Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
stevia (zones 10-11) does not overlap with Virginia's zone range (5b-8b). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.
2 zones short — what would close it
Stevia is hardy to zone 10, and the warmest ground in Virginia is zone 8 — 2 zones short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Virginia winter. To grow it here, grow stevia in an earth-sheltered greenhouse — its modeled 2.5-zone lift covers this gap.
An earth-sheltered greenhouse is the lift this needs. How a greenhouse changes what you can grow →
Zone math from 10-11 (plant) against 6-8 (Virginia). Lift modeled by crop_engine.GREENHOUSE_ZONE_MODIFIER_BY_SUBTYPE['earth_sheltered'] (+2.5 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.
Stevia in Virginia — the short answer
Stevia in Virginia: hardy in zones 10–11, full sun.
- Plant zones
- 10-11
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Virginia zones
- 5b-8b
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 22 - Apr 2 – Nov 2 - Nov 17
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 176 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
- Days to maturity
- 90 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.
Virginia spans zones 5b-8b, 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 stevia 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
Virginia is not one climate
Virginia’s winter-low ladder runs across 133 counties, from zone 6 in Highland County to zone 8.5 in York County. That is 25°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between stevia overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 133 counties runs 7–7.5 zones, with a median of 7.5 zones — a 2.5-zone span end to end.
Measured across 133 Virginia 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 Stevia Stands in Virginia
Stevia is rated for zones 10–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at 30 to 40°F. No Virginia 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 Virginia winters, not about stevia.
Below the zone 10 floor
133 counties
- Highland County · zone 6a
- Bath County · zone 6b
- Bland County · zone 6b
3 of 133 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
Stevia Needs
- USDA Zones: 10-11
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 2 ft tallWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Picking window: ~120 days of harvestWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Drought tolerance: LowWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Virginia Has
- USDA Zones: 5b-8b
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 22 - Apr 2
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 2 - Nov 17
- Annual Rainfall: 36-50 inches
- Common Soils: Red clay (Piedmont), Silt loam, Sandy loam (Tidewater)
Plant Zone Range (zones 10-11)
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 Stevia in Virginia
The frost window
Across Virginia, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 22 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 2 and Nov 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 214-day window you can count on — up to 240 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
Stevia 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 stevia goes out, not when it starts. It is sown under cover about 8 weeks ahead, so counting back from Virginia's late-side last freeze of Apr 2 is what fixes your sowing date — and a yard that clears frost earlier than the state's late date starts earlier still.
Grown as an annual here
Stevia is a true perennial in its home range — it overwinters from USDA zone 10 and warmer (NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox) — but Virginia runs as cold as zone 5, so it is killed back each winter and replanted each spring. Treat it on the season schedule above, not as a permanent planting: there is no fall establishment window for it here.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Highland 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 stevia does not survive a Virginia 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 Virginia under protection.
Growing degree days
Stevia needs ~2000 GDD (base 50°F) to ripen. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. The state median runs ~3662 GDD (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), so Virginia'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
Stevia tolerates a wide pH range (pH 4-7.5) — 3.5 units, acid ground through alkaline — so soil acidity is rarely what limits it in Virginia. 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 and 6.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Virginia soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants well (dry spells). If your Virginia 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
Virginia's soils run mostly fine sandy loam, but SSURGO maps the series, texture, and drainage under your exact parcel. Stevia needs about 7 inches of workable depth, so it is that horizon — not the surface — you are testing for. That map unit, not the state average, decides how stevia performs.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
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. Virginia soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
Before you plant stevia 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 stevia goes in. What follows is Virginia’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 Virginia — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Virginia — 27,591 documented sites across 7 of the 8 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 164 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Virginia 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 Virginia
Severity Distribution
across Virginia
Highest-Severity Sites
Know Before You Grow
- •Underground tanks leak petroleum as they age — near a former filling station, test the soil.
- •TRI facilities report what they release. Check the wind — downwind beds catch more of it.
- •Near a brownfield, a raised bed of imported, lab-tested soil lowers contact with the ground; it does not remove it.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 950K documented sites tracked nationwide across 8 federal source types.
What Else to Consider for Stevia in Virginia
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Virginia growers also need to think about:
Heavy Piedmont red clay requires amendment
Humidity and heat in summer promote disease
Deer pressure is heavy in suburban and rural areas
Growing stevia here specifically
Virginia's soils run mostly fine sandy loam (Ultisols), and whether that suits stevia's pH 4.0–7.5 preference comes down to your exact parcel, not the statewide picture.
Pull your parcel's SSURGO map unit, test pH, and amend toward stevia's 4.0–7.5 target before planting. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Virginia grower, not just stevia — is covered on the Virginia growing guide.
Timing shifts within Virginia
Virginia isn't one climate. In Highland County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 27 — roughly 30 days later than the recorded state median — so plant stevia 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 Virginia Stevia Is Zone-Hardy
Stevia is rated for USDA zones 10–11. No Virginia county reaches it. Even York County, the state’s mildest winter at zone 8b, sits below the plant’s zone 10 floor — so in open ground this one needs winter protection here, or a container that comes under cover.
Across those 133 counties Virginia’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 6a in Highland County to zone 8b in York County — 2.5 USDA zones of spread, which is 25°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. None of that range reaches the band stevia needs, so here the statewide answer really is the answer.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. Stevia’s zone 10–11 band: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Pollinator + Wildlife Value
Stevia draws honeybees and native bees (low value). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, stevia can only work that bloom inside Virginia's frost window — roughly 224 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 22 - Apr 2) and closing at the first (Nov 2 - Nov 17), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Pollinator value: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Good to Know Before You Plant Stevia
Listed as non-toxic to dogs and cats by a source we can't cite. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Recommended Stevia Varieties for Virginia
Virginia publishes no state variety trial for stevia, so we won't invent a "best for Virginia" list. Choose types rated to your USDA hardiness zone (5b-8b), and confirm winter survival and drainage against your own parcel.
Virginia Cooperative Extension
For Virginia-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for stevia, the canonical source is Virginia Cooperative Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Common Questions About Growing Stevia in Virginia
When can I plant Stevia in Virginia?
Virginia's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 22 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 2 and Nov 17 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Stevia overwinters only from USDA zone 10 and warmer, and Virginia runs as cold as zone 5, so it is grown as an annual here — plant it after the last hard freeze, two to three weeks later for tender stock, and expect to replant next spring rather than establishing it for the long term.
What hardiness zone is Stevia grown in across Virginia?
Virginia spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-8b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Stevia is listed for zones 10-11, which do not overlap them, so there is no zone in Virginia 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 Virginia site have?
A typical Virginia site sees ~224 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Stevia needs 55+ 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 Highland, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
How should I amend the soil for Stevia in Virginia?
Stevia tolerates pH 4-7.5 and well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). That is a 3.5-unit span, acid ground through alkaline, so pH is rarely what limits this plant on a Virginia site — amend for drainage and organic matter first.
Will Stevia actually grow on my specific land in Virginia?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores stevia 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 Virginia
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores stevia against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Virginia stevia averages can't show:
We read public map data around Virginia — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Virginia stevia average
Explore More
Growing guides for stevia
Explore Virginia county by county
Virginia carries 133 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for stevia there:
Where else stevia grows
Stevia's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Virginia 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 Virginia
Virginia 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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