What Grows in Logan County, Kentucky

USDA Zones 7a · 353K acres

Logan County, in Kentucky, sits in USDA hardiness zone 7a — a zone band wide enough that plant choice, not possibility, is the interesting question.

Among the crops suited to this profile: cabbage, hazelnut, california poppy, and collard greens. The site-level story — soil, sun, drainage — decides the rest.

Logan County lies within the Pennyroyal / Pennyrile (South-Central Kentucky Karst Plateau) — a regional growing area with its own character.

Grounded in USDA PHZM 2023 · Growable Ground suitability scoring · NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Score your parcel · free

Logan County holds more than one microclimate.

Soils and elevations shift across Logan County, so your frost dates and drainage aren't the county average. 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 Logan County — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

No card required · your full report in seconds

Logan County — the short answer

Logan County, Kentucky: USDA zone 7a, about 228 days between hard freezes, across 353K acres.

USDA zone
7a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Mar 26
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 9
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F
Days between freezes
~228
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F
County area
353K acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. Hard-freeze dates are county 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 Logan County's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Logan County's 228-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Heat and winter chill in Logan County

Across a year, Logan County accumulates about 4,067 growing degree days above 50°F, about 407 more than the middle Kentucky county — ahead of 91 of Kentucky’s 120 counties. Degree days are the heat a crop actually gets to work with — more of them is more room to ripen a long-season crop before the freeze closes the window.

Winter banks about 2,403 hours below 45°F. Chill is what tells a fruit tree its dormancy is over, and it is set by climate rather than by anything you can build.

Grounded in PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University — 1991–2020 monthly normals

Soil in Logan County

Across Logan County, the ground is predominantly Alfisols, where Pembroke, Talbott, and Caneyville are the most extensive named soil series. The soil is generally well drained with a silt loam surface. Topsoil pH runs about 5.5–5.9, moderately acidic. Rainfall drains through hydrologic group B soils.

Soil order

Alfisols

Drainage

Well drained

Prime farmland

45%

Hydric soils

3%

Soil still varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

How the ground varies across Logan County

The USDA soil survey maps 76% of Logan County as well drained — but another 24% drains differently: 18% moderately well drained, 3% somewhat poorly drained.

Pembroke is the most extensive named soil at 25% of mapped acres, then Talbott (10%) and Caneyville (8%).

Which of them your own lot sits on is a parcel question, not a county one. Check your address for the survey at your boundary.

What this means for growing in Logan County

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

Drainage

Measured

The dominant soils across Logan County are well drained, in hydrologic group B — ground that drains quickly.

The upside is soil you can work early in spring and roots that never drown; the cost is that fast-draining ground dries out fast and leaches nutrients away before plants can use them.

Work in compost and mulch to hold moisture and feed, and water more often in short doses than deep and rarely.

USDA NRCS SSURGO

Surface pH

Measured

Topsoil across Logan County runs about pH 5.5–5.9, on the acidic side.

Blueberries, potatoes, and rhododendrons thrive in it, but most vegetables start locking out nutrients below about pH 6.0 and grow pale and stunted no matter how much you feed them.

A measured lime application raises pH for the crops that need it — but test first, because the right rate depends on your own soil, not the county average.

USDA NRCS SSURGO

Season length

Measured

Logan County runs about 228 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

Logan County 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 Logan County is in

Logan County spans 2 EPA Level III ecoregions — Interior Plateau (93%) and Interior River Valleys and Hills (7%). Which one your land falls in changes what grows wild there and how the ground behaves, and a county-wide answer cannot tell you which.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Logan County

We scored all 1,086 plants against Logan County's own USDA zone 7a and its own 228-day season between hard freezes, using the same matching engine that runs a full parcel report. These cleared both. Sun, soil pH and drainage vary lot by lot — those are the parcel questions below. Each card opens that plant's Kentucky profile.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in KentuckyZones 2–11Logan County's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Kentucky hazelnut guideZones 4–9Logan County's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in KentuckyZones 6–10Logan County's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Kentucky growing notesZones 2–11Logan County's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in KentuckyZones 5–9Logan County's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Kentucky lavender guideZones 5–8Logan County's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in KentuckyZones 2–10Logan County's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pecan, photograph
Pecan: Kentucky growing notesZones 5–9Logan County's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in KentuckyLogan County's 228 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Kentucky kale guideZones 2–11Logan County's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear in KentuckyZones 5–10Logan County's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Kentucky growing notesZones 2–11Logan County's 228 days clear the ~70 it needs.
apple, photograph
Growing apple in KentuckyZones 3–8Logan County's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Kentucky okra guideZones 2–12Logan County's 228 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in KentuckyZones 2–11Logan County's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Kentucky growing notesZones 3–10Logan County's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in KentuckyZones 2–11Logan County's 228 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Kentucky apache plume guideZones 5–11Logan County's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in KentuckyZones 3–8Logan County's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Kentucky growing notesZones 3–8Logan County's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in KentuckyLogan County's 228 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Kentucky holly guideZones 5–11Logan County's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in KentuckyZones 3–9Logan County's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Kentucky growing notesZones 6–8Logan County's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in KentuckyZones 3–9Logan County's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Kentucky ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Logan County's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in KentuckyZones 2–7Logan County's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Kentucky growing notesZones 4–10Logan County's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in KentuckyZones 5–10Logan County's 228 days clear the ~45 it needs.
Eastern gamagrass, photograph
Kentucky eastern gamagrass guideZones 5–9Logan County's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Logan County?

