What Grows in Goehner, Nebraska

USDA Zones 5b · 111 acres

Goehner, Nebraska, sits in USDA hardiness zone 5b — a range where zone-matched perennials and frost-aware annual timing set what succeeds.

Expect cabbage, cranberry, lavender, and collard greens to be strong candidates here; the deciding factors on any one parcel stay local — soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Goehner — the short answer

Goehner, Nebraska: USDA zone 5b, about 195 days between hard freezes, across 111 acres of town.

USDA zone
5b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 9
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 21
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~195
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
111 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

5b5b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 5b is Goehner's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Goehner's 195-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Goehner

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

Season length

Measured

Goehner runs about 195 days between hard freezes — a moderate growing season.

There is room for the full run of cool-season crops plus a warm-season main crop, but the calendar is tight enough that a late spring or early fall frost still decides how much finishes.

Time warm-season transplants to your last hard freeze, and a few weeks of season extension turns a near-miss harvest into a sure one.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Goehner sits in USDA hardiness zone 5b.

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 Goehner is in

Goehner sits in the Central Great Plains — EPA Level III, inside the wider Great Plains. That is read at Goehner's own centroid rather than borrowed from Seward County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Goehner

Every plant below cleared Goehner's own zone 5b and its 195-day season. Each card opens that plant's Nebraska profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in NebraskaZones 2–11Goehner's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
cranberry, photograph
Nebraska cranberry guideZones 2–7Goehner's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in NebraskaZones 5–8Goehner's 5b is its exact cold limit.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Nebraska growing notesZones 2–11Goehner's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Growing hazelnut in NebraskaZones 4–9Goehner's 5b — 1 zone of cold margin.
St. Johns wort, photograph
Nebraska st. johns wort guideZones 3–8Goehner's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in NebraskaZones 2–10Goehner's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
blueberry, photograph
Blueberry: Nebraska growing notesZones 3–8Goehner's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in NebraskaGoehner's 195 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Nebraska kale guideZones 2–11Goehner's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
apple, photograph
Apple in NebraskaZones 3–8Goehner's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Nebraska growing notesZones 2–11Goehner's 195 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Growing okra in NebraskaZones 2–12Goehner's 195 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Nebraska potato guideZones 2–11Goehner's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Pumpkin in NebraskaZones 3–11Goehner's 195 days clear the ~40 it needs.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Nebraska growing notesZones 3–8Goehner's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in NebraskaZones 2–11Goehner's 195 days clear the ~70 it needs.
azalea, photograph
Nebraska azalea guideZones 4–8Goehner's 5b — 1 zone of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in NebraskaZones 3–8Goehner's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Nebraska growing notesZones 3–10Goehner's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in NebraskaGoehner's 195 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Nebraska lilac guideZones 4–10Goehner's 5b — 1 zone of cold margin.
American bittersweet, photograph
American bittersweet in NebraskaZones 3–8Goehner's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Canada anemone, photograph
Canada anemone: Nebraska growing notesZones 3–8Goehner's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in NebraskaZones 3–9Goehner's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Nebraska alfalfa guideZones 2–10Goehner's 195 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in NebraskaZones 2–7Goehner's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
blue spruce, photograph
Blue spruce: Nebraska growing notesZones 2–8Goehner's 5b — 3 zones of cold margin.
annual ryegrass, photograph
Growing annual ryegrass in NebraskaZones 3–10Goehner's 195 days clear the ~90 it needs.
Canada wild rye, photograph
Nebraska canada wild rye guideZones 3–8Goehner's 5b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Goehner?

Usually not — gardeners here simply switch what goes in the ground as the season moves. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 12; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 9 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 21 — 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.

What's on the federal record near Goehner

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

  1. GOEHNER GAS STATIONUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.5 mi
  2. RICHTERS & SONSCAFO · 3.0 mi
  3. KOLN TV TRANSMITTERUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.0 mi
  4. DARLENE WIEMER, OTTO WIEMER FAMILY TRUSTCAFO · 3.9 mi
  5. 11N 2E34AADA1Nitrate · 4.2 mi
  6. TAMORA GW CONTAMINATIONSuperfund · 4.3 mi
  7. 11N 2E26CCBB2 FP3-105Nitrate · 4.6 mi
  8. 11N 2E26CCBB3 FP3-125Nitrate · 4.6 mi
  9. 11N 2E21DD 1 SEWARDNitrate · 4.9 mi
  10. POTTER REPAIR INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 4.9 mi
  11. 9N 1E 2DD 1Nitrate · 5.1 mi
  12. 11N 2E26ADCC2 FP1-105Nitrate · 5.2 mi

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

Measured from Goehner'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 Goehner.

Total Sites

82

within ~10 miles of Goehner

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

2 Superfund sites (none NPL-listed)

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Goehner

High1Moderate54Low27

Highest-Severity Sites

Seward, City of
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
11N 2e21dd 1 Seward
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
11N 2e21dd 1 Seward
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
11N 2e22cbbb2 Fp4-105
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
11N 2e22cbbb2 Fp4-105
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Goehner, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Goehner — CAFO (10 sites) and Nitrate (28 sites). It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

CAFO: CAFOs pose a different contamination profile than chemical sources.

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

Wash all produce consumed raw thoroughly, especially leafy greens grown near CAFOs.

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

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Check your specific parcel in Goehner

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 Goehner average

Your land is one point inside Goehner

Everything above resolves to Goehner as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 111 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 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 Goehner Average

Goehner Average

  • USDA Zones 5b, averaged across Goehner
  • One soil character for all of Goehner
  • Frost dates read at Goehner's scale: Apr 9 to Oct 21

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Goehner's 5b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Goehner

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Goehner averages 195Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Goehner

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 Goehner’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 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 Goehner

When does frost risk typically end in Goehner?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Goehner typically lands around Apr 9, 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 30.

When is the first frost in Goehner?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Goehner typically arrives around Oct 21, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 7, so the watching starts about Sep 21 — about 195 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Goehner?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Goehner sees about 195 frost-free days — roughly Apr 9 through Oct 21, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 30 to Oct 7, about 160 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Goehner?

The federal record around Goehner is a meaningful one — 82 documented sites, mostly Nitrate entries (28), 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 Goehner?

From about Sep 21 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 Oct 21 (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 Oct 21. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Goehner's scale — its 5b band and its 195-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Goehner'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 Goehner’s own scale

6 of the readings below were taken at Goehner's own scale — its own ~195-day season between 28°F freezes, the 111 acres it covers and 82 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Goehner's own USDA hardiness band, zones 5bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Goehner's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 9 and Oct 21 and the ~195-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 82 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Goehner, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.5 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Goehner's boundary and the 111 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 5b and a ~195-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Goehner's own centroid, the Central Great PlainsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Goehner's 111 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Seward County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Seward County
  • The growing challenges every Nebraska grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Nebraska
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Seward County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Goehner's 111 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Goehner you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 111 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 Goehner-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address

More in Nebraska

Wider growing context

What grows across Nebraska

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