What Grows in Levant, Kansas

USDA Zones 6a · 646 acres

Levant, Kansas, 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.

Well-matched crops include cabbage, hazelnut, lavender, and collard greens, and the gap between "grows in the area" and "grows in your yard" is closed by soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Levant — the short answer

Levant, Kansas: USDA zone 6a, about 182 days between hard freezes, across 646 acres of town.

USDA zone
6a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 19
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 18
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~182
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
646 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 Levant's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Levant's 182-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Levant

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

Season length

Measured

Levant runs about 182 days between hard freezes — a moderate growing season.

There is room for the full run of cool-season crops plus a warm-season main crop, but the calendar is tight enough that a late spring or early fall frost still decides how much finishes.

Time warm-season transplants to your last hard freeze, and a few weeks of season extension turns a near-miss harvest into a sure one.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Levant 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 Levant is in

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

What that means for soil

What Grows in Levant

Every plant below cleared Levant's own zone 6a and its 182-day season. Each card opens that plant's Kansas profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in KansasZones 2–11Levant's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Kansas hazelnut guideZones 4–9Levant's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in KansasZones 5–8Levant's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Kansas growing notesZones 2–11Levant's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Growing blackberry in KansasZones 5–8Levant's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
Kansas california poppy guideZones 6–10Levant's 6a is its exact cold limit.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in KansasZones 2–10Levant's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
cranberry, photograph
Cranberry: Kansas growing notesZones 2–7Levant's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
St. Johns wort, photograph
Growing st. johns wort in KansasZones 3–8Levant's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Kansas kale guideZones 2–11Levant's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Pawpaw in KansasZones 5–9Levant's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Turkish rocket: Kansas growing notesLevant's 182 days clear the ~90 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in KansasZones 2–11Levant's 182 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Kansas okra guideZones 2–12Levant's 182 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in KansasZones 2–11Levant's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Kansas growing notesZones 3–8Levant's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in KansasZones 2–11Levant's 182 days clear the ~70 it needs.
azalea, photograph
Kansas azalea guideZones 4–8Levant's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in KansasZones 3–8Levant's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Kansas growing notesZones 3–10Levant's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in KansasLevant's 182 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Kansas lilac guideZones 4–10Levant's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
American bittersweet, photograph
American bittersweet in KansasZones 3–8Levant's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Kansas growing notesZones 6–8Levant's 6a is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in KansasZones 3–9Levant's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Kansas ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Levant's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in KansasZones 2–7Levant's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
blue spruce, photograph
Blue spruce: Kansas growing notesZones 2–8Levant's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in KansasZones 2–10Levant's 182 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Canada wild rye, photograph
Kansas canada wild rye guideZones 3–8Levant's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Levant?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 22; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 19 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 18 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. As the window narrows, the plantings just get faster — fall brassicas, then greens, then garlic to finish.

Documented around Levant

Survey cells within 31 miles of Levant checked for spotted lanternfly, none carrying a detection — a surveyed negative, not an absence of looking. Nearest documented record 540 miles off. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Levant

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

  1. 08S 34W 06CBC 01Nitrate · 1.6 mi
  2. LEVANTS CORNERUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.9 mi
  3. 08S 34W 18CB 01Nitrate · 2.7 mi
  4. 08S 34W 05AAA 01Nitrate · 3.5 mi
  5. 08S 35W 18AAA 01Nitrate · 3.9 mi
  6. CRANSTON FARMSUnderground Storage Tanks · 4.0 mi
  7. CRANSTON CATTLECAFO · 4.0 mi
  8. MAZANEC CATTLE COMPANY, LLCCAFO · 4.0 mi
  9. 07S 35W 10CCC 01Nitrate · 4.7 mi
  10. WARREN'S IGAUnderground Storage Tanks · 6.6 mi
  11. 09S 35W 12ABA 01Nitrate · 6.7 mi
  12. SROUFE OIL COUnderground Storage Tanks · 6.9 mi

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

Measured from Levant'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 Levant.

Total Sites

156

within ~10 miles of Levant

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

2 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Levant

High2Moderate68Low86

Highest-Severity Sites

Ace Services
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Colby, City of
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
06S 35W 25BCC 01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
06S 35W 25BCC 01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
06S 35W 26ACD 01
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Levant, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Levant — CAFO (4 sites) and Nitrate (52 sites). That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.

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 Levant

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 Levant average

Your land is one point inside Levant

Everything above resolves to Levant as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 646 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 Levant Average

Levant Average

  • USDA Zones 6a, averaged across Levant
  • One soil character for all of Levant
  • Frost dates read at Levant's scale: Apr 19 to Oct 18

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Levant

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Levant averages 182Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Levant

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 Levant’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 Levant

When does frost risk typically end in Levant?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Levant typically lands around Apr 19, 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 May 10.

When is the first frost in Levant?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Levant typically arrives around Oct 18, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 4, so the watching starts about Sep 18 — about 182 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Levant?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Levant sees about 182 frost-free days — roughly Apr 19 through Oct 18, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 10 to Oct 4, about 147 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Levant?

The federal record around Levant is a meaningful one — 156 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (65), the nearest Nitrate record about 1.6 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 Levant?

From about Sep 18 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 18 (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 18. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Levant's scale — its 6a band and its 182-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Levant'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 Levant’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Levant's own scale — its own ~182-day season between 28°F freezes, the 646 acres it covers and 156 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Levant's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Levant's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 19 and Oct 18 and the ~182-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 156 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Levant, the closest Nitrate record about 1.6 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Levant's boundary and the 646 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6a and a ~182-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Levant's own centroid, the High PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • Lanternfly survey cells around Levant 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 Levant's 646 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Thomas County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Thomas 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 Thomas County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Levant's 646 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Levant you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 646 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Nitrate record about 1.6 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 Levant-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address