Kentucky spans USDA hardiness zones 6a-7a, with a growing season of about 220 frost-free days — a season with slack in it: successions, late sowings, and long-maturing crops all fit.
The climate hand here is 42-52 inches of annual rainfall, a median of roughly 4,200 growing-degree days (base 50°F), and about 900 winter chill hours for tree fruit — the numbers that decide what ripens comfortably and what runs out of runway. Soils here lean toward silt loam, clay loam, limestone-derived, and alluvial, and each drains differently — the single trait that most often decides whether a crop takes hold. What grows in Kentucky depends on where in it you stand — Appalachia and Kentucky Bluegrass each run on their own zones and frost timing. Among the crops suited to this profile: pawpaw, tomato, blackberry, and redbud. The site-level story — soil, sun, drainage — decides the rest.
Grounded inUSDA PHZM 2023•NOAA Climate Normals•USDA NRCS SSURGO•GDD aggregate (Cornell CALS)•Chill-hour aggregate (MSU Extension)•USDA hardiness sub-region map•EPA FRS•USDA PLANTS•Growable Ground suitability scoring
Kentucky spans zones 6a-7a, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and low spots nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score 1,112 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Distinct growing regions within Kentucky — each has its own zones, soils, and signature crops.
USDA Zones
6a-7a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last Frost
Apr 5 - Apr 25
NOAA 30-yr Normals
First Frost
Oct 10 - Oct 30
NOAA 30-yr Normals
Annual Rainfall
42-52 inches
NOAA Climate Normals
Zone maps are averages across Kentucky. Your yard's slope, trees, and frost pockets shift what actually grows — see your land's exact reading.
The soil types that dominate Kentucky — how each drains decides more about crop success than almost anything else. Tap any soil to learn what it is and how to work with it.
Drainage
Moderate. Silt holds water well and releases it steadily, though the fine particles can crust after hard rain and compact under traffic.
What thrives
The full vegetable garden does well here, and small grains, corn, and leafy greens are classic silt-loam crops. Its steady moisture suits shallow-rooted plants that dislike drought stress.
No verified open-license photo yet — this loam is close kin to the loam and silt-loam profiles above.
Drainage
Slow to moderate. Water lingers in the root zone longer than in loam, which is a gift in dry summers and a challenge in wet springs.
What thrives
Heavy feeders that appreciate steady moisture — brassicas, corn, beans, and many fruit trees. Perennials with strong root systems establish well once they are through the first season.
Drainage
Good to fast: fractured limestone under the soil carries water away quickly, and shallow profiles dry sooner than deep ones.
What thrives
Lime-loving plants prosper — lavender, thyme, sage, brassicas, beets, figs, and wine grapes have limestone pedigrees worldwide. Many native wildflowers of glade and prairie are limestone specialists.
Drainage
Usually good: rivers sort their loads, and most alluvial soils have enough sand and silt to move water while holding plenty for roots. Low-lying pockets can run wet.
What thrives
Nearly everything — vegetables, orchards, vines, and berries all prosper on alluvium. Its depth lets roots go as far down as they care to.
Soil data: USDA NRCS SSURGO · Soil types explained
Plants well-suited to Kentucky's climate, soils, and growing season — each links to its full growing profile.
Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Across Kentucky, cool-season planting typically opens about four weeks before the local last hard freeze — county medians put that freeze near Mar 5, with the middle half of counties between Feb 26 and Mar 8 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals). Tender transplants wait two to three weeks past it, and fall planting counts back from first freezes mostly between Nov 26 and Dec 3 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Here the calendar nearly circles: cool-season crops take the winter shift, and the next window is always close.
The plants Kentucky put its name on — cultural emblems, not growing recommendations.
Goldenrod
Solidago gigantea
Designated 1926.
Liriodendron tulipifera
Designated 1994. In our plant library — see its full growing profile.
Plants the USDA PLANTS Database documents as native and present in Kentucky — a real per-state range, not just a zone match. Presence is statewide, so a plant may still be uncommon in your specific county; your state’s Cooperative Extension or a native-plant society is the local authority.
