What Grows in Plantsville, Connecticut

USDA Zones 6b · 637 acres

Plantsville, Connecticut, sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b — a band that supports both cool-season staples and warm-season crops chosen to fit the local frost window.

A short list that earns its place here — cabbage, hazelnut, lavender, and collard greens — with any one site's soil, sun, and drainage making the final cut.

Score your parcel · free

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

No card required · your full report in seconds

Plantsville — the short answer

Plantsville, Connecticut: USDA zone 6b, about 208 days between hard freezes, across 637 acres of town.

USDA zone
6b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 6
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 31
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~208
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
637 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)

Zone 6b is Plantsville's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Plantsville's 208-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Plantsville

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

Season length

Measured

Plantsville runs about 208 days between hard freezes — a long growing season.

There is slack for succession plantings and slow-finishing crops: many vegetables can be sown twice, and the heat-lovers have time to ripen fully.

Plan a second sowing of quick crops after the first comes out, and use the fall window most gardeners let sit idle.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Plantsville 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.

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Plantsville is in

Plantsville sits in the Northeastern Coastal Zone — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Plantsville's own centroid rather than borrowed from Capitol Planning Region.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Plantsville

Every plant below cleared Plantsville's own zone 6b and its 208-day season. Each card opens that plant's Connecticut profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in ConnecticutZones 2–11Plantsville's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Connecticut hazelnut guideZones 4–9Plantsville's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in ConnecticutZones 5–8Plantsville's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Connecticut growing notesZones 2–11Plantsville's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Growing blackberry in ConnecticutZones 5–8Plantsville's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
Connecticut california poppy guideZones 6–10Plantsville's 6b is its exact cold limit.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in ConnecticutZones 2–10Plantsville's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blueberry, photograph
Blueberry: Connecticut growing notesZones 3–8Plantsville's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in ConnecticutPlantsville's 208 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Connecticut kale guideZones 2–11Plantsville's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Pawpaw in ConnecticutZones 5–9Plantsville's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
angelica, photograph
Angelica: Connecticut growing notesZones 4–9Plantsville's 208 days clear the ~120 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in ConnecticutZones 2–11Plantsville's 208 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Connecticut okra guideZones 2–12Plantsville's 208 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in ConnecticutZones 2–11Plantsville's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Connecticut growing notesZones 3–10Plantsville's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in ConnecticutZones 2–11Plantsville's 208 days clear the ~70 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Connecticut lilac guideZones 4–10Plantsville's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in ConnecticutZones 3–8Plantsville's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Connecticut growing notesZones 3–8Plantsville's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in ConnecticutPlantsville's 208 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Connecticut apache plume guideZones 5–11Plantsville's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in ConnecticutZones 3–9Plantsville's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Connecticut growing notesZones 6–8Plantsville's 6b is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in ConnecticutZones 3–9Plantsville's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Connecticut ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Plantsville's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in ConnecticutZones 2–7Plantsville's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Connecticut growing notesZones 4–10Plantsville's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in ConnecticutZones 2–10Plantsville's 208 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Indian grass, photograph
Connecticut indian grass guideZones 4–9Plantsville's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Plantsville?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 9; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 6 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 31 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. With a season this long, “too late” mostly means “switch crops” — second sowings and a full fall garden are the norm, with garlic closing the year.

Documented around Plantsville

Spotted lanternfly documented 4 miles from Plantsville, first recorded 2023. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Plantsville

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

  1. ATTILIO VOLPE dba VOLPE & SONS AUTOMOTIVE, INC.Underground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  2. NELSON SCREW MACHINEUnderground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  3. GOOSE NECK GARDENSUnderground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  4. CHESHIRE GULFUnderground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  5. SUPERIOR PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTORS, INC.Underground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  6. Mirando's ServiceUnderground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  7. PENN OIL & EQUIPMENT COMPANYUnderground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  8. J.J. RYAN CORPORATIONUnderground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  9. Palumbos PHILLIPS 66Underground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  10. FOOD BAG #511Underground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  11. JANAZZO HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING, INC.Underground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  12. D & D AUTOMOTIVEUnderground Storage Tanks · 750 ft

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

Measured from Plantsville'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 Plantsville.

Total Sites

2,996

within ~10 miles of Plantsville

Risk Level

High

Highest-severity

67 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Plantsville

High15Moderate977Low2,004

Highest-Severity Sites

Aquarion Water CO of Ct-Tlwc Woodrich
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Berlin Water Control Commission
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Bristol Water Department
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Cheshire Ground Water Contamination
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Lead Mine
Mining Sites · Past Producer

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Plantsville, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Plantsville — Superfund (67 sites) and Toxics Release Inventory (255 sites). It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

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

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

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

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

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Plantsville

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 Plantsville average

Your land is one point inside Plantsville

Everything above resolves to Plantsville as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 637 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 Plantsville Average

Plantsville Average

  • USDA Zones 6b, averaged across Plantsville
  • One soil character for all of Plantsville
  • Frost dates read at Plantsville's scale: Apr 6 to Oct 31

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Plantsville

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Plantsville averages 208Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Plantsville

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 Plantsville’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 Plantsville

When does frost risk typically end in Plantsville?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Plantsville typically lands around Apr 6, 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 Apr 27.

When is the first frost in Plantsville?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Plantsville typically arrives around Oct 31, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 17, so the watching starts about Oct 1 — about 208 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Plantsville?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Plantsville sees about 208 frost-free days — roughly Apr 6 through Oct 31, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 27 to Oct 17, about 173 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Plantsville?

The federal record around Plantsville runs heavier than most — 2,996 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (1,428), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.1 miles out — so test the soil before planting food in the ground, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well in the meantime. Even here, proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what's recorded and where.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Plantsville?

From about Oct 1 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 31 (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 31. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Plantsville's scale — its 6b band and its 208-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Plantsville'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 Plantsville’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Plantsville's own scale — its own ~208-day season between 28°F freezes, the 637 acres it covers and 2,996 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Plantsville's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Plantsville's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 6 and Oct 31 and the ~208-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 2,996 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Plantsville, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.1 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Plantsville's boundary and the 637 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6b and a ~208-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Plantsville's own centroid, the Northeastern Coastal ZoneUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • A documented spotted-lanternfly record within reach of Plantsvillelydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Plantsville's 637 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Capitol County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Capitol County
  • The growing challenges every Connecticut grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Connecticut
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Capitol County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Plantsville's 637 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Plantsville you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 637 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.1 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 Plantsville-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address