What Grows in Breedsville, Michigan

USDA Zones 6a · 416 acres

Breedsville, Michigan, 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.

These conditions suit cabbage, blackberry, california poppy, and collard greens — a starting list any specific site will trim or extend with its own soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

No card required · your full report in seconds

Breedsville — the short answer

Breedsville, Michigan: USDA zone 6a, about 178 days between hard freezes, across 416 acres of town.

USDA zone
6a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 27
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 22
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~178
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
416 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 Breedsville's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Breedsville's 178-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Breedsville

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

Season length

Measured

Breedsville runs about 178 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

Breedsville 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 Breedsville is in

Breedsville sits in the Southern Michigan/Northern Indiana Drift Plains — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Breedsville's own centroid rather than borrowed from Van Buren County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Breedsville

Every plant below cleared Breedsville's own zone 6a and its 178-day season. Each card opens that plant's Michigan profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in MichiganZones 2–11Breedsville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Michigan blackberry guideZones 5–8Breedsville's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in MichiganZones 6–10Breedsville's 6a is its exact cold limit.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Michigan growing notesZones 2–11Breedsville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
cranberry, photograph
Growing cranberry in MichiganZones 2–7Breedsville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Michigan lavender guideZones 5–8Breedsville's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in MichiganZones 2–10Breedsville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Pawpaw: Michigan growing notesZones 5–9Breedsville's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
St. Johns wort, photograph
Growing st. johns wort in MichiganZones 3–8Breedsville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Michigan kale guideZones 2–11Breedsville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
pecan, photograph
Pecan in MichiganZones 5–9Breedsville's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Turkish rocket: Michigan growing notesBreedsville's 178 days clear the ~90 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in MichiganZones 2–11Breedsville's 178 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Michigan okra guideZones 2–12Breedsville's 178 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in MichiganZones 2–11Breedsville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Michigan growing notesZones 3–8Breedsville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in MichiganZones 2–11Breedsville's 178 days clear the ~70 it needs.
azalea, photograph
Michigan azalea guideZones 4–8Breedsville's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in MichiganZones 3–8Breedsville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Michigan growing notesZones 3–10Breedsville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in MichiganBreedsville's 178 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Michigan lilac guideZones 4–10Breedsville's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
American bittersweet, photograph
American bittersweet in MichiganZones 3–8Breedsville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Michigan growing notesZones 6–8Breedsville's 6a is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in MichiganZones 3–9Breedsville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Michigan ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Breedsville's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in MichiganZones 2–7Breedsville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
blue spruce, photograph
Blue spruce: Michigan growing notesZones 2–8Breedsville's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in MichiganZones 2–10Breedsville's 178 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Canada wild rye, photograph
Michigan canada wild rye guideZones 3–8Breedsville's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Breedsville?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 30; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 27 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 22 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. The tail of the season still works: sixty-day crops into late summer, quick greens after, garlic last of all.

Documented around Breedsville

Survey cells within 31 miles of Breedsville checked for spotted lanternfly, none carrying a detection — a surveyed negative, not an absence of looking. Nearest documented record 33 miles off. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Breedsville

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

  1. Bobs MarathonUnderground Storage Tanks · 1800 ft
  2. VILLAGE OF BREEDSVILLEBrownfields · 0.6 mi
  3. 01S 15W 33CDCC01 VAN BUREN CO (VB-5)Nitrate · 1.2 mi
  4. NEAR VN BUR OBS WELL 5, D-34Nitrate · 1.3 mi
  5. LEONE M VELAZQUEZ RESIDENCEBrownfields · 2.0 mi
  6. DRAGONFLY KITCHEN II INCBrownfields · 2.1 mi
  7. Pages Service StationUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.7 mi
  8. Gte North BuildingUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.8 mi
  9. Bill Krohn & Sons ExcavatingUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.8 mi
  10. BANGOR CHEMICAL FIRESuperfund · 3.1 mi
  11. INVERNESS CASTINGS-BANGORToxics Release Inventory · 3.1 mi
  12. INVERNESS CASTINGS-BANGORBrownfields · 3.1 mi

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

Measured from Breedsville'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 Breedsville.

Total Sites

187

within ~10 miles of Breedsville

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

4 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Breedsville

High1Moderate58Low128

Highest-Severity Sites

Burrows Sanitation
Superfund · Superfund NPL
01S 14W 29ad01 Vanburen CO (D-33)
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
01S 14W 29ad01 Vanburen CO (D-33)
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
01S 15W 12adaa01 Van Buren CO (Vb-4)
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
01S 15W 12adaa01 Van Buren CO (Vb-4)
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Breedsville, Superfund runs higher than the national average — 4 sites within ~10 miles of Breedsville. Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.

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

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

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Breedsville

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 Breedsville average

Your land is one point inside Breedsville

Everything above resolves to Breedsville as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 416 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 Breedsville Average

Breedsville Average

  • USDA Zones 6a, averaged across Breedsville
  • One soil character for all of Breedsville
  • Frost dates read at Breedsville's scale: Apr 27 to Oct 22

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Breedsville

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Breedsville averages 178Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Breedsville

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 Breedsville’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 Breedsville

When does frost risk typically end in Breedsville?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Breedsville typically lands around Apr 27, 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 18.

When is the first frost in Breedsville?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Breedsville typically arrives around Oct 22, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 8, so the watching starts about Sep 22 — about 178 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Breedsville?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Breedsville sees about 178 frost-free days — roughly Apr 27 through Oct 22, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 18 to Oct 8, about 143 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Breedsville?

The federal record around Breedsville is a meaningful one — 187 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (101), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 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 Breedsville?

From about Sep 22 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 22 (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 22. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Breedsville's scale — its 6a band and its 178-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Breedsville'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 Breedsville’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Breedsville's own scale — its own ~178-day season between 28°F freezes, the 416 acres it covers and 187 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Breedsville's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Breedsville's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 27 and Oct 22 and the ~178-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 187 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Breedsville, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Breedsville's boundary and the 416 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6a and a ~178-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Breedsville's own centroid, the Southern Michigan/Northern Indiana Drift PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • Lanternfly survey cells around Breedsville 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 Breedsville's 416 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Van Buren County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Van Buren County
  • The growing challenges every Michigan grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Michigan
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Van Buren County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Breedsville's 416 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Breedsville you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 416 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 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 Breedsville-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address