Skirret is a multi-use herb, valued for its many uses in the garden. It's hardy across USDA zones 5 through 9 and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its summer flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees. As a member of the carrot family, give it a fresh bed each year — away from where its relatives just grew — so the soil-borne pests and diseases of the family never get a foothold.
Skirret — the short answer
Skirret: grown in zones 5–9, part sun, pH 5.5–7.5.
- USDA zones
- 5–9
- 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
- Soil pH
- 5.5–7.5
- FAO ECOCROP
- Sun
- Part Sun
- Growable Ground Plant Database
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Skirret on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether skirret actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score skirret against your land's real conditions.
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What Skirret is
It blooms in summer. It's also well suited to containers.
How to grow Skirret
Skirret grows in USDA zones 5 through 9. Skirret does best in part sun — at least 4 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 7.5, on evenly moist to well-drained ground. It needs a growing season of at least 40 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
5-9
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5.5 - 7.5
FAO ECOCROP
Sun
Part Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
poorly (saturated >50% of year), well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Minimum Growing Temperature
41°F
Below this it stops growing rather than dies — a pace limit, not a survival limit.
FAO ECOCROP
Frost-Free Days
40+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant skirret in part sun with at least 4 hours of direct sun. It grows in the cool halves of the year, so sow it in spring or late summer rather than waiting for midsummer heat.
Match the soil
Skirret prefers pH 5.5 to 7.5 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at its peak
Harvest the part you grow skirret for — flower, leaf, or root — at its seasonal peak.
Where Skirret thrives
Skirret is hardy across USDA zones 5 through 9. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 5–9 spans average winter lows from -20°F to 30°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 25 outright and splits 25 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 5–9·Where Skirret growsOpen map →
Where Skirret stands, state by state
Skirret is rated for zones 5–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -20 to -10°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 25 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 25 more, and 1 sits outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 5–9
25 states
3 of 25 shown
The line runs through
25 states
3 of 25 shown
Skirret’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 5–9
1 state
- North Dakota · zones 3b-4b
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Skirret
Growing guides for skirret
In rotation planning, skirret counts as a Carrot — beds recover best when carrot crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Related plants in herb
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — skirret isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Skirret offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators.
Before you harvest skirret, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant skirret for food. Our free screen reads 9 federal source types across roughly 1.8M indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Skirret's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Skirret will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether skirret actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Skirret
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database•USDA PHZM•ASPCA
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Skirret in my zone?
Skirret grows in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 9 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Skirret?
Skirret is a cool-season crop, so it goes in during the cool halves of the year — early spring, and again in late summer for a fall planting — rather than at the height of summer heat. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Skirret need?
Skirret does well in partial sun — around 4 hours of direct sun, and it takes some afternoon shade in stride. That flexibility makes it a good match for a bed the house or a nearby tree shades for part of the day. A Growable Ground report maps how the sun actually falls on your land, hour by hour, so you can set it where the light lines up.
What soil does Skirret need?
Skirret prefers soil pH 5.5 to 7.5, on evenly moist to well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Skirret attract pollinators?
Yes — skirret's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees.
Is Skirret safe for pets?
Skirret is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)