What Grows in Red Bank, New Jersey

USDA Zones 7b · 1K acres

Red Bank, New Jersey, sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b — enough range to grow cool-season vegetables, hardy fruit, and warm-season crops that mature before the first hard frost.

These conditions suit cabbage, prickly pear, 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 Red Bank, 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 Red Bank 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 Red Bank — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Red Bank — the short answer

Red Bank, New Jersey: USDA zone 7b, about 245 days between hard freezes, across 1K acres of town.

USDA zone
7b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Mar 23
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 23
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~245
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

7b7b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 7b is Red Bank's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Red Bank's 245-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Red Bank

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

Season length

Measured

Red Bank runs about 245 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

Red Bank sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b.

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 Red Bank is in

Red Bank sits in the Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Red Bank's own centroid rather than borrowed from Monmouth County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Red Bank

Every plant below cleared Red Bank's own zone 7b and its 245-day season. Each card opens that plant's New Jersey profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in New JerseyZones 2–11Red Bank's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
New Jersey prickly pear guideZones 5–10Red Bank's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in New JerseyZones 6–10Red Bank's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: New Jersey growing notesZones 2–11Red Bank's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Growing fig in New JerseyZones 6–10Red Bank's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
New Jersey lavender guideZones 5–8Red Bank's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in New JerseyZones 2–10Red Bank's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
grape, photograph
Grape: New Jersey growing notesZones 6–9Red Bank's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in New JerseyRed Bank's 245 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
New Jersey kale guideZones 2–11Red Bank's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Hazelnut in New JerseyZones 4–9Red Bank's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: New Jersey growing notesZones 2–11Red Bank's 245 days clear the ~70 it needs.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in New JerseyZones 5–9Red Bank's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
New Jersey okra guideZones 2–12Red Bank's 245 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in New JerseyZones 2–11Red Bank's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: New Jersey growing notesZones 3–10Red Bank's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in New JerseyZones 2–11Red Bank's 245 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
New Jersey apache plume guideZones 5–11Red Bank's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in New JerseyZones 3–8Red Bank's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: New Jersey growing notesZones 3–8Red Bank's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in New JerseyRed Bank's 245 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
New Jersey holly guideZones 5–11Red Bank's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in New JerseyZones 3–9Red Bank's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: New Jersey growing notesZones 6–8Red Bank's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Growing douglas fir in New JerseyZones 4–10Red Bank's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
New Jersey ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Red Bank's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in New JerseyZones 2–7Red Bank's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Redbud: New Jersey growing notesZones 5–11Red Bank's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in New JerseyZones 5–10Red Bank's 245 days clear the ~45 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
New Jersey ajuga guideZones 5–11Red Bank's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Red Bank?

Usually not — gardeners here simply switch what goes in the ground as the season moves. Cool-season crops can go in from around Feb 23; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Mar 23 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 23 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. A long window like this one runs successions deep into fall — and even its last weeks take quick greens and garlic.

Documented around Red Bank

Spotted lanternfly documented 3 miles from Red Bank, first recorded 2020. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Red Bank

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

  1. ESTATE OF WILLIAMS MATTHEWSUnderground Storage Tanks · 350 ft
  2. RED BANK BORO POLICE DEPTUnderground Storage Tanks · 450 ft
  3. THE ARC OF MONMOUTH THRIFT SHOPUnderground Storage Tanks · 700 ft
  4. RED BANK INVESTMENT COUnderground Storage Tanks · 700 ft
  5. EDWARD VON KATTENGALLUnderground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  6. SHELL SERVICE STATIONUnderground Storage Tanks · 800 ft
  7. BROADWAY FURNITUREUnderground Storage Tanks · 800 ft
  8. HARDING GETTYUnderground Storage Tanks · 950 ft
  9. FIRESTONE MASTERCAREUnderground Storage Tanks · 1000 ft
  10. FIRESTONE STORE 0141Underground Storage Tanks · 1000 ft
  11. ATLANTIC GLASSUnderground Storage Tanks · 1000 ft
  12. NJ BELL TELEPHONEUnderground Storage Tanks · 1200 ft

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

Measured from Red Bank'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 Red Bank.

Total Sites

1,382

within ~10 miles of Red Bank

Risk Level

High

Highest-severity

17 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Red Bank

High6Moderate346Low1,030

Highest-Severity Sites

Keansburg Water & Sewer Dept.
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
M&T Delisa Landfill
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Naval Weapons Station Earle (Site a)
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Nj American Water - Shorelands
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Red Bank, Underground Storage Tanks runs higher than the national average — 935 sites within ~10 miles of Red Bank. Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.

Underground Storage Tanks: Underground storage tanks are the single most common source of soil contamination near homes and gardens.

Use raised beds with imported soil — this eliminates the primary soil-contact pathway.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Red Bank

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 Red Bank average

Your land is one point inside Red Bank

Everything above resolves to Red Bank 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 Red Bank Average

Red Bank Average

  • USDA Zones 7b, averaged across Red Bank
  • One soil character for all of Red Bank
  • Frost dates read at Red Bank's scale: Mar 23 to Nov 23

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Red Bank

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Red Bank averages 245Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Red Bank

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 Red Bank’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 Red Bank

When does frost risk typically end in Red Bank?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Red Bank typically lands around Mar 23, 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 13.

When is the first frost in Red Bank?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Red Bank typically arrives around Nov 23, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 9, so the watching starts about Oct 24 — about 245 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Red Bank?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Red Bank sees about 245 frost-free days — roughly Mar 23 through Nov 23, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 13 to Nov 9, about 210 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Red Bank?

The federal record around Red Bank runs heavier than most — 1,382 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (935), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record under a tenth of a mile 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 Red Bank?

From about Oct 24 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 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 Nov 23. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Red Bank's scale — its 7b band and its 245-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Red Bank'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 Red Bank’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Red Bank's own scale — its own ~245-day season between 28°F freezes, the 1,117 acres it covers and 1,382 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Red Bank's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Red Bank's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Mar 23 and Nov 23 and the ~245-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 1,382 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Red Bank, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record under a tenth of a mile out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Red Bank's boundary and the 1,117 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7b and a ~245-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Red Bank's own centroid, the Atlantic Coastal Pine BarrensUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • A documented spotted-lanternfly record within reach of Red Banklydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Red Bank's 1,117 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Monmouth County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Monmouth 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 Monmouth County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Red Bank's 1,117 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Red Bank you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 1,117 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record under a tenth of a mile 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 Red Bank-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address

More in New Jersey

Wider growing context

What grows across New Jersey

Red Bank sits outside our named growing regions, so New Jersey as a whole is its closest context here.