What Grows in Landing, New Jersey

USDA Zones 6b · 1K acres

Landing, New Jersey, sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b — a band that supports both cool-season staples and warm-season crops chosen to fit the local frost window.

The conditions favor cabbage, blackberry, california poppy, and collard greens, among others — though every individual site edits that list with its own soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

No card required · your full report in seconds

Landing — the short answer

Landing, New Jersey: USDA zone 6b, about 191 days between hard freezes, across 1K acres of town.

USDA zone
6b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 15
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 23
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~191
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
1K 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

6b6b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 6b is Landing's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Landing's 191-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Landing

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

Season length

Measured

Landing runs about 191 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

Landing sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b.

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 Landing is in

Landing sits in the Northeastern Highlands — EPA Level III, inside the wider Northern Forests. That is read at Landing's own centroid rather than borrowed from Morris County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Landing

Every plant below cleared Landing's own zone 6b and its 191-day season. Each card opens that plant's New Jersey profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in New JerseyZones 2–11Landing's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
New Jersey blackberry guideZones 5–8Landing's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in New JerseyZones 6–10Landing's 6b is its exact cold limit.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: New Jersey growing notesZones 2–11Landing's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in New JerseyZones 5–9Landing's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
New Jersey lavender guideZones 5–8Landing's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in New JerseyZones 2–10Landing's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pecan, photograph
Pecan: New Jersey growing notesZones 5–9Landing's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in New JerseyLanding's 191 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
New Jersey kale guideZones 2–11Landing's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear in New JerseyZones 5–10Landing's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
angelica, photograph
Angelica: New Jersey growing notesZones 4–9Landing's 191 days clear the ~120 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in New JerseyZones 2–11Landing's 191 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
New Jersey okra guideZones 2–12Landing's 191 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in New JerseyZones 2–11Landing's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: New Jersey growing notesZones 3–10Landing's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in New JerseyZones 2–11Landing's 191 days clear the ~70 it needs.
lilac, photograph
New Jersey lilac guideZones 4–10Landing's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in New JerseyZones 3–8Landing's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: New Jersey growing notesZones 3–8Landing's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in New JerseyLanding's 191 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Oregon grape, photograph
New Jersey oregon grape guideZones 5–8Landing's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in New JerseyZones 3–9Landing's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: New Jersey growing notesZones 6–8Landing's 6b is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in New JerseyZones 3–9Landing's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
New Jersey ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Landing's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in New JerseyZones 2–7Landing's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: New Jersey growing notesZones 4–10Landing's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in New JerseyZones 2–10Landing's 191 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Indian grass, photograph
New Jersey indian grass guideZones 4–9Landing's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Landing?

Usually not — gardeners here simply switch what goes in the ground as the season moves. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 18; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 15 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 23 — 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.

Documented around Landing

Spotted lanternfly documented 2 miles from Landing, first recorded 2020. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Landing

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

  1. DELTAUnderground Storage Tanks · 1000 ft
  2. ROXBURY TWP WATER DEPTUnderground Storage Tanks · 1000 ft
  3. 101 LANDING COMPANY INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  4. 271038-- Vail Rd 2Nitrate · 1600 ft
  5. CUMBERLAND FARMS/GULF 121214Underground Storage Tanks · 1700 ft
  6. SNONO GAS INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 1900 ft
  7. HOPATCONG STATE PARKUnderground Storage Tanks · 2000 ft
  8. RBT INC TOP SPEED AUTOMOTIVEUnderground Storage Tanks · 2000 ft
  9. RBT INC / TOP SPEED AUTOMOTIVEBrownfields · 2300 ft
  10. 271771-- PW 4Nitrate · 2400 ft
  11. LAKE'S END MARINAUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.5 mi
  12. 272198-- WellNitrate · 0.6 mi

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

Measured from Landing'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 Landing.

Total Sites

1,683

within ~10 miles of Landing

Risk Level

High

Highest-severity

22 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Landing

High29Moderate847Low807

Highest-Severity Sites

Combe Fill North Landfill
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Denville Twp Water Dept
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Dover Municipal Well 4
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Dover Water Commission
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Jefferson Twp W U Lk Hop
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Landing, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Landing — PFAS (27 sites) and Nitrate (634 sites). It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

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

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

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

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

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Landing

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 Landing average

Your land is one point inside Landing

Everything above resolves to Landing as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 1K 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 Landing Average

Landing Average

  • USDA Zones 6b, averaged across Landing
  • One soil character for all of Landing
  • Frost dates read at Landing's scale: Apr 15 to Oct 23

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Landing's 6b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Landing

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Landing averages 191Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Landing

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 Landing’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 Landing

When does frost risk typically end in Landing?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Landing typically lands around Apr 15, 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 6.

When is the first frost in Landing?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Landing typically arrives around Oct 23, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 9, so the watching starts about Sep 23 — about 191 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Landing?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Landing sees about 191 frost-free days — roughly Apr 15 through Oct 23, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 6 to Oct 9, about 156 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Landing?

The federal record around Landing runs heavier than most — 1,683 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (730), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 miles out — so test the soil before planting food in the ground, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well in the meantime. Even here, proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what's recorded and where.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Landing?

From about Sep 23 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 23 (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 23. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Landing's scale — its 6b band and its 191-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Landing'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 Landing’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Landing's own scale — its own ~191-day season between 28°F freezes, the 1,366 acres it covers and 1,683 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Landing's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Landing's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 15 and Oct 23 and the ~191-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 1,683 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Landing, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Landing's boundary and the 1,366 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6b and a ~191-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Landing's own centroid, the Northeastern HighlandsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • A documented spotted-lanternfly record within reach of Landinglydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Landing's 1,366 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Morris County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Morris County
  • The growing challenges every New Jersey grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom New Jersey
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Morris County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Landing's 1,366 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Landing you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 1,366 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 Landing-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address