Jefferson County, in Louisiana, sits in USDA hardiness zone 9b — enough range to grow cool-season vegetables, hardy fruit, and warm-season crops that mature before the first hard frost.
Reliable performers under these conditions include satsuma orange, okra, pecan, and muscadine grape; what your own ground favors still comes down to its soil, sun, and drainage.
Jefferson County lies within the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi Delta — a regional growing area with its own character.
Grounded in USDA PHZM 2023 · Growable Ground suitability scoring
Jefferson County holds more than one microclimate.
Soils and elevations shift across Jefferson County, so your frost dates and drainage aren't the county average. 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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Quick Facts
USDA Zones
9b
Last Frost (state avg.)
Feb 15 - Mar 15
First Frost (state avg.)
Nov 10 - Dec 10
County Area
193K acres
Hardiness Zone Range
Growing Season
Zone maps are averages across Jefferson County. Your yard's slope, trees, and frost pockets shift what actually grows — see your land's exact reading.
Soil in Jefferson County
Across Jefferson County, the ground is predominantly Histosols, where Lafitte, Kenner, and Schriever are the most extensive named soil series. The soil is generally very poorly drained with a clay surface. Topsoil pH runs about 6.2–7.3, neutral. Rainfall drains through hydrologic group D soils.
Soil order
Histosols
Drainage
Very poorly drained
Prime farmland
12%
Hydric soils
89%
Soil still varies lot by lot — soil types explained.
What Grows in Jefferson County
Plants matched to Jefferson County's USDA zones 9b — each links to its full growing profile.
Growing Challenges in Louisiana
What an experienced grower plans around here — each one has a move.
Extreme humidity and rainfall promote rot and fungal diseases
Raised rows, morning base-watering, and generous spacing keep the wet at bay — extension's resistant-variety lists do the rest.
Poor drainage in delta and coastal areas
Where ground stays wet, grow up — mounded rows and raised beds keep roots breathing through the wettest months.
Hurricane damage risk from June through November
Wind-tough perennials, proper staking, and fall crops in movable containers take the sting out of storm season.
For cultivar selection, pest pressure, and planting-time guidance specific to Louisiana, the LSU AgCenter is the authoritative local source.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across Jefferson County — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Jefferson County — 3,229 documented sites across 6 of the 9 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 5 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
Jefferson County 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.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.
Environmental Intelligence
Understanding what's nearby helps you make informed decisions about where and how to grow.
Sources Checked
across Jefferson County
Severity Distribution
across Jefferson County
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around Jefferson County, Brownfields runs higher than the national average — 2,089 sites nearby. Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.
Brownfields: Brownfield sites are former commercial or industrial properties where legacy soil contamination (heavy metals, PAHs, petroleum compounds) may persist.
Check EPA brownfield remediation status — many sites have completed cleanup with institutional controls.
Check your specific parcel in Jefferson County
Get exact proximity distances to contamination sources for your specific parcel — plus soil, sun, drainage, and 1,112 plant recommendations.
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
Your Specific Parcel Matters
Jefferson County Average
- ●USDA Zones 9b
- ●Generic soil type for the area
- ●State-average frost dates
YOUR Parcel
- ✓Your exact hardiness zone
- ✓Your SSURGO soil type & pH
- ✓Your sun exposure, cast in 3D
See MY Growing Report
Read your parcel in Jefferson County
Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Jefferson County, Louisiana — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, and scored plant recommendations.
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
Key Growing Facts for Jefferson County, Louisiana
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 9b (USDA PHZM 2023)
- Last Spring Frost (state avg.): Feb 15 - Mar 15 (NOAA 30-Year Climate Normals)
- First Fall Frost (state avg.): Nov 10 - Dec 10 (NOAA 30-Year Climate Normals)
- County Land Area: 193K acres (US Census TIGER 2025)
Zone data: USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Climate data: NOAA NCEI. County boundaries: US Census TIGER/Line 2025.
Frost dates here are the Jefferson County average. Low spots and tree cover move them by days on any one yard — see your exact frost windows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zone is Jefferson County, Louisiana?
Jefferson County sits in USDA hardiness zone 9b, per the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Zones reflect average annual extreme minimum temperatures from 1991–2020 weather data.
When does frost risk typically end in Jefferson County?
Jefferson County follows Louisiana's statewide frost window: last spring frost around Feb 15 - Mar 15 and first fall frost around Nov 10 - Dec 10, per NOAA 30-year climate normals (1991–2020). Frost dates shift with elevation and local microclimate, so watch your own site's cold pockets.
What vegetables grow in Jefferson County?
Jefferson County's zone 9b supports a wide range — strong performers include Satsuma Orange, Okra, Pecan, Muscadine Grape, and Live Oak. 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.
Which hardiness zone is Jefferson County, really?
Officially, Jefferson County sits in USDA zone 9b (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.
Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Jefferson County?
The federal record around Jefferson County runs heavier than most — 3,229 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.
Just moved to Jefferson County — what should I know before planting?
Start with three facts. Jefferson County sits in USDA zone 9b, which sets what survives winter; the statewide frost window runs about Feb 15 - Mar 15 to Nov 10 - Dec 10 (NOAA 30-year climate normals); and 3,229 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 Jefferson County 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.
Will It Grow Here?
Zone fit is the first question — each answer below reads Louisiana's frost window, season length, and soil profile against the plant's real requirements.