What Grows in Bartlett, Kansas

USDA Zones 7a · 85 acres

Bartlett, Kansas, sits in USDA hardiness zone 7a — a range where zone-matched perennials and frost-aware annual timing set what succeeds.

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

Score your parcel · free

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

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Bartlett — the short answer

Bartlett, Kansas: USDA zone 7a, about 227 days between hard freezes, across 85 acres of city.

USDA zone
7a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Mar 27
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 9
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~227
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
City area
85 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

7a7a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 7a is Bartlett's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Bartlett's 227-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Bartlett

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

Season length

Measured

Bartlett runs about 227 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

Bartlett sits in USDA hardiness zone 7a.

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 Bartlett is in

Bartlett sits in the Central Irregular Plains — EPA Level III, inside the wider Great Plains. That is read at Bartlett's own centroid rather than borrowed from Labette County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Bartlett

Every plant below cleared Bartlett's own zone 7a and its 227-day season. Each card opens that plant's Kansas profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in KansasZones 2–11Bartlett's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Kansas hazelnut guideZones 4–9Bartlett's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in KansasZones 6–10Bartlett's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Kansas growing notesZones 2–11Bartlett's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in KansasZones 5–9Bartlett's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Kansas lavender guideZones 5–8Bartlett's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in KansasZones 2–10Bartlett's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pecan, photograph
Pecan: Kansas growing notesZones 5–9Bartlett's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in KansasBartlett's 227 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Kansas kale guideZones 2–11Bartlett's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear in KansasZones 5–10Bartlett's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Kansas growing notesZones 2–11Bartlett's 227 days clear the ~70 it needs.
apple, photograph
Growing apple in KansasZones 3–8Bartlett's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Kansas okra guideZones 2–12Bartlett's 227 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in KansasZones 2–11Bartlett's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Kansas growing notesZones 3–10Bartlett's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in KansasZones 2–11Bartlett's 227 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Kansas apache plume guideZones 5–11Bartlett's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in KansasZones 3–8Bartlett's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Kansas growing notesZones 3–8Bartlett's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in KansasBartlett's 227 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Kansas holly guideZones 5–11Bartlett's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in KansasZones 3–9Bartlett's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Kansas growing notesZones 6–8Bartlett's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in KansasZones 3–9Bartlett's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Kansas ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Bartlett's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in KansasZones 2–7Bartlett's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Kansas growing notesZones 4–10Bartlett's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in KansasZones 5–10Bartlett's 227 days clear the ~45 it needs.
Eastern gamagrass, photograph
Kansas eastern gamagrass guideZones 5–9Bartlett's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Bartlett?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Feb 27; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Mar 27 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 9 — 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.

What's on the federal record near Bartlett

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

  1. BARTLETT SERVICE STATIONUnderground Storage Tanks · 200 ft
  2. USD #506 BARTLETT GRADE SCHOOLUnderground Storage Tanks · 950 ft
  3. 34S 20E 32BA 01Nitrate · 1.8 mi
  4. 34S 20E 17DC 01Nitrate · 2.2 mi
  5. 34S 20E 24BC 01Nitrate · 2.4 mi
  6. 35S 20E 02CC 01Nitrate · 2.6 mi
  7. 35S 20E 07AA 01Nitrate · 3.4 mi
  8. 35S 21E 07BB 01Nitrate · 4.0 mi
  9. 34S 21E 07CC 01Nitrate · 4.1 mi
  10. 34S 21E 29CD 01Nitrate · 4.3 mi
  11. SUMMIT BUILDINGSToxics Release Inventory · 5.2 mi
  12. 33S 20E 28DC 01Nitrate · 5.7 mi

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

Measured from Bartlett'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 Bartlett.

Total Sites

79

within ~10 miles of Bartlett

Risk Level

Moderate

Highest-severity

4 Toxics Release Inventory facilities

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Bartlett

High0Moderate50Low29

Highest-Severity Sites

33S 19E 23AB 01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
33S 19E 23AB 01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
33S 19E 28AB 01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
33S 19E 28AB 01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
33S 20E 08AD 01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Bartlett, Nitrate runs higher than the national average — 38 sites within ~10 miles of Bartlett. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

Nitrate: Nitrate contamination primarily comes from agricultural fertilizer runoff and failing septic systems.

Test well water for nitrate if you rely on a private well for irrigation (EPA standard: 10 mg/L).

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Bartlett

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 Bartlett average

Your land is one point inside Bartlett

Everything above resolves to Bartlett as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 85 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 city 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 Bartlett Average

Bartlett Average

  • USDA Zones 7a, averaged across Bartlett
  • One soil character for all of Bartlett
  • Frost dates read at Bartlett's scale: Mar 27 to Nov 9

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Bartlett's 7a
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Bartlett

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Bartlett averages 227Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Bartlett

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this city’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Bartlett’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 city grain anywhere on this page — there is no city-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 Bartlett

When does frost risk typically end in Bartlett?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Bartlett typically lands around Mar 27, 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 17.

When is the first frost in Bartlett?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Bartlett typically arrives around Nov 9, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 26, so the watching starts about Oct 10 — about 227 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Bartlett?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Bartlett sees about 227 frost-free days — roughly Mar 27 through Nov 9, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 17 to Oct 26, about 192 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Bartlett?

The federal record around Bartlett shows 79 documented sites, mostly Nitrate entries (38), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record under a tenth of a mile out — a typical footprint for a growing area, and proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard. It's worth seeing which recorded sites sit closest to where you grow, and testing the soil before new food beds near any of them.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Bartlett?

From about Oct 10 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 9 (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 9. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Bartlett's scale — its 7a band and its 227-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Bartlett'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 Bartlett’s own scale

6 of the readings below were taken at Bartlett's own scale — its own ~227-day season between 28°F freezes, the 85 acres it covers and 79 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Bartlett's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Bartlett's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Mar 27 and Nov 9 and the ~227-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 79 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Bartlett, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record under a tenth of a mile out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Bartlett's boundary and the 85 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7a and a ~227-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Bartlett's own centroid, the Central Irregular PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Bartlett's 85 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Labette County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Labette County
  • The growing challenges every Kansas grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Kansas
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Labette County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Bartlett's 85 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Bartlett you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 85 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks 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 Bartlett-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address