Not Verified — Winters This Mild
Not verified for winters this mild: red pine is listed for zones 3-5 — a growing recommendation, not a heat limit — and we hold no heat rating for it. Rhode Island runs zones 6b-7b, milder than that range, so this page gives no verdict here. The frost window and season figures below are measured for Rhode Island.
Red Pine in Rhode Island — the short answer
Red Pine in Rhode Island: listed for zones 3–5, full sun.
- Plant zones
- 3-5
- Hardy to zone 3a: USDA PLANTS Database lists -43 °F, converted to zone 3a, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: not verified.
- Rhode Island zones
- 6b-7b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 27 - Apr 3 – Nov 7 - Nov 21
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 210 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.
Rhode Island spans zones 6b-7b, 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 red pine against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
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Where Red Pine Stands in Rhode Island
Red Pine is rated for zones 3–5 — a cold floor USDA puts at -40 to -30°F. No Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island winters, not about red pine.
Above the zone 5 ceiling
5 counties
- Kent County · zone 6b
- Providence County · zone 6b
- Bristol County · zone 7a
3 of 5 shown
Warmer than the zone 5 end of its range.
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
Red Pine Needs
- USDA Zones: 3-5
- Sun: Full SunWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Mature size: 80 ft tall
- Drought tolerance: Low
Rhode Island Has
- USDA Zones: 6b-7b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 27 - Apr 3
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 7 - Nov 21
- Annual Rainfall: 44-52 inches
- Common Soils: Glacial till, Sandy loam, Coastal sand
Plant Zone Range (zones 3-5)
Preferred Soil pH
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
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 Red Pine in Rhode Island
The frost window
Across Rhode Island, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 27 and Apr 3, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 7 and Nov 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 218-day window you can count on — up to 239 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
Rhode Island runs as cold as USDA zone 6, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for red pine, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether red pine is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Rhode Island; 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
Chill hours
Red Pine requires ~800 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Rhode Island 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
Red Pine likes near-neutral soil (pH 4.5-6.5). That's the common-ground band across Rhode Island's glacial till and sandy 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 Rhode Island soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Rhode Island site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, a raised bed lifts the roots above wet ground, or work in compost. pH range, preferred pH and drainage need: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
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. Rhode Island soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Red Pine in Rhode Island
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Rhode Island growers also need to think about:
Small lot sizes limit garden space in much of the state
Salt spray affects coastal plantings
Rocky glacial soils need clearing
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Rhode Island grower, not just red pine — is covered on the Rhode Island growing guide.
Where in Rhode Island Red Pine's Listed Zones Fall
Red Pine is rated for USDA zones 3–5. Every Rhode Island county sits above it. Even Kent County, the state’s coldest at zone 6b, is milder than the plant’s zone 5 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. Red Pine’s zone 3–5 band: Hardy to zone 3a: USDA PLANTS Database lists -43 °F, converted to zone 3a, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: not verified.. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Rhode Island Cooperative Extension
For Rhode Island-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for red pine, the canonical source is URI Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Red Pine native to Rhode Island?
The USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) lists Red Pine as native to the Lower 48 and records it growing in Rhode Island, but it does not say whether those Rhode Island 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.
Common Questions About Growing Red Pine in Rhode Island
When can I plant Red Pine in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 27 and Apr 3, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 7 and Nov 21 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Red Pine, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Rhode Island 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 Red Pine grown in across Rhode Island?
Rhode Island spans USDA hardiness zones 6b-7b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Red Pine is listed for zones 3-5, which do not overlap them, so there is no zone in Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island site have?
A typical Rhode Island site sees ~225 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Red Pine needs 365+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date.
Is Red Pine native to Rhode Island?
The USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) lists Red Pine as native to the Lower 48 and records it growing in Rhode Island, but it does not say whether those Rhode Island 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 Red Pine in Rhode Island?
Red Pine prefers pH 4.5-6.5 and well (dry spells) drainage. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. That sits in the common-ground band across Rhode Island soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Red Pine actually grow on my specific land in Rhode Island?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores red pine 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 Rhode Island
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores red pine against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Rhode Island red pine averages can't show:
We read public map data around Rhode Island — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Rhode Island red pine average
Explore More
Growing guides for red pine
Explore Rhode Island county by county
Rhode Island carries 5 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for red pine there:
Where else red pine grows
Red Pine's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island
Rhode Island has a growing page for 882 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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