What Grows in Terry, Mississippi

USDA Zones 8b · 2K acres

Terry, Mississippi, sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b — room for a real mix of vegetables, fruit, and perennials matched to the local frost calendar.

Crops well matched to these conditions include cabbage, fig, california poppy, and collard greens — though what thrives on any one site still turns on its specific soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Terry — the short answer

Terry, Mississippi: USDA zone 8b, about 277 days between hard freezes, across 2K acres of town.

USDA zone
8b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Feb 21
Hinds County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 25
Hinds County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~277
Hinds County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Town area
2K 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 Hinds 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 Terry's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Terry's 277-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Terry

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

Season length

From county records

Terry runs about 277 days between hard freezes (read from Hinds County, the closest normal to Terry) — 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

Terry 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 Terry is in

Terry sits in the Mississippi Valley Loess Plains — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Terry's own centroid rather than borrowed from Hinds County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Terry

Every plant below cleared Terry's own zone 8b and its 277-day season. Each card opens that plant's Mississippi profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in MississippiZones 2–11Terry's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Mississippi fig guideZones 6–10Terry's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in MississippiZones 6–10Terry's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Mississippi growing notesZones 2–11Terry's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
loquat, photograph
Growing loquat in MississippiZones 7–10Terry's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
rosemary, photograph
Mississippi rosemary guideZones 8–10Terry's 8b is its exact cold limit.
kale, photograph
Kale in MississippiZones 2–11Terry's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pomegranate, photograph
Pomegranate: Mississippi growing notesZones 7–10Terry's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Growing lavender in MississippiZones 5–8Terry's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Mississippi lentil guideZones 2–11Terry's 277 days clear the ~70 it needs.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear in MississippiZones 5–10Terry's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Okra: Mississippi growing notesZones 2–12Terry's 277 days clear the ~50 it needs.
almond, photograph
Growing almond in MississippiZones 5–9Terry's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
potato, photograph
Mississippi potato guideZones 2–11Terry's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Pumpkin in MississippiZones 3–11Terry's 277 days clear the ~40 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: Mississippi growing notesZones 3–10Terry's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in MississippiZones 2–11Terry's 277 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Mississippi apache plume guideZones 5–11Terry's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in MississippiZones 3–8Terry's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Mississippi growing notesZones 3–8Terry's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in MississippiTerry's 277 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Mississippi holly guideZones 5–11Terry's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in MississippiZones 7–10Terry's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Mississippi growing notesZones 6–8Terry's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Growing redbud in MississippiZones 5–11Terry's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
pearl millet, photograph
Mississippi pearl millet guideZones 5–11Terry's 277 days clear the ~60 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in MississippiZones 5–11Terry's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Mississippi growing notesZones 4–10Terry's 8b — 4 zones of cold margin.
phacelia, photograph
Growing phacelia in MississippiZones 2–11Terry's 277 days clear the ~100 it needs.
liriope, photograph
Mississippi liriope guideZones 5–11Terry's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Terry?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 24; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Feb 21 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 25 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. In a climate this gentle, “too late” hardly applies — the question becomes which crops prefer the cooler months ahead.

What's on the federal record near Terry

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

  1. E-z Quick MartUnderground Storage Tanks · 2500 ft
  2. 049V0033 HINDSNitrate · 0.6 mi
  3. Pit StopUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  4. Tannehill Auto RepairUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  5. Terry Hardware CompanyUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  6. Terry Red Apple TexacoUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  7. Ross Cattle CompanyUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.7 mi
  8. Union PlantersUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.7 mi
  9. Bargas #2Underground Storage Tanks · 0.7 mi
  10. Sojourers TexacoUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.7 mi
  11. Pat TuckerUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.7 mi
  12. Mac's Gas #11Underground Storage Tanks · 0.7 mi

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

Measured from Terry'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 Terry.

Total Sites

191

within ~10 miles of Terry

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

1 Superfund site (none NPL-listed)

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Terry

High2Moderate96Low93

Highest-Severity Sites

South Central Water Assn
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
049m0048 Hinds
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
049m0048 Hinds
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
049m0093 Hinds
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
049m0093 Hinds
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Terry, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Terry — PFAS (6 sites) and Toxics Release Inventory (20 sites). That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.

PFAS: PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are called "forever chemicals" because they do not biodegrade.

Toxics Release Inventory: TRI facilities report annual chemical releases to air, water, and land.

Test irrigation water source — this is the primary pathway for PFAS to reach garden crops.

Check prevailing wind direction — downwind parcels face higher exposure than upwind or crosswind locations.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Terry

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 Terry average

Your land is one point inside Terry

Everything above resolves to Terry as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 2K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from Hinds 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 Terry Average

Terry Average

  • USDA Zones 8b, averaged across Terry
  • One soil character for all of Terry
  • Frost dates read at Terry's scale: Feb 21 to Nov 25

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Terry

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Terry averages 277Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Terry

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 Hinds 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 Terry

When does frost risk typically end in Terry?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Terry typically lands around Feb 21, 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 14.

When is the first frost in Terry?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Terry typically arrives around Nov 25, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 11, so the watching starts about Oct 26 — about 277 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Terry?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Terry sees about 277 frost-free days — roughly Feb 21 through Nov 25, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Mar 14 to Nov 11, about 242 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Terry?

The federal record around Terry is a meaningful one — 191 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (101), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.5 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 Terry?

From about Oct 26 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 25 (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 25. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Terry's scale — its 8b band and its 277-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Terry'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 Terry’s own scale

5 of the readings below were taken at Terry's own scale — the 2,440 acres it covers and 191 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Terry's own USDA hardiness band, zones 8bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 191 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Terry, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.5 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Terry's boundary and the 2,440 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 8b and a ~277-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Terry's own centroid, the Mississippi Valley Loess PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Terry has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom Hinds County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Terry's 2,440 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Hinds County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Hinds 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 Hinds County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Terry's 2,440 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Terry you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 2,440 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.5 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 Terry-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address

More in Mississippi

Wider growing context

What grows across Mississippi

Terry sits outside our named growing regions, so Mississippi as a whole is its closest context here.