What Grows in Avon, Indiana

USDA Zones 6a · 12K acres

Avon, Indiana, sits in USDA hardiness zone 6a — 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, hazelnut, lavender, 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 Avon, 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 Avon 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 Avon — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Avon — the short answer

Avon, Indiana: USDA zone 6a, about 217 days between hard freezes, across 12K acres of town.

USDA zone
6a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 3
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 6
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~217
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
12K 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

6a6a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 6a is Avon's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Avon's 217-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Avon

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

Season length

Measured

Avon runs about 217 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

Avon sits in USDA hardiness zone 6a.

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 Avon is in

Avon sits in the Eastern Corn Belt Plains — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Avon's own centroid rather than borrowed from Hendricks County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Avon

Every plant below cleared Avon's own zone 6a and its 217-day season. Each card opens that plant's Indiana profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in IndianaZones 2–11Avon's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Indiana hazelnut guideZones 4–9Avon's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in IndianaZones 5–8Avon's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Indiana growing notesZones 2–11Avon's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
blueberry, photograph
Growing blueberry in IndianaZones 3–8Avon's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
Indiana california poppy guideZones 6–10Avon's 6a is its exact cold limit.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in IndianaZones 2–10Avon's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
apple, photograph
Apple: Indiana growing notesZones 3–8Avon's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
St. Johns wort, photograph
Growing st. johns wort in IndianaZones 3–8Avon's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Indiana kale guideZones 2–11Avon's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
pear, photograph
Pear in IndianaZones 4–8Avon's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Turkish rocket: Indiana growing notesAvon's 217 days clear the ~90 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in IndianaZones 2–11Avon's 217 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Indiana okra guideZones 2–12Avon's 217 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in IndianaZones 2–11Avon's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Indiana growing notesZones 3–8Avon's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in IndianaZones 2–11Avon's 217 days clear the ~70 it needs.
azalea, photograph
Indiana azalea guideZones 4–8Avon's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in IndianaZones 3–8Avon's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Indiana growing notesZones 3–10Avon's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in IndianaAvon's 217 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Indiana lilac guideZones 4–10Avon's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
American bittersweet, photograph
American bittersweet in IndianaZones 3–8Avon's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Indiana growing notesZones 6–8Avon's 6a is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in IndianaZones 3–9Avon's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Indiana ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Avon's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in IndianaZones 2–7Avon's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Indiana growing notesZones 4–10Avon's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in IndianaZones 2–10Avon's 217 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Canada wild rye, photograph
Indiana canada wild rye guideZones 3–8Avon's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Avon?

For most of the year, no — what changes is which crops still fit the days remaining. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 6; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 3 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 6 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Here the season winds down slowly: late sowings, a real autumn harvest, and garlic in the ground before the first hard freeze.

Documented around Avon

Survey cells within 31 miles of Avon checked for spotted lanternfly, none carrying a detection — a surveyed negative, not an absence of looking. Nearest documented record 66 miles off. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Avon

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

  1. INDY TIRE CENTERSBrownfields · 800 ft
  2. AVON COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATIONUnderground Storage Tanks · 850 ft
  3. SHERWIN WILLIAMS 1290Brownfields · 900 ft
  4. LKQ 1340Brownfields · 950 ft
  5. AVON KAR KLEENUnderground Storage Tanks · 1200 ft
  6. Avon Express IncorporatedUnderground Storage Tanks · 1400 ft
  7. AVONS TRANSPORTATION MAINTENANCE BUILDINGUnderground Storage Tanks · 1600 ft
  8. HARLAN BAKERIES INCToxics Release Inventory · 1800 ft
  9. HARLAN BAKERIES INCBrownfields · 1800 ft
  10. Circle K 2282Underground Storage Tanks · 1900 ft
  11. Harlan Bakeries IncorporatedUnderground Storage Tanks · 1900 ft
  12. KROGER #985-021Brownfields · 1900 ft

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

Measured from Avon'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 Avon.

Total Sites

1,197

within ~10 miles of Avon

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

13 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Avon

High7Moderate305Low885

Highest-Severity Sites

Brownsburg Water Works
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Danville Water Works
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Pittsboro Water Company
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Plainfield Re-Entry Educational Facility
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Arvinmeritor
Toxics Release Inventory · 4616wmrtrh849wh

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Avon, Toxics Release Inventory runs higher than the national average — 81 sites within ~10 miles of Avon. Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.

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

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

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Avon

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 Avon average

Your land is one point inside Avon

Everything above resolves to Avon as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 12K 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 Avon Average

Avon Average

  • USDA Zones 6a, averaged across Avon
  • One soil character for all of Avon
  • Frost dates read at Avon's scale: Apr 3 to Nov 6

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Avon

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Avon averages 217Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Avon

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 Avon’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 Avon

When does frost risk typically end in Avon?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Avon typically lands around Apr 3, 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 24.

When is the first frost in Avon?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Avon typically arrives around Nov 6, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 23, so the watching starts about Oct 7 — about 217 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Avon?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Avon sees about 217 frost-free days — roughly Apr 3 through Nov 6, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 24 to Oct 23, about 182 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Avon?

The federal record around Avon is a meaningful one — 1,197 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (625), the nearest Brownfields 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 Avon?

From about Oct 7 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 6 (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 6. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Avon's scale — its 6a band and its 217-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Avon'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 Avon’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Avon's own scale — its own ~217-day season between 28°F freezes, the 12,371 acres it covers and 1,197 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Avon's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Avon's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 3 and Nov 6 and the ~217-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 1,197 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Avon, the closest Brownfields record about 0.2 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Avon's boundary and the 12,371 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6a and a ~217-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Avon's own centroid, the Eastern Corn Belt PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • Lanternfly survey cells around Avon checked, none carrying a detectionlydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Avon's 12,371 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Hendricks County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Hendricks County
  • The growing challenges every Indiana grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Indiana
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Hendricks County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Avon's 12,371 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Avon you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 12,371 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Brownfields 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 Avon-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address

More in Indiana

Wider growing context

What grows across Indiana

Avon sits outside our named growing regions, so Indiana as a whole is its closest context here.