What Grows in Belpre, Kansas

USDA Zones 6b · 263 acres

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

Reliable performers under these conditions include cabbage, hazelnut, lavender, and collard greens; what your own ground favors still comes down to its soil, sun, and drainage.

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

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Belpre — the short answer

Belpre, Kansas: USDA zone 6b, about 209 days between hard freezes, across 263 acres of city.

USDA zone
6b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 5
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
~209
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
City area
263 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 Belpre's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Belpre's 209-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Belpre

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

Season length

Measured

Belpre runs about 209 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

Belpre 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 Belpre is in

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

What that means for soil

What Grows in Belpre

Every plant below cleared Belpre's own zone 6b and its 209-day season. Each card opens that plant's Kansas profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in KansasZones 2–11Belpre's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Kansas hazelnut guideZones 4–9Belpre's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in KansasZones 5–8Belpre's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Kansas growing notesZones 2–11Belpre's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Growing blackberry in KansasZones 5–8Belpre's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
Kansas california poppy guideZones 6–10Belpre's 6b is its exact cold limit.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in KansasZones 2–10Belpre's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blueberry, photograph
Blueberry: Kansas growing notesZones 3–8Belpre's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in KansasBelpre's 209 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Kansas kale guideZones 2–11Belpre's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Pawpaw in KansasZones 5–9Belpre's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
angelica, photograph
Angelica: Kansas growing notesZones 4–9Belpre's 209 days clear the ~120 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in KansasZones 2–11Belpre's 209 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Kansas okra guideZones 2–12Belpre's 209 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in KansasZones 2–11Belpre's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Kansas growing notesZones 3–10Belpre's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in KansasZones 2–11Belpre's 209 days clear the ~70 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Kansas lilac guideZones 4–10Belpre's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in KansasZones 3–8Belpre's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Kansas growing notesZones 3–8Belpre's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in KansasBelpre's 209 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Kansas apache plume guideZones 5–11Belpre's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in KansasZones 3–9Belpre's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Kansas growing notesZones 6–8Belpre's 6b is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in KansasZones 3–9Belpre's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Kansas ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Belpre's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in KansasZones 2–7Belpre's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Kansas growing notesZones 4–10Belpre's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in KansasZones 2–10Belpre's 209 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Indian grass, photograph
Kansas indian grass guideZones 4–9Belpre's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Belpre?

Rarely: the season closes in stages, not all at once, and each stage has its crops. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 8; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 5 (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.

What's on the federal record near Belpre

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

  1. 24S 16W 20ACD 01Nitrate · 1100 ft
  2. BELPRE OIL & COUNTRY STOREUnderground Storage Tanks · 1700 ft
  3. 24S 17W 24DDD 01Nitrate · 1.9 mi
  4. BLICKS AGRA FARM CTRBrownfields · 2.1 mi
  5. 25S 16W 02BBB 01Nitrate · 3.6 mi
  6. 24S 16W 02BBA 01Nitrate · 4.0 mi
  7. 23S 16W 34BBB 01Nitrate · 4.4 mi
  8. 25S 17W 03AAB 01Nitrate · 4.9 mi
  9. 24S 17W 16BCC 01Nitrate · 5.8 mi
  10. 23S 17W 22DDD 01Nitrate · 6.6 mi
  11. STAFFORD GLASS & BODY SHOPBrownfields · 6.8 mi
  12. 23S 15W 32BB 01Nitrate · 6.8 mi

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

Measured from Belpre'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 Belpre.

Total Sites

96

within ~10 miles of Belpre

Risk Level

Moderate

Highest-severity

1 Toxics Release Inventory facility

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Belpre

High0Moderate79Low17

Highest-Severity Sites

24S 16W 02BBA 01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
24S 16W 02BBA 01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
24S 16W 20ACD 01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
24S 16W 20ACD 01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
24S 17W 16BCC 01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Belpre, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Belpre — CAFO (6 sites) and Nitrate (70 sites). Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.

CAFO: CAFOs pose a different contamination profile than chemical sources.

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

Wash all produce consumed raw thoroughly, especially leafy greens grown near CAFOs.

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

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Check your specific parcel in Belpre

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 Belpre average

Your land is one point inside Belpre

Everything above resolves to Belpre as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 263 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 Belpre Average

Belpre Average

  • USDA Zones 6b, averaged across Belpre
  • One soil character for all of Belpre
  • Frost dates read at Belpre's scale: Apr 5 to Oct 31

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Belpre

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Belpre averages 209Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Belpre

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 Belpre’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 Belpre

When does frost risk typically end in Belpre?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Belpre typically lands around Apr 5, 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 26.

When is the first frost in Belpre?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Belpre 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 209 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Belpre?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Belpre sees about 209 frost-free days — roughly Apr 5 through Oct 31, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 26 to Oct 17, about 174 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Belpre?

The federal record around Belpre shows 96 documented sites, mostly Nitrate entries (70), the nearest Nitrate record about 0.2 miles 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 Belpre?

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 Belpre's scale — its 6b band and its 209-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Belpre'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 Belpre’s own scale

6 of the readings below were taken at Belpre's own scale — its own ~209-day season between 28°F freezes, the 263 acres it covers and 96 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Belpre's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Belpre's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 5 and Oct 31 and the ~209-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 96 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Belpre, the closest Nitrate record about 0.2 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Belpre's boundary and the 263 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6b and a ~209-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Belpre's own centroid, the Central Great PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Belpre's 263 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Edwards County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Edwards 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 Edwards County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Belpre's 263 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Belpre you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 263 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Nitrate 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 Belpre-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address

More in Kansas

Wider growing context

What grows across Kansas

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