Appalachia spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-8b — a band that supports both cool-season staples and warm-season crops chosen to fit the local frost window.
The vast eastern mountain region of steep hollows, thin acidic soils, and short upland seasons — apples, brambles, ramps, and forest crops on hard-won ground. (Union of the core Appalachian ecoregions.) Reliable performers under these conditions include pecan, muscadine grape, okra, and collard greens; what your own ground favors still comes down to its soil, sun, and drainage.
Appalachia spans Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Its footprint follows the EPA Level III ecoregion boundary; the counties linked below are representative of the region, not an exhaustive list.
Your yard isn't the whole Appalachia.
Appalachia spans USDA zones 5b-8b, but your parcel sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and low spots nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score 1,112 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Quick Facts
USDA Zones
5b-8b
States
12
Counties
306
Defined by
Ecoregion
Hardiness Zone Range
What Grows in Appalachia
Plants matched to Appalachia's USDA zones 5b-8b — each links to its full growing profile.
Native Plants Suited to Appalachia
US-native plants (USDA PLANTS, Lower 48) whose hardiness range overlaps Appalachia’s USDA zones 5b-8b. Zone overlap is a starting filter, not a range map — for plants documented native to your county, your state’s Cooperative Extension or a native-plant society is the authority.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across Appalachia — and how to grow with it.
A growing region spans many local records, and contamination is a per-place fact — not a regional verdict. Nationwide we track 1.8M documented sites across 9 federal source types; open the map outlined to Appalachia to see exactly what's on record where you grow.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.
Your Specific Parcel Matters
Appalachia Average
- ●USDA Zones 5b-8b
- ●Generic soil type for the area
- ●State-average frost dates
YOUR Parcel
- ✓Your exact hardiness zone
- ✓Your SSURGO soil type & pH
- ✓Your sun exposure, cast in 3D
See MY Growing Report
Read your parcel in Appalachia
Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Appalachia — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, contamination, and scored plant recommendations.
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
Key Growing Facts for Appalachia
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5b-8b (USDA PHZM 2023, aggregated across the region)
- States: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia
- Counties covered: 306
- Region boundary: an EPA Level III ecoregion (an area sharing climate, soils, and vegetation)
Zone data: USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Region boundary: curated county clusters and EPA Level III ecoregions. County boundaries: US Census TIGER/Line 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zone is Appalachia?
Appalachia spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-8b, aggregated from the USDA Agricultural Research Service Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 across the region's counties. Zones reflect average annual extreme minimum temperatures from 1991–2020 data.
What grows well in Appalachia?
Appalachia's conditions suit plants such as Pecan, Muscadine Grape, Okra, Collard Greens, Fig, Peach. For site-specific recommendations scored against your parcel's soil, drainage, and sun data, run the Growable Ground report for your address.
Which states does Appalachia cover?
Appalachia spans Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Each state's full growing guide is linked below.