What Grows in Hotchkiss, Colorado

USDA Zones 6b · 593 acres

Hotchkiss, Colorado, sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b — enough range to grow cool-season vegetables, hardy fruit, and warm-season crops that mature before the first hard frost.

Well-matched crops include cabbage, blackberry, california poppy, and collard greens, and the gap between "grows in the area" and "grows in your yard" is closed by soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

Even in Hotchkiss, 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 Hotchkiss 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 Hotchkiss — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Hotchkiss — the short answer

Hotchkiss, Colorado: USDA zone 6b, about 189 days between hard freezes, across 593 acres of town.

USDA zone
6b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 18
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 24
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~189
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
593 acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. Hard-freeze dates are this town’s own 28°F normals: light frosts run a few weeks past them, and tender transplants usually wait 2–3 weeks after the last hard freeze.

Hardiness Zone Range

6b6b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)
Your USDA zone 6bSee the zone map →

Zone 6b is Hotchkiss's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Hotchkiss's 189-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Hotchkiss

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

Season length

Measured

Hotchkiss runs about 189 days between hard freezes — a moderate growing season.

There is room for the full run of cool-season crops plus a warm-season main crop, but the calendar is tight enough that a late spring or early fall frost still decides how much finishes.

Time warm-season transplants to your last hard freeze, and a few weeks of season extension turns a near-miss harvest into a sure one.

Buying weeks at each end

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Hotchkiss sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b.

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.

How hardiness zones work

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Hotchkiss is in

Hotchkiss sits in the Colorado Plateaus — EPA Level III, inside the wider North American Deserts. That is read at Hotchkiss's own centroid rather than borrowed from Delta County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Hotchkiss

Every plant below cleared Hotchkiss's own zone 6b and its 189-day season. Each card opens that plant's Colorado profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in ColoradoZones 2–11Hotchkiss's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Colorado blackberry guideZones 5–8Hotchkiss's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in ColoradoZones 6–10Hotchkiss's 6b is its exact cold limit.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Colorado growing notesZones 2–11Hotchkiss's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in ColoradoZones 5–9Hotchkiss's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Colorado lavender guideZones 5–8Hotchkiss's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in ColoradoZones 2–10Hotchkiss's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pecan, photograph
Pecan: Colorado growing notesZones 5–9Hotchkiss's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in ColoradoHotchkiss's 189 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Colorado kale guideZones 2–11Hotchkiss's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear in ColoradoZones 5–10Hotchkiss's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
angelica, photograph
Angelica: Colorado growing notesZones 4–9Hotchkiss's 189 days clear the ~120 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in ColoradoZones 2–11Hotchkiss's 189 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Colorado okra guideZones 2–12Hotchkiss's 189 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in ColoradoZones 2–11Hotchkiss's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Colorado growing notesZones 3–10Hotchkiss's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in ColoradoZones 2–11Hotchkiss's 189 days clear the ~70 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Colorado lilac guideZones 4–10Hotchkiss's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in ColoradoZones 3–8Hotchkiss's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Colorado growing notesZones 3–8Hotchkiss's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in ColoradoHotchkiss's 189 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Oregon grape, photograph
Colorado oregon grape guideZones 5–8Hotchkiss's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in ColoradoZones 3–9Hotchkiss's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Colorado growing notesZones 6–8Hotchkiss's 6b is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in ColoradoZones 3–9Hotchkiss's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Colorado ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Hotchkiss's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in ColoradoZones 2–7Hotchkiss's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
western red cedar, photograph
Western red cedar: Colorado growing notesZones 4–10Hotchkiss's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in ColoradoZones 2–10Hotchkiss's 189 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Indian grass, photograph
Colorado indian grass guideZones 4–9Hotchkiss's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Hotchkiss?

Usually not — gardeners here simply switch what goes in the ground as the season moves. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 21; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 18 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 24 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. As the window narrows, the plantings just get faster — fall brassicas, then greens, then garlic to finish.

