Cook County, in Minnesota, sits in USDA hardiness zone 4b — room for a real mix of vegetables, fruit, and perennials matched to the local frost calendar.
A short list that earns its place here — honeycrisp apple, wild rice, tomato, and red pine — with any one site's soil, sun, and drainage making the final cut.
Grounded in USDA PHZM 2023 · Growable Ground suitability scoring · NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
Cook County holds more than one microclimate.
Soils and elevations shift across Cook 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
4b
Last Hard Freeze (28°F)
May 2
County normal — light frosts run a few weeks later
First Hard Freeze (28°F)
Oct 25
County normal — light frosts arrive a few weeks earlier
County Area
930K acres
Hardiness Zone Range
Zone maps are averages across Cook County. Your yard's slope, trees, and frost pockets shift what actually grows — see your land's exact reading.
Soil in Cook County
Across Cook County, the ground is predominantly Inceptisols, where Eveleth, Conic, and Rifle are the most extensive named soil series. The soil is generally well drained with a stony loam surface. Topsoil pH runs about 4.9–5.5, strongly acidic. Rainfall drains through hydrologic group C soils.
Soil order
Inceptisols
Drainage
Well drained
Hydric soils
32%
Soil still varies lot by lot — soil types explained.
What Grows in Cook County
Plants matched to Cook County's USDA zones 4b — each links to its full growing profile.
Is it too late to plant in Cook County?
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 Apr 4; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near May 2 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 25 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Even past midsummer there is room for a true fall garden here, and garlic planted near the close carries the momentum into next year.
Growing Challenges in Minnesota
What an experienced grower plans around here — each one has a move.
Extreme cold (zone 3a: -40F) limits many species
Plant to zone 3 realities and the garden thrives — the hardy-plant palette here is deeper than most catalogs suggest.
Short growing season (100-140 frost-free days)
Start transplants indoors and add a cold frame — the standard Minnesota moves that stretch a short season into a full one.
Heavy clay soils in the Red River Valley
Valley clay grows world-class crops once drainage is handled — raised beds do it instantly, compost does it permanently.
For cultivar selection, pest pressure, and planting-time guidance specific to Minnesota, the University of Minnesota Extension is the authoritative local source.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across Cook County — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across Cook County — 145 documented sites across 5 of the 9 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 1 Toxics Release Inventory facility. Active industrial facilities reporting chemical releases to air, water, and land.
The federal record across Cook County is a modest one — a typical footprint for a growing area. Nothing here calls for alarm; it's worth knowing which recorded sites sit closest to where you grow, and each one on the map carries its type and location. If one turns out to be a near neighbor, a one-time soil test settles the question.
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.
Total Sites
145
across Cook County
Risk Level
Moderate
Highest-severity
1 Toxics Release Inventory facility
Sources Checked
across Cook County
Severity Distribution
across Cook County
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around Cook County, Nitrate runs higher than the national average — 46 sites nearby. That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.
Nitrate: Nitrate contamination primarily comes from agricultural fertilizer runoff and failing septic systems.
Test well water for nitrate if you rely on a private well for irrigation (EPA standard: 10 mg/L).
Check your specific parcel in Cook 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
Cook County Average
- ●USDA Zones 4b
- ●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 Cook County
Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Cook County, Minnesota — 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 Cook County, Minnesota
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4b (USDA PHZM 2023)
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): May 2 (county normal, NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals — light frosts can follow for a few weeks)
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 25 (county normal, NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals — light frosts can arrive a few weeks earlier)
- Days Between Hard Freezes: ~176 (county normal, NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals)
- County Land Area: 930K 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 Cook 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 Cook County, Minnesota?
Cook County sits in USDA hardiness zone 4b, per the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Zones reflect average annual extreme minimum temperatures from 1991–2020 weather data.
Is it too late to plant in Cook County?
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 Apr 4; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near May 2 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 25 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Even past midsummer there is room for a true fall garden here, and garlic planted near the close carries the momentum into next year.
When does frost risk typically end in Cook County?
The last hard freeze (28°F) in Cook County typically lands around May 2, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — an earlier marker than the light-frost dates many planting charts quote. 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.
How long is the growing season in Cook County?
Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Cook County sees about 176 frost-free days — roughly May 2 through Oct 25, per 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.
What vegetables grow in Cook County?
Cook County's zone 4b supports a wide range — strong performers include Honeycrisp Apple, Wild Rice, Tomato, and Red Pine. 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 Cook County, really?
Officially, Cook County sits in USDA zone 4b (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 Cook County?
The federal record around Cook County shows 145 documented sites — a typical footprint for a growing area, and proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard. It's worth seeing which recorded sites sit closest to where you grow, and testing the soil before new food beds near any of them.
Just moved to Cook County — what should I know before planting?
Start with three facts. Cook County sits in USDA zone 4b, which sets what survives winter; the last 28°F hard freeze typically clears around May 2, with about 176 frost-free days to work with (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and 145 documented sites sit on the federal record — a typical footprint for a growing area, worth a look on the contamination map before food beds. From there, matching plants to your actual soil and sun is the fun part.
Everything on this page is a Cook 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 Minnesota's frost window, season length, and soil profile against the plant's real requirements.