Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
malanga (zones 9-12) does not overlap with New Jersey's zone range (6a-8a). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
One zone short — what would close it
Malanga is hardy to zone 9, and the warmest ground in New Jersey is zone 8 — 1 zone short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a New Jersey winter. To grow it here, grow malanga in a hoop house or unheated greenhouse — its modeled 1.5-zone lift covers this gap.
A hoop house or unheated greenhouse is the lift this needs. How a greenhouse changes what you can grow →
Zone math from 9-12 (plant) against 6-8 (New Jersey). Lift modeled by crop_engine.GREENHOUSE_ZONE_MODIFIER_BY_SUBTYPE['hoop_house'] (+1.5 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Malanga in New Jersey — the short answer
Malanga in New Jersey: hardy in zones 9–12, full sun.
- Plant zones
- 9-12
- Not verified
- New Jersey zones
- 6a-8a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 26 - Apr 4 – Nov 5 - Nov 17
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 196 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
- Days to maturity
- 270 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.
New Jersey spans zones 6a-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 malanga 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
New Jersey is not one climate
New Jersey’s winter-low ladder runs across 21 counties, from zone 6.5 in Morris County to zone 7.5 in Salem County. That is 10°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between malanga overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 21 counties runs 7–7 zones, with a median of 7 zones — a 1-zone span end to end.
Measured across 21 New Jersey 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 Malanga Stands in New Jersey
Malanga is rated for zones 9–12 — a cold floor USDA puts at 20 to 30°F. No New Jersey 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 New Jersey winters, not about malanga.
Below the zone 9 floor
21 counties
- Morris County · zone 6b
- Sussex County · zone 6b
- Warren County · zone 6b
3 of 21 shown
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.
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
Malanga Needs
- USDA Zones: 9-12
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 5 ft tallWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Picking window: ~30 days of harvestWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Drought tolerance: LowWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
New Jersey Has
- USDA Zones: 6a-8a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 26 - Apr 4
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 5 - Nov 17
- Annual Rainfall: 40-50 inches
- Common Soils: Sandy loam (Pine Barrens), Silt loam, Clay
Plant Zone Range (zones 9-12)
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 Malanga in New Jersey
The frost window
Across New Jersey, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 26 and Apr 4, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 5 and Nov 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 215-day window you can count on — up to 236 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
New Jersey runs as cold as USDA zone 6, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for malanga, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether malanga is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within New Jersey; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Morris 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 malanga does not survive a New Jersey 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 Jersey under protection.
Growing degree days
Malanga needs ~4000 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. The state median runs ~3340 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so New Jersey'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
Malanga tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4.5-7.8) — 3.3 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in New Jersey. 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 7 — worth knowing before you decide whether a New Jersey soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your New Jersey 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
Whether malanga is safe to eat from New Jersey soil is a block-by-block question, not a town-wide one — 26,795 documented contamination sites mean levels spike on some parcels and not the one next door. Malanga 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 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. New Jersey soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant malanga 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 malanga goes in. What follows is New Jersey’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 New Jersey — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across New Jersey — 26,795 documented sites across 6 of the 8 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 877 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
New Jersey 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 New Jersey
Severity Distribution
across New Jersey
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around New Jersey, Superfund runs higher than the national average — 877 sites across New Jersey. That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.
Superfund: Superfund sites represent the most severe contamination in the federal system.
Commission professional soil testing before any food production (test for heavy metals, VOCs, and SVOCs).
Sources: EPA, USGS — 950K documented sites tracked nationwide across 8 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Malanga in New Jersey
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but New Jersey growers also need to think about:
Sandy Pine Barrens soils are nutrient-poor
Urban heat island effects in northern NJ
Deer browse is extreme in suburban areas
Growing malanga here specifically
Because you eat the root of malanga that sit in the soil, contamination matters more than for most crops — New Jersey has 26,795 documented sites, and lead concentrates block by block, not town-wide.
Test your soil for lead first, and if the reading is high grow malanga in a raised bed of imported, lab-tested soil, which lowers contact with the ground but does not remove it. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every New Jersey grower, not just malanga — is covered on the New Jersey growing guide.
Timing shifts within New Jersey
New Jersey isn't one climate. In Morris County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 11 — roughly 11 days later than the recorded state median — so plant malanga 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 New Jersey Malanga Is Zone-Hardy
Malanga is rated for USDA zones 9–12. No New Jersey county reaches it. Even Salem County, the state’s mildest winter at zone 7b, sits below the plant’s zone 9 floor — so in open ground this one needs winter protection here, or a container that comes under cover.
Across those 21 counties New Jersey’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 6b in Morris County to zone 7b in Salem County — 1 USDA zone of spread, which is 10°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. None of that range reaches the band malanga needs, so here the statewide answer really is the answer.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. Malanga’s zone 9–12 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 Malanga
Malanga is listed as toxic to dogs, cats (all) at a moderate 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.
New Jersey Cooperative Extension
For New Jersey-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for malanga, the canonical source is Rutgers Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Malanga native to New Jersey?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Malanga as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of New Jersey's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few New Jersey natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
Looking for plants that belong here? The New Jersey growing guide lists plants that USDA PLANTS records growing in New Jersey and that Kew and NatureServe Explorer both list in its native range, leaving out any that NatureServe flags as exotic there or that our audit holds.
State records: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution data (presence, not state-level nativity), accessed 2026-10-19.
Common Questions About Growing Malanga in New Jersey
When can I plant Malanga in New Jersey?
New Jersey's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 26 and Apr 4, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 5 and Nov 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Malanga, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in New Jersey 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 Malanga grown in across New Jersey?
New Jersey spans USDA hardiness zones 6a-8a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Malanga is listed for zones 9-12, which do not overlap them, so there is no zone in New Jersey where this page can call outdoor growing reliable. A parcel report resolves your own address's zone.
How many frost-free days does a typical New Jersey site have?
A typical New Jersey site sees ~222 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Malanga needs 120+ 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 Morris, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Malanga native to New Jersey?
No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Malanga as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of New Jersey's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few New Jersey natives keeps local pollinators fed too.
How should I amend the soil for Malanga in New Jersey?
Malanga tolerates pH 4.5-7.8 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 New Jersey site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Malanga actually grow on my specific land in New Jersey?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores malanga 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 New Jersey
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores malanga against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that New Jersey malanga averages can't show:
We read public map data around New Jersey — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the New Jersey malanga average
Explore More
Growing guides for malanga
Explore New Jersey county by county
New Jersey carries 21 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for malanga there:
Where else malanga grows
Malanga's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to New Jersey 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 New Jersey
New Jersey has a growing page for 1,011 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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