What Grows in Georgetown, Indiana

USDA Zones 6b · 1K acres

Georgetown, Indiana, sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b — a zone band wide enough that plant choice, not possibility, is the interesting question.

On paper, cabbage, hazelnut, lavender, and collard greens all suit these conditions — on the ground, soil, sun, and drainage make the final call.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Georgetown — the short answer

Georgetown, Indiana: USDA zone 6b, about 221 days between hard freezes, across 1K acres of town.

USDA zone
6b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Mar 31
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 7
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~221
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
1K 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 Georgetown's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Georgetown's 221-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Georgetown

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

Season length

Measured

Georgetown runs about 221 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

Georgetown 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 Georgetown is in

Georgetown sits in the Interior Plateau — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Georgetown's own centroid rather than borrowed from Floyd County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Georgetown

Every plant below cleared Georgetown's own zone 6b and its 221-day season. Each card opens that plant's Indiana profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in IndianaZones 2–11Georgetown's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Indiana hazelnut guideZones 4–9Georgetown's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in IndianaZones 5–8Georgetown's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Indiana growing notesZones 2–11Georgetown's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Growing blackberry in IndianaZones 5–8Georgetown's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
Indiana california poppy guideZones 6–10Georgetown's 6b is its exact cold limit.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in IndianaZones 2–10Georgetown's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blueberry, photograph
Blueberry: Indiana growing notesZones 3–8Georgetown's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in IndianaGeorgetown's 221 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Indiana kale guideZones 2–11Georgetown's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Pawpaw in IndianaZones 5–9Georgetown's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
angelica, photograph
Angelica: Indiana growing notesZones 4–9Georgetown's 221 days clear the ~120 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in IndianaZones 2–11Georgetown's 221 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Indiana okra guideZones 2–12Georgetown's 221 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in IndianaZones 2–11Georgetown's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Indiana growing notesZones 3–10Georgetown's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in IndianaZones 2–11Georgetown's 221 days clear the ~70 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Indiana lilac guideZones 4–10Georgetown's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in IndianaZones 3–8Georgetown's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Indiana growing notesZones 3–8Georgetown's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in IndianaGeorgetown's 221 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Indiana apache plume guideZones 5–11Georgetown's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in IndianaZones 3–9Georgetown's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Indiana growing notesZones 6–8Georgetown's 6b is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in IndianaZones 3–9Georgetown's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Indiana ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Georgetown's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in IndianaZones 2–7Georgetown's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Indiana growing notesZones 4–10Georgetown's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in IndianaZones 2–10Georgetown's 221 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Indian grass, photograph
Indiana indian grass guideZones 4–9Georgetown's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Georgetown?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 3; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Mar 31 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 7 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. There is slack in a calendar like this — late plantings, second rounds of favorites, and a fall bench that keeps beds working.

Documented around Georgetown

Survey cells within 31 miles of Georgetown checked for spotted lanternfly, none carrying a detection — a surveyed negative, not an absence of looking. Nearest documented record 63 miles off. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Georgetown

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

  1. SEVEN ELEVEN FOODUnderground Storage Tanks · 1700 ft
  2. Georgetown Express MartUnderground Storage Tanks · 1900 ft
  3. S&W COLLISION CTR INCBrownfields · 2300 ft
  4. GEORGETOWN MARATHONUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.5 mi
  5. INDIANA AMERICAN WATER - GEORGETOWNPFAS · 1.3 mi
  6. ROBINSON GULFUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.4 mi
  7. JACOBI FOOD MARTUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.0 mi
  8. FLOYD COUNTY ROAD DEPARTMENTUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.2 mi
  9. AT & TUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.4 mi
  10. Marathon Gas & StuffUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.8 mi
  11. Circle K 52Underground Storage Tanks · 2.8 mi
  12. LOUISE SULLIVANUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.8 mi

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

Measured from Georgetown'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 Georgetown.

Total Sites

705

within ~10 miles of Georgetown

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

15 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Georgetown

High2Moderate272Low431

Highest-Severity Sites

Greenville Water Utility
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Airguard Industries INC
Toxics Release Inventory · 47150JLBRBDIREC
American Beverage
Toxics Release Inventory · 47150SMTCNPOBOX
Blue Grass Chemical Specialties
Toxics Release Inventory · 47150blgrs895in
Bp
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Georgetown, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Georgetown — Superfund (15 sites) and Toxics Release Inventory (72 sites). That's not a problem with your land — it's information about 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 Georgetown

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 Georgetown average

Your land is one point inside Georgetown

Everything above resolves to Georgetown as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 1K 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 Georgetown Average

Georgetown Average

  • USDA Zones 6b, averaged across Georgetown
  • One soil character for all of Georgetown
  • Frost dates read at Georgetown's scale: Mar 31 to Nov 7

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Georgetown

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Georgetown averages 221Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Georgetown

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 Georgetown’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 Georgetown

When does frost risk typically end in Georgetown?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Georgetown typically lands around Mar 31, 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 21.

When is the first frost in Georgetown?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Georgetown typically arrives around Nov 7, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 24, so the watching starts about Oct 8 — about 221 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Georgetown?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Georgetown sees about 221 frost-free days — roughly Mar 31 through Nov 7, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 21 to Oct 24, about 186 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Georgetown?

The federal record around Georgetown is a meaningful one — 705 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (372), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 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 Georgetown?

From about Oct 8 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 7 (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 7. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Georgetown's scale — its 6b band and its 221-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Georgetown'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 Georgetown’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Georgetown's own scale — its own ~221-day season between 28°F freezes, the 1,393 acres it covers and 705 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Georgetown's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Georgetown's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Mar 31 and Nov 7 and the ~221-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 705 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Georgetown, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Georgetown's boundary and the 1,393 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6b and a ~221-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Georgetown's own centroid, the Interior PlateauUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • Lanternfly survey cells around Georgetown 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 Georgetown's 1,393 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Floyd County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Floyd 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 Floyd County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Georgetown's 1,393 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Georgetown you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 1,393 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 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 Georgetown-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address