Generally — Most Areas
cranberry (zones 2-7) suits most of Virginia (5b-8b) — zones 5-7 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Cranberry in Virginia — the short answer
Cranberry in Virginia: hardy in zones 2–7, full sun, against a state median of ~224 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 2-7
- 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
- Virginia zones
- 5b-8b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 22 - Apr 2 – Nov 2 - Nov 17
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 176 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
- Days to maturity
- 1095 days
- 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.
Virginia spans zones 5b-8b, 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 cranberry 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 full report in seconds
Virginia is not one climate
Virginia’s winter-low ladder runs across 133 counties, from zone 6 in Highland County to zone 8.5 in York County. That is 25°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between cranberry overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 133 counties runs 7–7.5 zones, with a median of 7.5 zones — a 2.5-zone span end to end.
Measured across 133 Virginia 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 Virginia Fits Best
Cranberry is rated for zones 2–7 — a cold floor USDA puts at -50 to -40°F. Against Virginia’s 133 counties that band holds in 59 of them, and the line runs at Highland County (zone 6a), the coldest county still inside it.
Inside zones 2–7
59 counties
- Bath County · zone 6b
- Bland County · zone 6b
- Dickenson County · zone 6b
3 of 59 shown
Above the zone 7 ceiling
74 counties
- Albemarle County · zone 7b
- Amelia County · zone 7b
- Amherst County · zone 7b
3 of 74 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 Virginia's zones 5b-8b, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for cranberry (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Cranberry Needs
- USDA Zones: 2-7
- Frost-Free Days: 100+
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 6 in tall
- Picking window: ~28 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: Low
Virginia Has
- USDA Zones: 5b-8b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 22 - Apr 2
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 2 - Nov 17
- Annual Rainfall: 36-50 inches
- Common Soils: Red clay (Piedmont), Silt loam, Sandy loam (Tidewater)
Plant Zone Range (zones 2-7)
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 Cranberry in Virginia
The frost window
Across Virginia, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 22 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 2 and Nov 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 214-day window you can count on — up to 240 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
Virginia runs as cold as USDA zone 5, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for cranberry, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether cranberry is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Virginia; 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.
Growing Season Fit
The zone check says cranberry survives winter in part of Virginia, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
Cranberry wants 100+ frost-free days; a typical Virginia site sees ~224 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
Growing degree days
Cranberry needs ~1500 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. The state median runs ~3662 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Virginia's typical season clears that easily.
Chill hours
Cranberry requires ~1000 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Virginia typically banks ~2477 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
Cranberry likes near-neutral soil (pH 4.5-6). That's the common-ground band across Virginia's red clay (piedmont) and silt loam — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 5 and 5.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Virginia soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Virginia site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.
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. Virginia soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant cranberry 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 cranberry goes in. What follows is Virginia’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 Virginia — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Virginia — 37,636 documented sites across 8 of the 9 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 164 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Virginia 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 with clean imported soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Severity Distribution
across Virginia
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around Virginia, Underground Storage Tanks runs higher than the national average — 24,515 sites across Virginia. That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.
Underground Storage Tanks: Underground storage tanks are the single most common source of soil contamination near homes and gardens.
Use raised beds with imported soil — this eliminates the primary soil-contact pathway.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Cranberry in Virginia
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Virginia growers also need to think about:
Heavy Piedmont red clay requires amendment
Humidity and heat in summer promote disease
Deer pressure is heavy in suburban and rural areas
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Virginia grower, not just cranberry — is covered on the Virginia growing guide.
Timing shifts within Virginia
Cranberry needs about 100 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Highland County — Virginia’s shortest season at 176 frost-free days — clears that by 76 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Virginia. What varies is your own parcel.
Across Virginia’s 133 counties the frost-free season runs from 176 days in Highland County to 289 days in Hampton County — a spread of 113 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Virginia county sees 224 frost-free days, leaving cranberry about 124 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"). Cranberry's 100-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
Cranberry draws honeybees and native bees (high value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, cranberry can only work that bloom inside Virginia's frost window — roughly 224 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 22 - Apr 2) and closing at the first (Nov 2 - Nov 17), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Virginia Cooperative Extension
For Virginia-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for cranberry, the canonical source is Virginia Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Cranberry native to Virginia?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents Cranberry as native to Virginia. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.
Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.
Common Questions About Growing Cranberry in Virginia
When can I plant Cranberry in Virginia?
Virginia's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 22 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 2 and Nov 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Cranberry, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Virginia 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 Cranberry grown in across Virginia?
Virginia spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-8b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Cranberry carries a range of zones 2-7, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Virginia site have?
A typical Virginia site sees ~224 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Cranberry needs 100+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Cranberry native to Virginia?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents Cranberry as native to Virginia. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.
How should I amend the soil for Cranberry in Virginia?
Cranberry prefers pH 4.5-6 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Virginia soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Cranberry actually grow on my specific land in Virginia?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores cranberry 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 Virginia
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores cranberry against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Virginia cranberry averages can't show:
We read public map data around Virginia — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Virginia cranberry average
Explore More
Growing guides for cranberry
Last updated: