New York spans USDA hardiness zones 3b-7b, with a growing season of about 170 frost-free days — a working season long enough for the classics, short enough that timing around frost stays part of the craft.
Its growing climate is shaped by 30-50 inches of annual rainfall, a median of roughly 2,900 growing-degree days (base 50°F), and about 1,500 winter chill hours for tree fruit, which together set what ripens and what struggles. Dig almost anywhere and you'll meet glacial till, silt loam, clay loam, and shale-derived; how quickly they shed water is the first thing to learn about them. No single calendar covers New York: Appalachia, Finger Lakes, and Hudson Valley each open and close their seasons on their own schedule. Crops well matched to these conditions include apple, grape, garlic, and kale — though what thrives on any one site still turns on its specific soil, sun, and drainage.
Grounded inUSDA PHZM 2023•NOAA Climate Normals•USDA NRCS SSURGO•GDD aggregate (Cornell CALS)•Chill-hour aggregate (MSU Extension)•USDA hardiness sub-region map•EPA FRS•USDA PLANTS•Growable Ground suitability scoring
New York spans zones 3b-7b, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and low spots nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score 1,112 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Distinct growing regions within New York — each has its own zones, soils, and signature crops.
USDA Zones
3b-7b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last Frost
Apr 1 - May 30
NOAA 30-yr Normals
First Frost
Sep 15 - Nov 1
NOAA 30-yr Normals
Annual Rainfall
30-50 inches
NOAA Climate Normals
Zone maps are averages across New York. Your yard's slope, trees, and frost pockets shift what actually grows — see your land's exact reading.
The soil types that dominate New York — how each drains decides more about crop success than almost anything else. Tap any soil to learn what it is and how to work with it.
Drainage
Variable by the shovelful. Sandy till drains freely; dense, compacted till (hardpan) can perch water above it after snowmelt and heavy rain.
What thrives
Apples, stone fruits, brambles, and the whole northern vegetable garden do well on till — much of New England and the upper Midwest farms it. Deep-rooted perennials work through the stony structure happily.
Drainage
Moderate. Silt holds water well and releases it steadily, though the fine particles can crust after hard rain and compact under traffic.
What thrives
The full vegetable garden does well here, and small grains, corn, and leafy greens are classic silt-loam crops. Its steady moisture suits shallow-rooted plants that dislike drought stress.
No verified open-license photo yet — this loam is close kin to the loam and silt-loam profiles above.
Drainage
Slow to moderate. Water lingers in the root zone longer than in loam, which is a gift in dry summers and a challenge in wet springs.
What thrives
Heavy feeders that appreciate steady moisture — brassicas, corn, beans, and many fruit trees. Perennials with strong root systems establish well once they are through the first season.
No verified open-license photo yet — clayey, plate-littered ground; see the limestone profile for the rock-born register.
Drainage
Two-natured: the clay fraction holds water while the shale fragments and fractured bedrock open channels, so hillside shale soils often drain better than their texture suggests.
What thrives
Orchards and vineyards have long favored shale hillsides — the drainage and the heat the rock holds suit deep roots. Brambles, asparagus, and hardy perennials establish well.
Drainage
It holds water like a sponge by nature; farmed muck is managed with ditches and water control, and it can dry, shrink, and even blow when left bare.
What thrives
Muck is celebrated vegetable ground — onions, celery, carrots, lettuce, and greens grow to prize quality in it. Its loose, black tilth is what root and leaf crops dream of.
Soil data: USDA NRCS SSURGO · Soil types explained
Plants well-suited to New York's climate, soils, and growing season — each links to its full growing profile.
For most of the year, no — what changes is which crops still fit the days remaining. Across New York, cool-season planting typically opens about four weeks before the local last hard freeze — county medians put that freeze near Apr 12, with the middle half of counties between Apr 7 and Apr 16 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals). Tender transplants wait two to three weeks past it, and fall planting counts back from first freezes mostly between Nov 6 and Nov 19 — 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.
The plants New York put its name on — cultural emblems, not growing recommendations.
Rose
Rosa
Designated 1955.
Acer saccharum
Designated 1956. In our plant library — see its full growing profile.
Plants the USDA PLANTS Database documents as native and present in New York — a real per-state range, not just a zone match. Presence is statewide, so a plant may still be uncommon in your specific county; your state’s Cooperative Extension or a native-plant society is the local authority.
US-native plants whose hardiness range overlaps New York’s USDA zones 3b-7b but which USDA PLANTS doesn’t map to a single state range here. Zone overlap is a starting filter, not a range map.
What an experienced grower plans around here — each one has a move.
Short upstate growing season (100-140 frost-free days in Adirondacks)
Fast varieties plus season extension: a low tunnel or cold frame reliably buys back the missing weeks.
Heavy clay soils in western NY require drainage improvement
A raised bed solves the drainage the first season; long-term, steady compost works that clay into excellent loam.
Late spring frosts through May in higher elevations
Plant to your elevation's real frost dates, not the valley's — two weeks of patience saves a full replanting.
Deer browse pressure is heavy in suburban and rural areas
Fencing is the control that works; behind it, aromatic herbs, ferns, and daffodils are the plants deer tend to pass by.
For cultivar selection, pest pressure, and planting-time guidance specific to New York, the Cornell Cooperative Extension is the authoritative local source.
Safe to Grow Here?What the federal record shows across New York — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across New York — 75,562 documented sites across 8 of the 9 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 738 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
New York carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Severity Distribution
across New York
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around New York, CAFO runs higher than the national average — 1,029 sites nearby. Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.
CAFO: CAFOs pose a different contamination profile than chemical sources.
Wash all produce consumed raw thoroughly, especially leafy greens grown near CAFOs.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.
State averages sketch the shape. Your soil, sun exposure, drainage, and microclimate decide what actually takes. Pull a site-specific report for your exact parcel.
Enter your address. We read your soil, sun, drainage, and frost dates, then score 1,112 plants against the real conditions on your land.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
New York spans USDA hardiness zones 3b-7b, per the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Zones reflect average annual extreme minimum temperatures from 1991–2020 weather data.
For most of the year, no — what changes is which crops still fit the days remaining. Across New York, cool-season planting typically opens about four weeks before the local last hard freeze — county medians put that freeze near Apr 12, with the middle half of counties between Apr 7 and Apr 16 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals). Tender transplants wait two to three weeks past it, and fall planting counts back from first freezes mostly between Nov 6 and Nov 19 — 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.
Across New York, the middle half of counties see their last hard freeze (28°F) between about Apr 7 and Apr 16, with a county median near Apr 12 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals). That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost — light frosts can still bite for a few more weeks, so tender transplants usually wait another 2–3 weeks.
Measured between 28°F hard freezes, growing seasons across New York's counties mostly run about 205 to 226 days, with a county median near 216 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals). Tender crops get a somewhat shorter practical window, since lighter frosts reach a few weeks past the hard-freeze dates on both ends.
New York's zones 3b-7b support a wide range — strong performers include Apple, Grape, Garlic, Kale, and Sugar Maple. What actually takes on any one site comes down to its soil, sun, and drainage, and we score each plant against the real conditions at your address.
Officially, New York spans USDA zones 3b-7b (USDA PHZM 2023) — but a zone is a 30-year average of winter's coldest night across an area, and it can't see any one yard. A south-facing slope, a tree line, or a low frost pocket can shift a single site by half a zone either way, which is why neighboring gardeners often quote different numbers. We read the conditions at your exact address — soil, sun, slope, and frost — and score 1,112 plants against what's actually there.
The federal record across New York runs heavier than most — 75,562 documented sites — 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.
Start with three facts. New York spans USDA zones 3b-7b, which sets what survives winter; last hard freezes range from about Apr 7 to Apr 16 across its counties (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and 75,562 documented sites sit on the federal record here, so a soil test before food beds is the smart first step. From there, matching plants to your actual soil and sun is the fun part.
Everything on this page is a New York average. Your yard writes its own version — we read soil, sun, drainage, and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.
Explore growing conditions by county — each has its own zone range and land area.
Explore growing conditions by city or town in New York.
New York shares its dominant growing region with these states — a useful comparison if you're weighing where a crop will behave the same way.