What's on the federal record near Hotchkiss

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

  1. CITY MARKET 429Brownfields · 400 ft
  2. North Fork StandardUnderground Storage Tanks · 450 ft
  3. Hotchkiss Bus GarageUnderground Storage Tanks · 1400 ft
  4. Delta County Tele-communicationsUnderground Storage Tanks · 1600 ft
  5. Hotchkiss ServiceUnderground Storage Tanks · 1800 ft
  6. UPRR - Hotchkiss YardUnderground Storage Tanks · 2000 ft
  7. Hotchkiss Short StopUnderground Storage Tanks · 2500 ft
  8. Roberts Short Stop (lots 21-24)Underground Storage Tanks · 2500 ft
  9. Town Of HotchkissUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.5 mi
  10. Ray C WineyUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  11. Stop N Save #25Underground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  12. Mims Oil CoUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.7 mi

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

Measured from Hotchkiss'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 Hotchkiss.

Total Sites

36

within ~10 miles of Hotchkiss

Risk Level

Low

Highest-severity

3 brownfield sites

Explore the live map
Underground Storage Tanks32Brownfields3PFAS1

Sources Checked

within ~10 miles of Hotchkiss

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Hotchkiss

High0Moderate7Low29

Highest-Severity Sites

Desperado
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Hotchkiss Short Stop
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
North Fork Valley Airport
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Reedys North Fork Service
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Rogers Mesa Store
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Hotchkiss, Underground Storage Tanks runs higher than the national average — 32 sites within ~10 miles of Hotchkiss. Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.

Underground Storage Tanks: Underground storage tanks are the single most common source of soil contamination near homes and gardens.

Use raised beds with imported soil — this eliminates the primary soil-contact pathway.

build up with a clean-soil raised bedread your soil before you plantSee what's flagged near Hotchkiss
Explore the contamination map around Hotchkiss·Colorado Growing Guide
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Check your specific parcel in Hotchkiss

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 Hotchkiss average

Your land is one point inside Hotchkiss

Everything above resolves to Hotchkiss as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 593 acres. 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 Hotchkiss Average

Hotchkiss Average

  • ●USDA Zones 6b, averaged across Hotchkiss
  • ●One soil character for all of Hotchkiss
  • ●Frost dates read at Hotchkiss's scale: Apr 18 to Oct 24

YOUR Parcel

  • ✓Your exact zone, not Hotchkiss's 6b
  • ✓Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • ✓Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Hotchkiss

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

Three things about your lot that Hotchkiss averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Hotchkiss averages 189Your sun & shade

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

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Hotchkiss average

How we know this about Hotchkiss

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 Hotchkiss’s own record; 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 Hotchkiss

When does frost risk typically end in Hotchkiss?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Hotchkiss typically lands around Apr 18, 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 May 9.

When is the first frost in Hotchkiss?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Hotchkiss typically arrives around Oct 24, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 10, so the watching starts about Sep 24 — about 189 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Hotchkiss?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Hotchkiss sees about 189 frost-free days — roughly Apr 18 through Oct 24, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 9 to Oct 10, about 154 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Hotchkiss?

The federal record around Hotchkiss is light — 36 documented sites across the 9 federal source types we checked, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (32), the nearest Brownfields record under a tenth of a mile out — and proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard. Growing food here starts from a strong position; a soil test before new food beds settles any site-specific question.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Hotchkiss?

From about Sep 24 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 Oct 24 (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 Oct 24. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Hotchkiss's scale — its 6b band and its 189-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Hotchkiss'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 Hotchkiss’s own scale

6 of the readings below were taken at Hotchkiss's own scale — its own ~189-day season between 28°F freezes, the 593 acres it covers and 36 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Hotchkiss's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Hotchkiss's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 18 and Oct 24 and the ~189-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 36 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Hotchkiss, the closest Brownfields record under a tenth of a mile out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Hotchkiss's boundary and the 593 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6b and a ~189-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Hotchkiss's own centroid, the Colorado PlateausUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Hotchkiss's 593 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Delta County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Delta County
  • The growing challenges every Colorado grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Colorado
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Delta County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Hotchkiss's 593 acreswhy one lot differs from the next →
  • Which side of Hotchkiss you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 593 acresreading your own microclimate →
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Brownfields record under a tenth of a mile 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 Hotchkiss-wide figureread your own land →
The next step finer is your own address

More in Colorado

Delta County Growing Guide·Colorado Growing Guide
USDA PHZM•NOAA Climate Normals•US Census TIGER•PRISM Climate•EPA FRS