US-native plants whose hardiness range overlaps Kentucky’s USDA zones 6a-7a but which USDA PLANTS doesn’t map to a single state range here. Zone overlap is a starting filter, not a range map.
What an experienced grower plans around here — each one has a move.
Heavy clay soils in the Bluegrass region
Bluegrass clay opens up with steady compost — or start above it in a raised bed and grow while the ground improves.
High humidity promotes fungal diseases
Space wide, water mornings at the base, and favor resistant varieties — your extension's disease-resistant lists earn their keep here.
Karst topography creates drainage unpredictability
Karst ground drains erratically — watch where water goes in a hard rain before siting beds, and mound up where it lingers.
For cultivar selection, pest pressure, and planting-time guidance specific to Kentucky, the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension is the authoritative local source.
Safe to Grow Here?What the federal record shows across Kentucky — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Kentucky — 25,103 documented sites across 8 of the 9 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 219 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Kentucky carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Severity Distribution
across Kentucky
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around Kentucky, two things run higher than the national average — Underground Storage Tanks (16,761 sites) and PFAS (221 sites). Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.
Underground Storage Tanks: Underground storage tanks are the single most common source of soil contamination near homes and gardens.
PFAS: PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are called "forever chemicals" because they do not biodegrade.
Use raised beds with imported soil — this eliminates the primary soil-contact pathway.
Test irrigation water source — this is the primary pathway for PFAS to reach garden crops.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.
State averages sketch the shape. Your soil, sun exposure, drainage, and microclimate decide what actually takes. Pull a site-specific report for your exact parcel.
Enter your address. We read your soil, sun, drainage, and frost dates, then score 1,112 plants against the real conditions on your land.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
Kentucky spans USDA hardiness zones 6a-7a, per the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Zones reflect average annual extreme minimum temperatures from 1991–2020 weather data.
Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Across Kentucky, cool-season planting typically opens about four weeks before the local last hard freeze — county medians put that freeze near Mar 5, with the middle half of counties between Feb 26 and Mar 8 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals). Tender transplants wait two to three weeks past it, and fall planting counts back from first freezes mostly between Nov 26 and Dec 3 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Here the calendar nearly circles: cool-season crops take the winter shift, and the next window is always close.
Across Kentucky, the middle half of counties see their last hard freeze (28°F) between about Feb 26 and Mar 8, with a county median near Mar 5 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals). That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost — light frosts can still bite for a few more weeks, so tender transplants usually wait another 2–3 weeks.
Measured between 28°F hard freezes, growing seasons across Kentucky's counties mostly run about 263 to 279 days, with a county median near 268 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals). Tender crops get a somewhat shorter practical window, since lighter frosts reach a few weeks past the hard-freeze dates on both ends.
Kentucky's zones 6a-7a support a wide range — strong performers include Pawpaw, Tomato, Blackberry, Redbud, and Kentucky Bluegrass. What actually takes on any one site comes down to its soil, sun, and drainage, and we score each plant against the real conditions at your address.
Officially, Kentucky spans USDA zones 6a-7a (USDA PHZM 2023) — but a zone is a 30-year average of winter's coldest night across an area, and it can't see any one yard. A south-facing slope, a tree line, or a low frost pocket can shift a single site by half a zone either way, which is why neighboring gardeners often quote different numbers. We read the conditions at your exact address — soil, sun, slope, and frost — and score 1,112 plants against what's actually there.
The federal record across Kentucky runs heavier than most — 25,103 documented sites — so test the soil before planting food in the ground, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well in the meantime. Even here, proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what's recorded and where.
Start with three facts. Kentucky spans USDA zones 6a-7a, which sets what survives winter; last hard freezes range from about Feb 26 to Mar 8 across its counties (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and 25,103 documented sites sit on the federal record here, so a soil test before food beds is the smart first step. From there, matching plants to your actual soil and sun is the fun part.
Everything on this page is a Kentucky average. Your yard writes its own version — we read soil, sun, drainage, and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.
Explore growing conditions by county — each has its own zone range and land area.
Explore growing conditions by city or town in Kentucky.
Kentucky shares its dominant growing region with these states — a useful comparison if you're weighing where a crop will behave the same way.
