What Grows in Lyon, Mississippi

USDA Zones 8a · 308 acres

Lyon, Mississippi, sits in USDA hardiness zone 8a — enough range to grow cool-season vegetables, hardy fruit, and warm-season crops that mature before the first hard frost.

A short list that earns its place here — cabbage, fig, california poppy, and collard greens — with any one site's soil, sun, and drainage making the final cut.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Lyon — the short answer

Lyon, Mississippi: USDA zone 8a, about 275 days between hard freezes, across 308 acres of town.

USDA zone
8a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Feb 25
Coahoma County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 27
Coahoma County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~275
Coahoma County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Town area
308 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 Coahoma County’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

8a8a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 8a is Lyon's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Lyon's 275-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Lyon

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

Season length

From county records

Lyon runs about 275 days between hard freezes (read from Coahoma County, the closest normal to Lyon) — 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

Lyon sits in USDA hardiness zone 8a.

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 Lyon is in

Lyon sits in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Lyon's own centroid rather than borrowed from Coahoma County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Lyon

Every plant below cleared Lyon's own zone 8a and its 275-day season. Each card opens that plant's Mississippi profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in MississippiZones 2–11Lyon's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Mississippi fig guideZones 6–10Lyon's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in MississippiZones 6–10Lyon's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Mississippi growing notesZones 2–11Lyon's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Growing prickly pear in MississippiZones 5–10Lyon's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Mississippi lavender guideZones 5–8Lyon's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in MississippiZones 2–10Lyon's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
almond, photograph
Almond: Mississippi growing notesZones 5–9Lyon's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
rosemary, photograph
Growing rosemary in MississippiZones 8–10Lyon's 8a is its exact cold limit.
kale, photograph
Mississippi kale guideZones 2–11Lyon's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
grape, photograph
Grape in MississippiZones 6–9Lyon's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Mississippi growing notesZones 2–11Lyon's 275 days clear the ~70 it needs.
hazelnut, photograph
Growing hazelnut in MississippiZones 4–9Lyon's 8a — 4 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Mississippi okra guideZones 2–12Lyon's 275 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in MississippiZones 2–11Lyon's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Mississippi growing notesZones 3–10Lyon's 8a — 5 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in MississippiZones 2–11Lyon's 275 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Mississippi apache plume guideZones 5–11Lyon's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in MississippiZones 3–8Lyon's 8a — 5 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Mississippi growing notesZones 3–8Lyon's 8a — 5 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in MississippiLyon's 275 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Mississippi holly guideZones 5–11Lyon's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in MississippiZones 7–10Lyon's 8a — 1 zone of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Mississippi growing notesZones 6–8Lyon's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Growing douglas fir in MississippiZones 4–10Lyon's 8a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Mississippi ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Lyon's 8a — 4 zones of cold margin.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in MississippiZones 5–11Lyon's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Redbud: Mississippi growing notesZones 5–11Lyon's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in MississippiZones 5–10Lyon's 275 days clear the ~45 it needs.
blue grama, photograph
Mississippi blue grama guideZones 3–10Lyon's 275 days clear the ~90 it needs.

Is it too late to plant in Lyon?

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 28; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Feb 25 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 27 — 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 Lyon

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

  1. Coahoma Electric Power AssociationUnderground Storage Tanks · 900 ft
  2. Heaton FarmsUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  3. Clarksdale Super KwickUnderground Storage Tanks · 1700 ft
  4. Lyon GroceryUnderground Storage Tanks · 1800 ft
  5. Archer Daniels Midland CompanyUnderground Storage Tanks · 2200 ft
  6. ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND COMPANY, CLARKSDALEToxics Release Inventory · 2300 ft
  7. Denton Lumber CompanyUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.5 mi
  8. Houston Distributing CompanyUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.7 mi
  9. Houston Beverage CompanyUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.7 mi
  10. COOPER TIRE AND RUBBER COMPANY, CLARKSDALEToxics Release Inventory · 0.8 mi
  11. COOPER TIRE AND RUBBER COMPANY, CLARKSDALEBrownfields · 0.8 mi
  12. Shippers Express IncUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.9 mi

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

Measured from Lyon'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 Lyon.

Total Sites

172

within ~10 miles of Lyon

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

1 Superfund site

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Lyon

High2Moderate54Low116

Highest-Severity Sites

Clarksdale Public Utilities
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Red Panther Chemical Company
Superfund · Superfund NPL
027d0001 Coahoma
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
027d0001 Coahoma
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
027e0061 Coahoma
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Lyon, Underground Storage Tanks runs higher than the national average — 123 sites within ~10 miles of Lyon. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

Underground Storage Tanks: Underground storage tanks are the single most common source of soil contamination near homes and gardens.

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

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Lyon

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 Lyon average

Your land is one point inside Lyon

Everything above resolves to Lyon as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 308 acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Coahoma County’s record because no 30-year normal resolves at this town’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 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 Lyon Average

Lyon Average

  • USDA Zones 8a, averaged across Lyon
  • One soil character for all of Lyon
  • Frost dates read at Lyon's scale: Feb 25 to Nov 27

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Lyon

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Lyon averages 275Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Lyon

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 Coahoma 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 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 Lyon

When does frost risk typically end in Lyon?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Lyon typically lands around Feb 25, 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 18.

When is the first frost in Lyon?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Lyon typically arrives around Nov 27, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 13, so the watching starts about Oct 28 — about 275 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Lyon?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Lyon sees about 275 frost-free days — roughly Feb 25 through Nov 27, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Mar 18 to Nov 13, about 240 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Lyon?

The federal record around Lyon is a meaningful one — 172 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (123), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 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 Lyon?

From about Oct 28 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 27 (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 27. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Lyon's scale — its 8a band and its 275-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Lyon'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 Lyon’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Lyon's own scale — the 308 acres it covers and 172 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Lyon's own USDA hardiness band, zones 8aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 172 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Lyon, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Lyon's boundary and the 308 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 8a and a ~275-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Lyon's own centroid, the Mississippi Alluvial PlainUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Lyon has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Coahoma County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Lyon's 308 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Coahoma County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Coahoma 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 Coahoma County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Lyon's 308 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Lyon you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 308 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 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 Lyon-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address