What Grows in Lumberton, Mississippi

USDA Zones 8b · 5K acres

Lumberton, Mississippi, sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b — a band that supports both cool-season staples and warm-season crops chosen to fit the local frost window.

Well-matched crops include cabbage, fig, california poppy, and collard greens, and the gap between "grows in the area" and "grows in your yard" is closed by soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Lumberton — the short answer

Lumberton, Mississippi: USDA zone 8b, about 290 days between hard freezes, across 5K acres of city.

USDA zone
8b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Feb 16
Lamar County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Dec 3
Lamar County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~290
Lamar County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
City area
5K acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. No 30-year normal resolves at this town’s own centroid, so the hard-freeze dates are Lamar County’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

8b8b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 8b is Lumberton's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Lumberton's 290-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Lumberton

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

Season length

From county records

Lumberton runs about 290 days between hard freezes (read from Lamar County, the closest normal to Lumberton) — close to year-round growing.

Frost is rarely the limit here; winter plantings are as real as summer ones, and the harder question is which crops shrug off the summer heat.

Grow cool-season crops through the mild winter, and choose heat-tolerant varieties for the summer beds.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Lumberton sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b.

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 Lumberton is in

Lumberton sits in the Southeastern Plains — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Lumberton's own centroid rather than borrowed from Lamar County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Lumberton

Every plant below cleared Lumberton's own zone 8b and its 290-day season. Each card opens that plant's Mississippi profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in MississippiZones 2–11Lumberton's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Mississippi fig guideZones 6–10Lumberton's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in MississippiZones 6–10Lumberton's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Mississippi growing notesZones 2–11Lumberton's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
loquat, photograph
Growing loquat in MississippiZones 7–10Lumberton's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
rosemary, photograph
Mississippi rosemary guideZones 8–10Lumberton's 8b is its exact cold limit.
kale, photograph
Kale in MississippiZones 2–11Lumberton's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pomegranate, photograph
Pomegranate: Mississippi growing notesZones 7–10Lumberton's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Growing lavender in MississippiZones 5–8Lumberton's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Mississippi lentil guideZones 2–11Lumberton's 290 days clear the ~70 it needs.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear in MississippiZones 5–10Lumberton's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Okra: Mississippi growing notesZones 2–12Lumberton's 290 days clear the ~50 it needs.
almond, photograph
Growing almond in MississippiZones 5–9Lumberton's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
potato, photograph
Mississippi potato guideZones 2–11Lumberton's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Pumpkin in MississippiZones 3–11Lumberton's 290 days clear the ~40 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: Mississippi growing notesZones 3–10Lumberton's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in MississippiZones 2–11Lumberton's 290 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Mississippi apache plume guideZones 5–11Lumberton's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in MississippiZones 3–8Lumberton's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Mississippi growing notesZones 3–8Lumberton's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in MississippiLumberton's 290 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Mississippi holly guideZones 5–11Lumberton's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in MississippiZones 7–10Lumberton's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Mississippi growing notesZones 6–8Lumberton's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Growing redbud in MississippiZones 5–11Lumberton's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
pearl millet, photograph
Mississippi pearl millet guideZones 5–11Lumberton's 290 days clear the ~60 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in MississippiZones 5–11Lumberton's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Mississippi growing notesZones 4–10Lumberton's 8b — 4 zones of cold margin.
phacelia, photograph
Growing phacelia in MississippiZones 2–11Lumberton's 290 days clear the ~100 it needs.
liriope, photograph
Mississippi liriope guideZones 5–11Lumberton's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Lumberton?

For most of the year, no — what changes is which crops still fit the days remaining. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 19; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Feb 16 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Dec 3 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. With almost year-round growing weather, timing is about heat and rainfall more than frost — some bench is always in play.

What's on the federal record near Lumberton

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

  1. TexacoUnderground Storage Tanks · 400 ft
  2. Joe N Miles & Sons IncUnderground Storage Tanks · 900 ft
  3. Greentree IncUnderground Storage Tanks · 2100 ft
  4. Community GroceryUnderground Storage Tanks · 2300 ft
  5. Lee's Gulf ServiceUnderground Storage Tanks · 2300 ft
  6. Keith's Superstore #187Underground Storage Tanks · 2400 ft
  7. Rich Construction IncUnderground Storage Tanks · 2500 ft
  8. Shell Food Mart #14Underground Storage Tanks · 2500 ft
  9. Breland Ready MixUnderground Storage Tanks · 2500 ft
  10. Lumberton School District Bus BarnUnderground Storage Tanks · 2500 ft
  11. Joe N Miles & Sons Lumber CompanyUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.5 mi
  12. Lumberton ChevronUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.5 mi

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

Measured from Lumberton'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 Lumberton.

Total Sites

122

within ~10 miles of Lumberton

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

3 Superfund sites (none NPL-listed)

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Lumberton

High1Moderate76Low45

Highest-Severity Sites

Hub Water Association
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
073j0104 Lamar
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
073j0104 Lamar
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
073j0105 Lamar
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
073j0105 Lamar
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Lumberton, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Lumberton — Superfund (3 sites) and Nitrate (62 sites). It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

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

Nitrate: Nitrate contamination primarily comes from agricultural fertilizer runoff and failing septic systems.

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

Test well water for nitrate if you rely on a private well for irrigation (EPA standard: 10 mg/L).

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Lumberton

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 Lumberton average

Your land is one point inside Lumberton

Everything above resolves to Lumberton as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 5K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Lamar County’s record because no 30-year normal resolves at this city’s own centroid. 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 Lumberton Average

Lumberton Average

  • USDA Zones 8b, averaged across Lumberton
  • One soil character for all of Lumberton
  • Frost dates read at Lumberton's scale: Feb 16 to Dec 3

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Lumberton's 8b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Lumberton

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Lumberton averages 290Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Lumberton

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 Lamar County’s record, because none resolves here; 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 Lumberton

When does frost risk typically end in Lumberton?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Lumberton typically lands around Feb 16, 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 Mar 9.

When is the first frost in Lumberton?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Lumberton typically arrives around Dec 3, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 19, so the watching starts about Nov 3 — about 290 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Lumberton?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Lumberton sees about 290 frost-free days — roughly Feb 16 through Dec 3, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Mar 9 to Nov 19, about 255 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Lumberton?

The federal record around Lumberton is a meaningful one — 122 documented sites, mostly Nitrate entries (62), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks 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.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Lumberton?

From about Nov 3 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 Dec 3 (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 Dec 3. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Lumberton's scale — its 8b band and its 290-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Lumberton'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 Lumberton’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Lumberton's own scale — the 4,550 acres it covers and 122 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Lumberton's own USDA hardiness band, zones 8bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 122 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Lumberton, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record under a tenth of a mile out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Lumberton's boundary and the 4,550 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 8b and a ~290-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Lumberton's own centroid, the Southeastern PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Lumberton has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Lamar County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Lumberton's 4,550 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Lamar County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Lamar County
  • The growing challenges every Mississippi grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Mississippi
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Lamar County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Lumberton's 4,550 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Lumberton you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 4,550 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record under a tenth of a mile 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 Lumberton-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address