What Grows in Wadsworth, Nevada

USDA Zones 7a · 2K acres

Wadsworth, Nevada, 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.

These conditions suit cabbage, pawpaw, california poppy, and collard greens — a starting list any specific site will trim or extend with its own soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Wadsworth — the short answer

Wadsworth, Nevada: USDA zone 7a, about 184 days between hard freezes, across 2K acres of town.

USDA zone
7a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 17
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 18
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~184
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
2K 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 Wadsworth's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Wadsworth's 184-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Wadsworth

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

Season length

Measured

Wadsworth runs about 184 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

Wadsworth 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 Wadsworth is in

Wadsworth sits in the Central Basin and Range — EPA Level III, inside the wider North American Deserts. That is read at Wadsworth's own centroid, and it is not what its county reads: Washoe County is mostly Northern Basin and Range. The wider page above you is answering a different question about different ground.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Wadsworth

Every plant below cleared Wadsworth's own zone 7a and its 184-day season. Each card opens that plant's Nevada profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in NevadaZones 2–11Wadsworth's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Nevada pawpaw guideZones 5–9Wadsworth's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in NevadaZones 6–10Wadsworth's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Nevada growing notesZones 2–11Wadsworth's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pecan, photograph
Growing pecan in NevadaZones 5–9Wadsworth's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Nevada lavender guideZones 5–8Wadsworth's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in NevadaZones 2–10Wadsworth's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear: Nevada growing notesZones 5–10Wadsworth's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in NevadaWadsworth's 184 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Nevada kale guideZones 2–11Wadsworth's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Hazelnut in NevadaZones 4–9Wadsworth's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Nevada growing notesZones 2–11Wadsworth's 184 days clear the ~70 it needs.
blackberry, photograph
Growing blackberry in NevadaZones 5–8Wadsworth's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Nevada okra guideZones 2–12Wadsworth's 184 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in NevadaZones 2–11Wadsworth's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Nevada growing notesZones 3–10Wadsworth's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in NevadaZones 2–11Wadsworth's 184 days clear the ~70 it needs.
holly, photograph
Nevada holly guideZones 5–11Wadsworth's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in NevadaZones 3–8Wadsworth's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Nevada growing notesZones 3–8Wadsworth's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in NevadaWadsworth's 184 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Nevada lilac guideZones 4–10Wadsworth's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in NevadaZones 3–9Wadsworth's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Nevada growing notesZones 6–8Wadsworth's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in NevadaZones 3–9Wadsworth's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Nevada ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Wadsworth's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in NevadaZones 2–7Wadsworth's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
western red cedar, photograph
Western red cedar: Nevada growing notesZones 4–10Wadsworth's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in NevadaZones 5–10Wadsworth's 184 days clear the ~45 it needs.
Indian grass, photograph
Nevada indian grass guideZones 4–9Wadsworth's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Wadsworth?

Rarely: the season closes in stages, not all at once, and each stage has its crops. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 20; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 17 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 18 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Late in the year the fall bench takes over — quick greens, radishes, and garlic that repays you next summer.

What's on the federal record near Wadsworth

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

  1. Nevada Dept of TransportationUnderground Storage Tanks · 1500 ft
  2. Wadsworth K Parcel 059Underground Storage Tanks · 1500 ft
  3. S-S Ranch - ClosedUnderground Storage Tanks · 1500 ft
  4. Big Bend RanchUnderground Storage Tanks · 1600 ft
  5. TRI-STATE TRANSFER YARD (WADSWORTH)Brownfields · 0.5 mi
  6. SJC LIMITEDBrownfields · 0.6 mi
  7. 083 N20 E24 09AAAA1 Truckee Mdws Wtr Rec FcltyNitrate · 0.8 mi
  8. 082 N21 E24 33DCB 1Nitrate · 0.8 mi
  9. CEMEX PAIUTE PITBrownfields · 1.0 mi
  10. LOVE'S TRAVEL STOP #246Brownfields · 1.5 mi
  11. Loves Counry Store #246Underground Storage Tanks · 1.5 mi
  12. SPEEDCO # 917Brownfields · 1.7 mi

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

Measured from Wadsworth'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 Wadsworth.

Total Sites

136

within ~10 miles of Wadsworth

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

20 Toxics Release Inventory facilities

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Wadsworth

High3Moderate59Low74

Highest-Severity Sites

Buster Mines
Mining Sites · Past Producer
Olinghouse Mine
Mining Sites · Producer
082 N21 E24 14AAC 1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
082 N21 E24 14AAC 1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
082 N21 E24 33DCB 1
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Wadsworth, Toxics Release Inventory runs higher than the national average — 20 sites within ~10 miles of Wadsworth. That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.

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 Wadsworth

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 Wadsworth average

Your land is one point inside Wadsworth

Everything above resolves to Wadsworth as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 2K 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 Wadsworth Average

Wadsworth Average

  • USDA Zones 7a, averaged across Wadsworth
  • One soil character for all of Wadsworth
  • Frost dates read at Wadsworth's scale: Apr 17 to Oct 18

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Wadsworth

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Wadsworth averages 184Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Wadsworth

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 Wadsworth’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 Wadsworth

When does frost risk typically end in Wadsworth?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Wadsworth typically lands around Apr 17, 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 May 8.

When is the first frost in Wadsworth?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Wadsworth typically arrives around Oct 18, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 4, so the watching starts about Sep 18 — about 184 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Wadsworth?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Wadsworth sees about 184 frost-free days — roughly Apr 17 through Oct 18, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 8 to Oct 4, about 149 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Wadsworth?

The federal record around Wadsworth is a meaningful one — 136 documented sites, mostly Brownfields entries (45), 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 Wadsworth?

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

Everything above is measured at Wadsworth's scale — its 7a band and its 184-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Wadsworth'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 Wadsworth’s own scale

6 of the readings below were taken at Wadsworth's own scale — its own ~184-day season between 28°F freezes, the 2,375 acres it covers and 136 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Wadsworth's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Wadsworth's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 17 and Oct 18 and the ~184-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 136 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Wadsworth, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Wadsworth's boundary and the 2,375 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7a and a ~184-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • Wadsworth sits in the Central Basin and Range — not the ecoregion its county mostly readsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Wadsworth's 2,375 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Washoe County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Washoe County
  • The growing challenges every Nevada grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Nevada
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Washoe County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Wadsworth's 2,375 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Wadsworth you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 2,375 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 Wadsworth-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address