What Grows in Selmont-West Selmont, Alabama

USDA Zones 8b · 2K acres

Selmont-West Selmont, Alabama, sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b — a band that supports both cool-season staples and warm-season crops chosen to fit the local frost window.

Crops well matched to these conditions include cabbage, fig, california poppy, and collard greens — though what thrives on any one site still turns on its specific soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Selmont-West Selmont, no two yards are alike.

A low spot, a south-facing slope, or a stand of trees moves the frost date and sun across a single Selmont-West Selmont lot. Enter your address and we'll score 1,086 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.

We read public map data around Selmont-West Selmont — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Selmont-West Selmont — the short answer

Selmont-West Selmont, Alabama: USDA zone 8b, about 282 days between hard freezes, across 2K acres of town.

USDA zone
8b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Feb 20
Dallas County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 29
Dallas County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~282
Dallas County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Town area
2K acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. No 30-year normal resolves at this town’s own centroid, so the hard-freeze dates are Dallas County’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

8b8b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 8b is Selmont-West Selmont's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Selmont-West Selmont's 282-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Selmont-West Selmont

Each reading below is measured for Selmont-West Selmont itself — here is what it means for a garden here, and the move an experienced grower makes about it.

Season length

From county records

Selmont-West Selmont runs about 282 days between hard freezes (read from Dallas County, the closest normal to Selmont-West Selmont) — close to year-round growing.

Frost is rarely the limit here; winter plantings are as real as summer ones, and the harder question is which crops shrug off the summer heat.

Grow cool-season crops through the mild winter, and choose heat-tolerant varieties for the summer beds.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Selmont-West Selmont sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b.

The zone sets which perennials, shrubs, and fruit trees live through an average winter here — a plant rated for a colder zone is a safe bet, one rated warmer needs winter protection or gets treated as an annual.

Match perennials and fruit to the zone before you buy, so nothing you plant is a gamble against the cold.

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Selmont-West Selmont is in

Selmont-West Selmont sits in the Southeastern Plains — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Selmont-West Selmont's own centroid rather than borrowed from Dallas County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Selmont-West Selmont

Every plant below cleared Selmont-West Selmont's own zone 8b and its 282-day season. Each card opens that plant's Alabama profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in AlabamaZones 2–11Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Alabama fig guideZones 6–10Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in AlabamaZones 6–10Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Alabama growing notesZones 2–11Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
loquat, photograph
Growing loquat in AlabamaZones 7–10Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
rosemary, photograph
Alabama rosemary guideZones 8–10Selmont-West Selmont's 8b is its exact cold limit.
kale, photograph
Kale in AlabamaZones 2–11Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pomegranate, photograph
Pomegranate: Alabama growing notesZones 7–10Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Growing lavender in AlabamaZones 5–8Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Alabama lentil guideZones 2–11Selmont-West Selmont's 282 days clear the ~70 it needs.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear in AlabamaZones 5–10Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Okra: Alabama growing notesZones 2–12Selmont-West Selmont's 282 days clear the ~50 it needs.
almond, photograph
Growing almond in AlabamaZones 5–9Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
potato, photograph
Alabama potato guideZones 2–11Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Pumpkin in AlabamaZones 3–11Selmont-West Selmont's 282 days clear the ~40 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: Alabama growing notesZones 3–10Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in AlabamaZones 2–11Selmont-West Selmont's 282 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Alabama apache plume guideZones 5–11Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in AlabamaZones 3–8Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Alabama growing notesZones 3–8Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in AlabamaSelmont-West Selmont's 282 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Alabama holly guideZones 5–11Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in AlabamaZones 7–10Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Alabama growing notesZones 6–8Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Growing redbud in AlabamaZones 5–11Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
pearl millet, photograph
Alabama pearl millet guideZones 5–11Selmont-West Selmont's 282 days clear the ~60 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in AlabamaZones 5–11Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Alabama growing notesZones 4–10Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 4 zones of cold margin.
phacelia, photograph
Growing phacelia in AlabamaZones 2–11Selmont-West Selmont's 282 days clear the ~100 it needs.
liriope, photograph
Alabama liriope guideZones 5–11Selmont-West Selmont's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Selmont-West Selmont?

Too late for some crops, right on time for others — a growing season is a sequence, not a deadline. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 23; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Feb 20 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 29 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. In a climate this gentle, “too late” hardly applies — the question becomes which crops prefer the cooler months ahead.

What's on the federal record near Selmont-West Selmont

Closest first, within ~10 miles of Selmont-West Selmont. Listing isn't leaking, and distance isn't exposure.

  1. BYPASS SUNOCOUnderground Storage Tanks · 1200 ft
  2. RACETRAC #520Underground Storage Tanks · 1500 ft
  3. LAWLEY RIVERSIDE TRUCKSTOPUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.5 mi
  4. HAROLD'S GROCERYUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  5. TIPTON SCHOOLUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.7 mi
  6. BUILDERS SUPPLY & SALVAGEUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.8 mi
  7. GLOBE METALLURGICALToxics Release Inventory · 0.8 mi
  8. LAMBERT OIL COUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.2 mi
  9. UNITED FOOD AND FUEL #16Underground Storage Tanks · 1.3 mi
  10. SELMONT TEXACO SERVICE STATIONUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.4 mi
  11. UNITED PARCEL SERVICEUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.4 mi
  12. SOUTHLAND MOWER CORPORATIONToxics Release Inventory · 1.4 mi

6 more sites are on the record inside the same radius. See them on the map

Measured from Selmont-West Selmont's center, not your beds. Run your own address for what's upwind of you specifically.

