What Grows in Warson Woods, Missouri

USDA Zones 7a · 364 acres

Warson Woods, Missouri, sits in USDA hardiness zone 7a — a band that supports both cool-season staples and warm-season crops chosen to fit the local frost window.

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

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

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Warson Woods — the short answer

Warson Woods, Missouri: USDA zone 7a, about 241 days between hard freezes, across 364 acres of city.

USDA zone
7a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Mar 21
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 17
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~241
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
City area
364 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

7a7a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 7a is Warson Woods's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Warson Woods's 241-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Warson Woods

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

Season length

Measured

Warson Woods runs about 241 days between hard freezes — a long growing season.

There is slack for succession plantings and slow-finishing crops: many vegetables can be sown twice, and the heat-lovers have time to ripen fully.

Plan a second sowing of quick crops after the first comes out, and use the fall window most gardeners let sit idle.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Warson Woods sits in USDA hardiness zone 7a.

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 Warson Woods is in

Warson Woods sits in the Interior River Valleys and Hills — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Warson Woods's own centroid rather than borrowed from St. Louis County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Warson Woods

Every plant below cleared Warson Woods's own zone 7a and its 241-day season. Each card opens that plant's Missouri profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in MissouriZones 2–11Warson Woods's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Missouri hazelnut guideZones 4–9Warson Woods's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in MissouriZones 6–10Warson Woods's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Missouri growing notesZones 2–11Warson Woods's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in MissouriZones 5–9Warson Woods's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Missouri lavender guideZones 5–8Warson Woods's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in MissouriZones 2–10Warson Woods's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pecan, photograph
Pecan: Missouri growing notesZones 5–9Warson Woods's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Roman chamomile, photograph
Growing roman chamomile in MissouriZones 3–9Warson Woods's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Missouri kale guideZones 2–11Warson Woods's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear in MissouriZones 5–10Warson Woods's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Missouri growing notesZones 2–11Warson Woods's 241 days clear the ~70 it needs.
apple, photograph
Growing apple in MissouriZones 3–8Warson Woods's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Missouri okra guideZones 2–12Warson Woods's 241 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in MissouriZones 2–11Warson Woods's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Missouri growing notesZones 3–10Warson Woods's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in MissouriZones 2–11Warson Woods's 241 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Missouri apache plume guideZones 5–11Warson Woods's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in MissouriZones 3–8Warson Woods's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Missouri growing notesZones 3–8Warson Woods's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in MissouriWarson Woods's 241 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Missouri holly guideZones 5–11Warson Woods's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in MissouriZones 3–9Warson Woods's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Missouri growing notesZones 6–8Warson Woods's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in MissouriZones 3–9Warson Woods's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Missouri ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Warson Woods's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in MissouriZones 2–7Warson Woods's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Missouri growing notesZones 4–10Warson Woods's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in MissouriZones 5–10Warson Woods's 241 days clear the ~45 it needs.
Eastern gamagrass, photograph
Missouri eastern gamagrass guideZones 5–9Warson Woods's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Warson Woods?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Feb 21; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Mar 21 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 17 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. With a season this long, “too late” mostly means “switch crops” — second sowings and a full fall garden are the norm, with garlic closing the year.

Documented around Warson Woods

Survey cells within 31 miles of Warson Woods checked for spotted lanternfly, none carrying a detection — a surveyed negative, not an absence of looking. Nearest documented record 247 miles off. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Warson Woods

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

  1. ELDON JONES DBA BENNETT HILLS PHILLUnderground Storage Tanks · 1600 ft
  2. GOODYEAR TIRE CENTERUnderground Storage Tanks · 1900 ft
  3. GLENDALE CHRYSLER-PLYM, INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 2000 ft
  4. LOVE MANAGEMENT COMPANYUnderground Storage Tanks · 2000 ft
  5. TEXACO RMIUnderground Storage Tanks · 2000 ft
  6. HEGEMAN MOTORSUnderground Storage Tanks · 2100 ft
  7. AMERICAN CLEANERSBrownfields · 2200 ft
  8. FIRESTONE SERVICE CENTERUnderground Storage Tanks · 2200 ft
  9. BPUnderground Storage Tanks · 2300 ft
  10. VILLAGE CLEANER (THE)-MANCHESTERBrownfields · 2300 ft
  11. JIFFY LUBE #466Underground Storage Tanks · 2400 ft
  12. STAR CLEANERS-MANCHESTERBrownfields · 2500 ft

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

Measured from Warson Woods'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 Warson Woods.

Total Sites

3,888

within ~10 miles of Warson Woods

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

37 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Warson Woods

High3Moderate920Low2,965

Highest-Severity Sites

Kirkwood Pws
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Mo American St Louis St Charles Counties
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Valley Park Tce
Superfund · Superfund NPL
#1120 Mobil
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
#601 Mobil
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Warson Woods, Toxics Release Inventory runs higher than the national average — 288 sites within ~10 miles of Warson Woods. Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.

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

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

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Warson Woods

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 Warson Woods average

Your land is one point inside Warson Woods

Everything above resolves to Warson Woods as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 364 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 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 Warson Woods Average

Warson Woods Average

  • USDA Zones 7a, averaged across Warson Woods
  • One soil character for all of Warson Woods
  • Frost dates read at Warson Woods's scale: Mar 21 to Nov 17

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Warson Woods's 7a
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Warson Woods

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Warson Woods averages 241Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Warson Woods

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 Warson Woods’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 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 Warson Woods

When does frost risk typically end in Warson Woods?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Warson Woods typically lands around Mar 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 Apr 11.

When is the first frost in Warson Woods?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Warson Woods typically arrives around Nov 17, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 3, so the watching starts about Oct 18 — about 241 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Warson Woods?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Warson Woods sees about 241 frost-free days — roughly Mar 21 through Nov 17, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 11 to Nov 3, about 206 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Warson Woods?

The federal record around Warson Woods is a meaningful one — 3,888 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (2,324), 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 Warson Woods?

From about Oct 18 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 17 (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 17. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Warson Woods's scale — its 7a band and its 241-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Warson Woods'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 Warson Woods’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Warson Woods's own scale — its own ~241-day season between 28°F freezes, the 364 acres it covers and 3,888 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Warson Woods's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Warson Woods's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Mar 21 and Nov 17 and the ~241-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 3,888 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Warson Woods, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Warson Woods's boundary and the 364 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7a and a ~241-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Warson Woods's own centroid, the Interior River Valleys and HillsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • Lanternfly survey cells around Warson Woods 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 Warson Woods's 364 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom St. Louis County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom St. Louis County
  • The growing challenges every Missouri grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Missouri
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom St. Louis County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Warson Woods's 364 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Warson Woods you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 364 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 Warson Woods-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address