about:
Heavy clay soils in the Piedmont region
High humidity promotes fungal diseases
Fire ants are a persistent garden pest
Growing concord grape here specifically
Concord Grape rates to USDA zones 4–8 and takes frost damage on growing tissue around 32°F (FAO ECOCROP), but cold isn't the risk in Alabama — wet is: with roughly 14.1% of its soils poorly-drained (SSURGO), soggy ground rots the crown.
Give concord grape a raised bed or mounded row with coarse amendment so its crown never sit wet. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Alabama grower, not just concord grape — is covered on the Alabama growing guide.
Timing shifts within Alabama
Alabama isn't one climate. In Marion County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Mar 28 — roughly 26 days later than the recorded state median — so plant concord grape to your county's window, not the statewide date.
County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Where in Alabama Concord Grape Is Zone-Hardy
Concord Grape is rated for USDA zones 4–8. 33 of Alabama’s 67 counties fall inside that band. The coldest that does is Jackson County at zone 7b. 34 counties sit above its zone 8 ceiling, where the limit is too little winter chill rather than too much cold. Where you are in Alabama decides this one.
Across those 67 counties Alabama’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 7b in Jackson County to zone 9a in Mobile 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. Marion County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about Mar 28, while Mobile County is clear by Feb 9 — 47 days apart. Set concord grape 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". Concord Grape’s zone 4–8 band: Not verified. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Good to Know Before You Plant Concord Grape
Concord Grape is listed as toxic to dogs (fruit) at a severe level. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Most listed plants only cause brief upset — a raised bed or a fenced corner usually keeps curious pets clear.
Alabama Cooperative Extension
For Alabama-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for concord grape, the canonical source is Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Concord Grape native to Alabama?
The USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) lists Concord Grape as native to the Lower 48 and records it growing in Alabama, but it does not say whether those Alabama plants are native or introduced. Your state's native plant society or Cooperative Extension can tell you whether it is part of the local flora.
State records: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution data (presence, not state-level nativity), accessed 2026-10-19.
What pests threaten concord grape in Alabama?
Japanese beetle is documented in Alabama and will find concord grape, but it is manageable here. What an experienced grower watches for, and does:
Japanese beetle
Worth watchingdocumented in part of this stateThis is on the University of Minnesota's list of Japanese beetle preferred plants — but their read is that fruits, vegetables and herbs tolerate limited leaf feeding, and that in most cases the damage is cosmetic and will not kill the plant.
What to do: Protect it only through the few peak weeks: handpick into soapy water in the cool of morning, harvest regularly through July and August to take the feeding pressure off the edible parts, and keep the plant well watered — a vigorous plant outgrows feeding that looks worse than it is. Do not hang a beetle trap.
Documented range: states listed as Japanese-beetle infested · University of Minnesota Extension, National Plant Board
Only pests whose documented range and host relationship both trace to a primary source appear here — so a quiet section means we have nothing sourced to tell you, not that your garden is pest-free.
Common Questions About Growing Concord Grape in Alabama
When can I plant Concord Grape in Alabama?
Alabama's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Feb 24 and Mar 16, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 15 and Nov 28 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Concord Grape, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Alabama 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 Concord Grape grown in across Alabama?
Alabama spans USDA hardiness zones 7b-9b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Concord Grape carries a range of zones 4-8, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Alabama site have?
A typical Alabama site sees ~266 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Concord Grape needs 150+ 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 Marion, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Concord Grape native to Alabama?
The USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) lists Concord Grape as native to the Lower 48 and records it growing in Alabama, but it does not say whether those Alabama plants are native or introduced. Your state's native plant society or Cooperative Extension can tell you whether it is part of the local flora.
How should I amend the soil for Concord Grape in Alabama?
Concord Grape prefers pH 4.9-7.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Alabama soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Concord Grape actually grow on my specific land in Alabama?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores concord grape 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 Alabama
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores concord grape against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Alabama concord grape averages can't show:
We read public map data around Alabama — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Alabama concord grape average
Explore More
Growing guides for concord grape
Explore Alabama county by county
Alabama carries 67 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for concord grape there:
Where else concord grape grows
Concord Grape's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Alabama 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 Alabama
Alabama has a growing page for 1,029 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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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