What Grows in Green Spring, Kentucky

USDA Zones 7a · 171 acres

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

Crops well matched to these conditions include cabbage, hazelnut, california poppy, and collard greens — though what thrives on any one site still turns on its specific soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Green Spring — the short answer

Green Spring, Kentucky: USDA zone 7a, about 238 days between hard freezes, across 171 acres of city.

USDA zone
7a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Mar 21
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 14
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~238
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
City area
171 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 Green Spring's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Green Spring's 238-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Green Spring

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

Season length

Measured

Green Spring runs about 238 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

Green Spring 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 Green Spring is in

Green Spring sits in the Interior Plateau — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Green Spring's own centroid rather than borrowed from Jefferson County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Green Spring

Every plant below cleared Green Spring's own zone 7a and its 238-day season. Each card opens that plant's Kentucky profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in KentuckyZones 2–11Green Spring's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Kentucky hazelnut guideZones 4–9Green Spring's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in KentuckyZones 6–10Green Spring's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Kentucky growing notesZones 2–11Green Spring's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in KentuckyZones 5–9Green Spring's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Kentucky lavender guideZones 5–8Green Spring's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in KentuckyZones 2–10Green Spring's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pecan, photograph
Pecan: Kentucky growing notesZones 5–9Green Spring's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in KentuckyGreen Spring's 238 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Kentucky kale guideZones 2–11Green Spring's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear in KentuckyZones 5–10Green Spring's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Kentucky growing notesZones 2–11Green Spring's 238 days clear the ~70 it needs.
apple, photograph
Growing apple in KentuckyZones 3–8Green Spring's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Kentucky okra guideZones 2–12Green Spring's 238 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in KentuckyZones 2–11Green Spring's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Kentucky growing notesZones 3–10Green Spring's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in KentuckyZones 2–11Green Spring's 238 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Kentucky apache plume guideZones 5–11Green Spring's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in KentuckyZones 3–8Green Spring's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Kentucky growing notesZones 3–8Green Spring's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in KentuckyGreen Spring's 238 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Kentucky holly guideZones 5–11Green Spring's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in KentuckyZones 3–9Green Spring's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Kentucky growing notesZones 6–8Green Spring's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in KentuckyZones 3–9Green Spring's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Kentucky ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Green Spring's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in KentuckyZones 2–7Green Spring's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Kentucky growing notesZones 4–10Green Spring's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in KentuckyZones 5–10Green Spring's 238 days clear the ~45 it needs.
Eastern gamagrass, photograph
Kentucky eastern gamagrass guideZones 5–9Green Spring's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Green Spring?

Too late for some crops, right on time for others — a growing season is a sequence, not a deadline. Cool-season crops can go in from around Feb 21; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Mar 21 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 14 — 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.

Documented around Green Spring

Survey cells within 31 miles of Green Spring 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.

What's on the federal record near Green Spring

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

  1. Harrods Creek Imports IncUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.2 mi
  2. Harrods Creek Fire DeptUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.4 mi
  3. KROGER CO - STORE 389-24Brownfields · 1.5 mi
  4. Circle K #3244Underground Storage Tanks · 1.6 mi
  5. Circle K #3243Underground Storage Tanks · 1.6 mi
  6. Kroger Fuel L-389Underground Storage Tanks · 1.6 mi
  7. Worthington Vol Fire DeptUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.6 mi
  8. Five Points Food Mart #1Underground Storage Tanks · 1.7 mi
  9. Harrods Creek Boat HarborUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.8 mi
  10. Juniper Beach Docks LlcUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.9 mi
  11. Metro Services IncUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.9 mi
  12. South Central Lsvlkyhc 51153Underground Storage Tanks · 1.9 mi

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

Measured from Green Spring'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 Green Spring.

Total Sites

1,774

within ~10 miles of Green Spring

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

13 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Green Spring

High3Moderate450Low1,321

Highest-Severity Sites

Globe Union/ Louisville, Ky.
Mining Sites · Unknown
West Shelby Water District
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Airgas Specialty Products INC., Jeffersonville, in
Toxics Release Inventory · 4713wrgssp5142p
Airguard Industries INC
Toxics Release Inventory · 40232rgrdn3807b
Airguard Industries INC.
Toxics Release Inventory · 40299rgrdn2501a

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Green Spring, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Green Spring — Underground Storage Tanks (1,243 sites) and Toxics Release Inventory (109 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.

Toxics Release Inventory: TRI facilities report annual chemical releases to air, water, and land.

Use raised beds with imported soil — this eliminates the primary soil-contact pathway.

Check prevailing wind direction — downwind parcels face higher exposure than upwind or crosswind locations.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Green Spring

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 Green Spring average

Your land is one point inside Green Spring

Everything above resolves to Green Spring as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 171 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 Green Spring Average

Green Spring Average

  • USDA Zones 7a, averaged across Green Spring
  • One soil character for all of Green Spring
  • Frost dates read at Green Spring's scale: Mar 21 to Nov 14

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Green Spring

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Green Spring averages 238Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Green Spring

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 Green Spring’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 Green Spring

When does frost risk typically end in Green Spring?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Green Spring typically lands around Mar 21, 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 11.

When is the first frost in Green Spring?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Green Spring typically arrives around Nov 14, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 31, so the watching starts about Oct 15 — about 238 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Green Spring?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Green Spring sees about 238 frost-free days — roughly Mar 21 through Nov 14, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 11 to Oct 31, about 203 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Green Spring?

The federal record around Green Spring is a meaningful one — 1,774 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (1,243), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 1.2 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 Green Spring?

From about Oct 15 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 14 (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 14. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Green Spring's scale — its 7a band and its 238-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Green Spring'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 Green Spring’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Green Spring's own scale — its own ~238-day season between 28°F freezes, the 171 acres it covers and 1,774 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Green Spring's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Green Spring's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Mar 21 and Nov 14 and the ~238-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 1,774 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Green Spring, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 1.2 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Green Spring's boundary and the 171 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7a and a ~238-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Green Spring's own centroid, the Interior PlateauUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • Lanternfly survey cells around Green Spring 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 Green Spring's 171 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Jefferson County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Jefferson County
  • The growing challenges every Kentucky grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Kentucky
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Jefferson County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Green Spring's 171 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Green Spring you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 171 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 1.2 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 Green Spring-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address