Yes — Strong Match
lettuce (zones 2-11) covers every zone Pennsylvania contains (5b-8a), so hardiness is not what limits it anywhere in the state.
Lettuce in Pennsylvania — the short answer
Lettuce in Pennsylvania: hardy in zones 2–11, part sun, against a state median of ~197 frost-free days.
- Plant zones
- 2-11
- 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
- Pennsylvania zones
- 5b-8a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Apr 6 - Apr 24 – Oct 25 - Nov 3
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 160 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
- Days to maturity
- 55 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.
Lettuce is grown as an annual, so your winter zone isn't the deciding factor — your frost-free window is. A typical Pennsylvania site runs ~197 frost-free days, but that is a state median, not your yard: slope, trees, and low spots move the last-frost date across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score lettuce against your land's actual frost dates, sun, and soil.
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
Pennsylvania is not one climate
Pennsylvania’s winter-low ladder runs across 67 counties, from zone 5.5 in Cambria County to zone 7.5 in Philadelphia County. That is 20°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between lettuce overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 67 counties runs 6–7 zones, with a median of 6.5 zones — a 2-zone span end to end.
Measured across 67 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Fits Best
Even within Pennsylvania's zones 5b-8a, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for lettuce (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Lettuce Needs
- USDA Zones: 2-11
- Frost-Free Days: 35+
- Sun: Part Sun
- Mature size: 1 ft tall
- Picking window: ~18 days of harvest
- Drought tolerance: Low
Pennsylvania Has
- USDA Zones: 5b-8a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Apr 6 - Apr 24
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 25 - Nov 3
- Annual Rainfall: 36-48 inches
- Common Soils: Silt loam, Shale-derived, Limestone-derived
Plant Zone Range (zones 2-11)
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 Lettuce in Pennsylvania
The frost window
Across Pennsylvania, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 6 and Apr 24, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 25 and Nov 3 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 184-day window you can count on — up to 211 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.
Frost tenderness
Lettuce is frost-tender — FAO ECOCROP puts its killing temperature at 32°F — so set plants out two to three weeks PAST your local last hard freeze, not on it and not on the state's earliest date. The 28°F marker above is when killing freezes stop, not when light frost does. That is the point where cold damages growing tissue, not a winter-survival floor — an established perennial comes through far colder while dormant, which is what its hardiness zone tells you.
When to start the seed
Those dates are when lettuce goes out, not when it starts. It is sown under cover about 4 weeks ahead, so counting back from Pennsylvania's late-side last freeze of Apr 24 is what fixes your sowing date — and a yard that clears frost earlier than the state's late date starts earlier still.
Days to maturity vs. the window
At 55 days to maturity (Growable Ground Plant Database), counting from the last hard freeze it ripens with 129 days to spare even in Pennsylvania's tightest freeze scenario — room for a later start or a second sowing.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Potter 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 lettuce survives winter here. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Frost-free days
Lettuce wants 35+ frost-free days; a typical Pennsylvania site sees ~197 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.
Growing degree days
Lettuce needs ~1100 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. The state median runs ~2447 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Pennsylvania'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
Lettuce tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.2-7.5) — 3.3 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Pennsylvania. 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 6 and 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Pennsylvania soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Pennsylvania 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 lettuce is safe to eat from Pennsylvania soil is a block-by-block question, not a town-wide one — 68,671 documented contamination sites mean levels spike on some parcels and not the one next door. Lettuce roots to about 7 inches, so it is the top 7 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 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. Pennsylvania soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant lettuce 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 lettuce goes in. What follows is Pennsylvania’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 Pennsylvania — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Pennsylvania — 68,671 documented sites across 8 of the 9 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 393 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Pennsylvania 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.
Sources Checked
across Pennsylvania
Severity Distribution
across Pennsylvania
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around Pennsylvania, CAFO runs higher than the national average — 642 sites across Pennsylvania. Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.
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 — 1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Lettuce in Pennsylvania
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Pennsylvania growers also need to think about:
Rocky shale soils in the ridge-and-valley region
Short mountain seasons in the Poconos and Alleghenies
Deer pressure is among the highest in the US
Growing lettuce here specifically
Lettuce grows its edible leaves in the soil itself, so on any of Pennsylvania's 68,671 documented contamination sites it can carry up lead you'd then eat.
Keep lettuce 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 Pennsylvania grower, not just lettuce — is covered on the Pennsylvania growing guide.
Timing shifts within Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania isn't one climate. In Potter County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about May 5 — roughly 21 days later than the recorded state median — so plant lettuce to your county's window, not the statewide date.
Lettuce needs about 35 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Potter County — Pennsylvania’s shortest season at 160 frost-free days — clears that by 125 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Pennsylvania. What varies is your own parcel.
Across Pennsylvania’s 67 counties the frost-free season runs from 160 days in Potter County to 250 days in Philadelphia County — a spread of 90 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Pennsylvania county sees 197 frost-free days, leaving lettuce about 162 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"). Lettuce's 35-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Pennsylvania Cooperative Extension
For Pennsylvania-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for lettuce, the canonical source is Penn State Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Lettuce native to Pennsylvania?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Lettuce as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Pennsylvania's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Pennsylvania natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The Pennsylvania 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 Lettuce in Pennsylvania
When can I plant Lettuce in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Apr 6 and Apr 24, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 25 and Nov 3 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Lettuce is frost-tender — its killing temperature is 32°F (FAO ECOCROP — the point where cold damages growing tissue, not a winter-survival floor) — so wait two to three weeks past your site's last hard freeze, when light frost has also stopped, before planting out.
Can Lettuce mature before first frost in Pennsylvania?
Yes — Lettuce matures in 55 days (Growable Ground Plant Database), and Pennsylvania's dependable hard-freeze-free window runs 184 days (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020), leaving 129 days of margin. Plant once the last hard freeze has passed — two to three weeks later for anything tender — and it ripens ahead of the first fall freeze.
What hardiness zone is Lettuce grown in across Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-8a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Lettuce carries a range of zones 2-11, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Pennsylvania site have?
A typical Pennsylvania site sees ~197 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Lettuce needs 35+ 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 Potter, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Lettuce native to Pennsylvania?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Lettuce as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Pennsylvania's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Pennsylvania natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Lettuce in Pennsylvania?
Lettuce tolerates pH 4.2-7.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3.3-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Pennsylvania site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Lettuce actually grow on my specific land in Pennsylvania?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores lettuce 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 Pennsylvania
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores lettuce against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Pennsylvania lettuce averages can't show:
We read public map data around Pennsylvania — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Pennsylvania lettuce average
Explore More
Growing guides for lettuce
Explore Pennsylvania county by county
Pennsylvania carries 67 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for lettuce there:
Where else lettuce grows
Lettuce's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has a growing page for 893 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
Last updated: