Growing Guide
What Can You Actually Grow on Your Land?
Sources: USDA SSURGO, NOAA NCEI, USGS 3DEP, EPA FRS, PRISM Climate Group, USDA PHZM 2023
Species Scored
1,112
USDA PLANTS database
Constraint Checks
10 per plant
Compound constraint model
Grower Personas
6 specialized
Vegetable to Permaculture
Why your hardiness zone isn't enough
USDA hardiness zones tell you one thing: the average annual extreme minimum temperature at your location. That's useful for knowing which perennials can survive winter, but it says nothing about whether a plant will actually thrive during the growing season.
A tomato rated for Zone 6 can still fail if your soil pH is 8.2 (locking out iron and phosphorus), your yard gets 3 hours of direct sun (tomatoes need 6-8), or your parcel sits in a FEMA 100-year flood zone with poorly drained clay soil.
Zone alone misses roughly 80% of the picture. The remaining factors — soil chemistry, sun exposure, frost timing, drainage, precipitation, growing degree days, chill hours, and environmental contamination — interact as compound constraints. A plant must pass all of them, not just average across them.
Find out what grows on YOUR land
Enter your address to score 1,112 plants against your soil, sun, frost, and drainage data.
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
The 10 factors that determine plant success
Growable Ground scores every plant in our 1,112 species database against these 10 site-specific constraints, all measured from federal data sources for your exact parcel:
USDA PHZM 2023
Can the plant survive your coldest winter? The baseline filter.
PRISM Climate Group
Does your growing season accumulate enough heat for the plant to mature?
NOAA NCEI
Do fruit trees and perennials get enough cold exposure to break dormancy?
USDA SSURGO
Is your soil chemistry compatible? pH controls nutrient availability at the root level.
USDA SSURGO
How fast does water move through? Waterlogged roots kill most crops.
USGS 3DEP + NAIP-CHM canopy
How many hours of direct sun does your parcel receive? Cast across terrain, buildings, and a leaf-on tree-canopy model.
NOAA NCEI 30-year normals
How many days between your last spring frost and first fall frost?
PRISM Climate Group
Does your location get enough — or too much — rainfall for the plant?
Plant species database
In low-rainfall areas, drought-tolerant species score higher automatically.
EPA FRS (Superfund, UST, TRI)
Are there contamination sources nearby that affect food safety?
How compound constraint scoring works
Traditional plant recommendation tools check one or two factors — typically hardiness zone and maybe sun preference. Growable Ground uses a compound constraint model where every factor is evaluated independently and the final score reflects the weakest link.
Example: Tomato on a Zone 6 parcel
- Zone: 6a — passes (tomatoes grow in 3-11)
- GDD: 2,800 — passes (needs 1,200+)
- Chill hours: N/A for annuals
- Soil pH: 7.8 — marginal (optimal 6.0-6.8, iron uptake drops above 7.5)
- Drainage: Poorly drained — fails (tomatoes need well-drained soil)
- Sun: 4.2 hours — fails (needs 6-8 hours full sun)
- Frost-free: 165 days — passes (needs 90-120)
- Precipitation: 44 inches — passes (30-50 preferred)
Result: Score 34/100. Zone says "yes" but drainage and sun say "no." The compound model catches this.
This is why two parcels in the same ZIP code can produce completely different plant recommendations. Federal data is mapped at the parcel level — not the ZIP code, not the county, not the state.
Pro TipCommon mistakes when choosing what to grow
- Trusting the seed packet zone range. Seed packets list hardiness zone compatibility but ignore your soil, sun, and drainage. A plant rated for Zones 4-9 can still fail on your specific land.
- Assuming "full sun" means your yard qualifies. "Full sun" means 6+ hours of direct, unobstructed sunlight. Buildings, trees, and terrain shadows can reduce actual sun hours to 2-4 on parcels that feel bright.
- Ignoring soil chemistry. Blueberries need pH 4.5-5.5. Planting them in alkaline soil (pH 7.5+) means they'll yellow and die no matter how good your zone, sun, and water are.
- Overlooking contamination. Parcels near Superfund sites, underground storage tanks, or TRI-reporting facilities may have soil or groundwater contamination that affects food safety. This data is publicly available from the EPA but rarely checked by home gardeners.
Find out what grows on YOUR land
Enter your address to score 1,112 plants against your soil, sun, frost, and drainage data.
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I grow anything based on my hardiness zone alone?
Hardiness zone tells you which plants can survive your coldest winter temperatures, but it says nothing about soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, frost timing, or contamination. A plant rated for your zone can still fail if your soil pH locks out nutrients or your yard gets fewer than 4 hours of direct sun.
What factors determine if a plant will grow on my land?
Growable Ground scores plants against 10 site-specific constraints: hardiness zone, growing degree days, chill hours, soil pH, drainage class, sun exposure, frost-free season length, precipitation, drought tolerance, and contamination proximity. All data comes from federal sources including USDA, NOAA, USGS, and EPA.
How does Growable Ground score plant suitability?
Each plant in our 1,112 species database is scored 0-100 against your parcel's measured conditions. The score is a compound constraint model — a plant must pass all 10 factors, not just average across them. A tomato with perfect sun but waterlogged soil still scores low because drainage alone can kill it.
Why do neighbors get different plant recommendations?
Soil map units, sun exposure, drainage, and even contamination proximity can change within a single block. SSURGO maps soil at the field level — two adjacent parcels can have different pH, different drainage class, and different organic matter content. Growable Ground queries federal data for each specific parcel boundary.