Environmental Intelligence

The counts behind that headline — every source type on the record near Selmont-West Selmont.

Total Sites

225

within ~10 miles of Selmont-West Selmont

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

3 Superfund sites (none NPL-listed)

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Selmont-West Selmont

High1Moderate96Low128

Highest-Severity Sites

Selma Water Works & Sewer Board
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
4D C-Store
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Aj'S One Stop Marathon
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Alabama Power Company Selma Crew Headquarters
Toxics Release Inventory · 3670wlbmpw199la
All Lock Company INC
Superfund · Superfund (Non-NPL)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Selmont-West Selmont, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Selmont-West Selmont — Toxics Release Inventory (16 sites) and Superfund (3 sites). It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

Toxics Release Inventory: TRI facilities report annual chemical releases to air, water, and land.

Superfund: Superfund sites represent the most severe contamination in the federal system.

Check prevailing wind direction — downwind parcels face higher exposure than upwind or crosswind locations.

Commission professional soil testing before any food production (test for heavy metals, VOCs, and SVOCs).

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Selmont-West Selmont

Get exact proximity distances to contamination sources for your specific parcel — plus soil, sun, drainage, and 1,086 plant recommendations.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Selmont-West Selmont average

Your land is one point inside Selmont-West Selmont

Everything above resolves to Selmont-West Selmont as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 2K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Dallas County’s record because no 30-year normal resolves at this town’s own centroid. Your parcel is one point inside that footprint. Slope, tree cover, a low spot that pools cold air, and what is in the soil are all resolved at the address, and none of them are visible at town scale. That is the honest boundary of this page, and the reason the next step is a reading of your own ground rather than a better local average.

Your Lot vs the Selmont-West Selmont Average

Selmont-West Selmont Average

  • USDA Zones 8b, averaged across Selmont-West Selmont
  • One soil character for all of Selmont-West Selmont
  • Frost dates read at Selmont-West Selmont's scale: Feb 20 to Nov 29

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Selmont-West Selmont's 8b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Selmont-West Selmont

Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Selmont-West Selmont, Alabama — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, and scored plant recommendations.

Three things about your lot that Selmont-West Selmont averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Selmont-West Selmont averages 282Your sun & shade

We read public map data around Selmont-West Selmont — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Selmont-West Selmont average

How we know this about Selmont-West Selmont

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this town’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Dallas County’s record, because none resolves here; boundaries and acreage from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination records from the federal sources named in their beats above. Soil is not read at town grain anywhere on this page — there is no town-resolution survey in our data, which is why you will find no soil grid here rather than a statewide one wearing a local label. The resolution ledger below names every figure this page inherited.

Common questions about Selmont-West Selmont

When does frost risk typically end in Selmont-West Selmont?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Selmont-West Selmont typically lands around Feb 20, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — earlier than the light-frost dates most charts quote. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost — lighter frosts keep biting past it, which is why tender transplants here wait until about Mar 13.

When is the first frost in Selmont-West Selmont?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Selmont-West Selmont typically arrives around Nov 29, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 15, so the watching starts about Oct 30 — about 282 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Selmont-West Selmont?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Selmont-West Selmont sees about 282 frost-free days — roughly Feb 20 through Nov 29, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Mar 13 to Nov 15, about 247 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Selmont-West Selmont?

The federal record around Selmont-West Selmont is a meaningful one — 225 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (145), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 miles out — so a soil test before new food beds is a sensible precaution here, not a reason to hold back from growing. Remember that proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what sits where.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Selmont-West Selmont?

From about Oct 30 the job here turns from planting to protecting — the last start even a 30-day crop can finish. As the season closes around the first 28°F hard freeze near Nov 29 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals), three moves buy time: row cover or an old sheet over tender plants on still, clear nights; water the soil the afternoon before a freeze, so it holds warmth overnight; and harvest tomatoes, peppers and basil before Nov 29. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Selmont-West Selmont's scale — its 8b band and its 282-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Selmont-West Selmont's numbers: we read soil, sun, drainage and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.

What this page reads at Selmont-West Selmont’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Selmont-West Selmont's own scale — the 2,098 acres it covers and 225 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Selmont-West Selmont's own USDA hardiness band, zones 8bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 225 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Selmont-West Selmont, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Selmont-West Selmont's boundary and the 2,098 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 8b and a ~282-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Selmont-West Selmont's own centroid, the Southeastern PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Selmont-West Selmont has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Dallas County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Selmont-West Selmont's 2,098 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Dallas County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Dallas County
  • The growing challenges every Alabama grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Alabama
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Dallas County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Selmont-West Selmont's 2,098 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Selmont-West Selmont you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 2,098 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 miles out, measured from the town centrehow we read the record
  • Where cold air settles, which slopes face the sun, and which way the wind runs on your own ground — measured at your address, and averaged away by any Selmont-West Selmont-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address