Generally — Most Areas
kinnikinnick (zones 3-7) suits most of Delaware (7a-8a) — zone 7 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Kinnikinnick in Delaware — the short answer
Kinnikinnick in Delaware: hardy in zones 3–7, full sun, against a state median of ~241 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 3-7
- 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
- Delaware zones
- 7a-8a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 23 - Mar 23 – Nov 17 - Nov 19
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 238 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
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.
Delaware spans zones 7a-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 kinnikinnick against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Where Kinnikinnick Stands in Delaware
Kinnikinnick is rated for zones 3–7 — a cold floor USDA puts at -40 to -30°F. No Delaware county sits inside it, so in open ground this is a grown-under-cover plant here rather than a bed plant — which is a statement about Delaware winters, not about kinnikinnick.
Above the zone 7 ceiling
3 counties
- Kent County · zone 7b
- New Castle County · zone 7b
- Sussex County · zone 7b
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.
Zone Comparison
Kinnikinnick Needs
- USDA Zones: 3-7
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 6 in tall
- Drought tolerance: High
Delaware Has
- USDA Zones: 7a-8a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 23 - Mar 23
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 17 - Nov 19
- Annual Rainfall: 42-48 inches
- Common Soils: Sandy loam, Silt loam, Tidal marsh
Plant Zone Range (zones 3-7)
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 Kinnikinnick in Delaware
The frost window
Across Delaware, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 23 and Mar 23, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 17 and Nov 19 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 239-day window you can count on — up to 241 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
Delaware runs as cold as USDA zone 7, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for kinnikinnick, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether kinnikinnick is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Delaware; 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 kinnikinnick survives winter in part of Delaware, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Chill hours
Kinnikinnick requires ~800 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Delaware typically banks ~2500 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
Kinnikinnick likes near-neutral soil (pH 5.5-8). That's the common-ground band across Delaware's sandy loam and silt loam — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 4.5 and 5.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Delaware soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage requirement: excessive (dry/moderately dry). A soil-survey lookup (NRCS SSURGO) flags whether your specific site matches.
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. Delaware soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Kinnikinnick in Delaware
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Delaware growers also need to think about:
Sandy soils in southern DE drain too quickly
Salt spray damage near the coast
Rising water tables in low-lying areas
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Delaware grower, not just kinnikinnick — is covered on the Delaware growing guide.
Where in Delaware Kinnikinnick Is Zone-Hardy
Kinnikinnick is rated for USDA zones 3–7. Every Delaware county sits above it. Even Kent County, the state’s coldest at zone 7b, is milder than the plant’s zone 7 ceiling — the constraint here is winter chill it will not get, not cold it cannot take.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. Kinnikinnick’s zone 3–7 band: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Kinnikinnick draws native bees (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, kinnikinnick can only work that bloom inside Delaware's frost window — roughly 241 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 23 - Mar 23) and closing at the first (Nov 17 - Nov 19), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.
Delaware Cooperative Extension
For Delaware-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for kinnikinnick, the canonical source is University of Delaware Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Kinnikinnick native to Delaware?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents Kinnikinnick as native to Delaware. 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 Kinnikinnick in Delaware
When can I plant Kinnikinnick in Delaware?
Delaware's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 23 and Mar 23, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 17 and Nov 19 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Kinnikinnick, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Delaware 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 Kinnikinnick grown in across Delaware?
Delaware spans USDA hardiness zones 7a-8a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Kinnikinnick carries a range of zones 3-7, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Delaware site have?
A typical Delaware site sees ~241 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Kinnikinnick should be matched against that window, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Kinnikinnick native to Delaware?
Yes — the USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-07-01) documents Kinnikinnick as native to Delaware. Planting it supports the pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.
How should I amend the soil for Kinnikinnick in Delaware?
Kinnikinnick prefers pH 5.5-8 and excessive (dry/moderately dry) drainage (USDA PLANTS). That sits in the common-ground band across Delaware soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Kinnikinnick actually grow on my specific land in Delaware?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores kinnikinnick 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 Delaware
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores kinnikinnick against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Delaware kinnikinnick averages can't show:
We read public map data around Delaware — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Delaware kinnikinnick average
Explore More
Growing guides for kinnikinnick
Explore Delaware county by county
Delaware carries 3 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for kinnikinnick there:
Where else kinnikinnick grows
Kinnikinnick's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Delaware 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 Delaware
Delaware has a growing page for 1,013 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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