Usually not — gardeners here simply switch what goes in the ground as the season moves. Cool-season crops can go in from around Feb 26; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Mar 26 (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. A long window like this one runs successions deep into fall — and even its last weeks take quick greens and garlic.

Documented around Logan County

Survey cells within 31 miles of Logan County checked for spotted lanternfly, none carrying a detection — a surveyed negative, not an absence of looking. Nearest documented record 47 miles off. What to watch for.

Sighting records, so they follow observers as much as insects.

What gets applied to farmland in Logan County

USGS estimates 265,842 lb of Glyphosate on Logan County farmland in 2019, its largest by weight, ahead of Metolachlor & Metolachlor-s (119,485 lb) and Atrazine (115,064 lb).

Farmland across the whole county, not any one lot. Check your address for the site-by-site record.

Safe to Grow Here?

What the federal record shows across Logan County — and how to grow with it.

Federal record: Elevated

We checked the federal record across Logan County184 documented sites across 7 of the 9 source types we track.

The most significant on record: 3 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.

There's a meaningful federal record across Logan County — worth a look before you plant food, not a reason to hold back from growing. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard. A soil test before new food beds is the sensible precaution here, and the map shows exactly which sites sit where, so you can see what's actually near you.

Sources: EPA, USGS1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.

What's on the federal record near Logan County

Closest first, across Logan County. Listing isn't leaking, and distance isn't exposure.

  1. RUSSELLVILLE MUN WATER WORKSPFAS · 0 ft
  2. SOUTH LOGAN WATER ASSOCIATIONPFAS · 0 ft
  3. EAST LOGAN WATER DISTRICTPFAS · 0 ft
  4. Southern States Russellville CooperativeUnderground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  5. Handi Foods MartUnderground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  6. Circle K #3357Underground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  7. The Kentucky Stone CoUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.5 mi
  8. USA FuelUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  9. Shree Mahalaxmi IncUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  10. Former State BarnUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.7 mi
  11. Scotts Auburn MillsUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.8 mi
  12. J12C0009Nitrate · 0.8 mi

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

Measured from Logan County'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 Logan County.

Total Sites

184

across Logan County

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

3 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

across Logan County

High3Moderate50Low131

Highest-Severity Sites

Caldwell Lace Leather CO., INC.
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Russellville Mun Water Works
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Simpson County Water District
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Auburn Hosiery Mills
Toxics Release Inventory · 42206brnhs113nm
Adairville Bp Market
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Logan County, two things run higher than the national average across Logan County — PFAS (5 sites) and Superfund (3 sites). It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

PFAS: PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are called "forever chemicals" because they do not biodegrade.

Superfund: Superfund sites represent the most severe contamination in the federal system.

Test irrigation water source — this is the primary pathway for PFAS to reach garden crops.

Commission professional soil testing before any food production (test for heavy metals, VOCs, and SVOCs).

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Logan County

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 Logan County average

Your land is one point inside Logan County

Everything above resolves to Logan County as a whole — one PHZM band and one county frost record, read across 353K 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 county 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 county average.

Your Lot vs the Logan County Average

Logan County Average

  • USDA Zones 7a, averaged across Logan County
  • One soil character for all of Logan County
  • Frost dates read at Logan County's scale: Mar 26 to Nov 9

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your parcel in Logan County

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Logan County averages 228Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Logan County

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at county grain; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at this county’s own record where one resolves, and the labelled statewide window where none does; soils from the USDA NRCS SSURGO survey, area-weighted across the county’s own map units; boundaries and acreage from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination and pesticide records from the federal sources named in their beats above. Where Logan County carries no record of its own, the figure is inherited and labelled — the resolution ledger below names each.

Common questions about Logan County

When does frost risk typically end in Logan County?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Logan County typically lands around Mar 26, 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 16.

How long is the growing season in Logan County?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Logan County sees about 228 frost-free days — roughly Mar 26 through Nov 9, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 16 to Oct 26, about 193 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Logan County?

The federal record around Logan County is a meaningful one — 184 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (140), the nearest PFAS record under a tenth of a mile 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.

Everything above is measured at Logan County's scale — its 7a band and its 228-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Logan County'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 Logan County’s own scale

9 of the readings below were taken at Logan County's own scale — its own ~228-day span between 28°F freezes, the 3 most extensive soil series mapped here and 184 documented sites inside its boundary; one is borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Logan County's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Logan County's own 28°F hard-freeze dates and its ~228-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • The soil order, drainage, surface pH, and the 3 most extensive named soil series mapped in Logan CountyUSDA NRCS SSURGO
  • 184 documented contamination sites inside the county boundary, distance-sorted from its center — the closest PFAS record under a tenth of a mile outFederal environmental registers
  • Logan County's boundary and the 353,422 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7a and a ~228-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The 2 ecoregions Logan County spans, Interior Plateau the largestUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • Open occurrence records documented in Logan County for a tracked speciesGBIF derived datasets (CC0 / CC BY 4.0)
  • Which agricultural compounds go onto Logan County farmland, and roughly how muchUSGS NAWQA EPest county estimates

Inherited from a wider read

  • The growing challenges every Kentucky grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Kentucky

What this page can’t tell you

  • How the season shifts across Logan County — the ~228 days above is one reading at its centre; the 12 towns below each carry their owntowns in this county
  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Logan County's 353,422 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which of those 184 documented sites actually reaches your soil — that needs your address, the wind, and the groundwater directionhow we read the record
  • Where cold air settles, which slopes face the sun, and which way the wind runs on your own ground — none of it survives being averaged over Logan Countyread your own land
Go one step finer: towns in Logan County