New York spans USDA hardiness zones 4a-7b, with a growing season of about 185 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 2,042 growing-degree days (base 50°F), and about 2,500 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•NOAA Climate Normals•USDA NRCS SSURGO•GDD (PRISM 1991-2020 normals)•Chill hours (PRISM 1991-2020 normals)•USDA hardiness sub-region map•EPA FRS•USDA PLANTS•Growable Ground suitability scoring
New York spans zones 4a-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 1,086 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
We read public map data around New York — 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.
New York: USDA zones 4a-7b, 136–258 frost-free days depending on the county, 62 counties.
The middle half of this state’s counties. Tender transplants usually wait 2–3 weeks past the last hard freeze. The shortest-season figure is New York's own county record — Hamilton County's measured 28°F normal, not a modeled floor.
New York does not have one growing season. Across all 1289 of its towns that carry their own 30-year record, the shortest measured season is Bloomville's at 133 days and the longest is Pelham Manor's at 257 — a 124-day spread inside one state.
Neither end is a lone reading — another 5 towns measure within 10 days of Bloomville and 118 sit within 10 days of Pelham Manor. These are real pockets, so the number to plant against is your own town's, not the state average.
NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991–2020), 30-year daily minimum record
Zone 4a-7b is New York's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against New York's 185-day season, see what your own ground reads.
One answer for New York averages 62 counties whose growing seasons are 122 days apart — from 136 frost-free days in Hamilton County to 258 in New York County. That is the same state, measured the same way, in the same years. Which end of it your county sits nearer decides what finishes before the first hard freeze.
The middle half of 62 counties runs 173–204 days, with a median of 184 days — a 122-day span end to end.
Measured across 62 counties, each carrying its own 28°F normal. NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze. A county with no record of its own is absent from the range rather than counted as zero — nothing here is interpolated to the state. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
The middle half of New York runs 173–204 frost-free days, and 29 of its 62 counties sit outside that — 15 on the short side, 14 on the long. A statewide planting date describes the middle well and the ends poorly, which is worth knowing before you follow one.
Under 173 frost-free days
15 counties
3 of 15 shown
The end of the state that sets the planting calendar — start seed indoors here and the season stretches to meet the crop.
173–204 frost-free days
33 counties
0 of 33 shown
The middle half of the state, and the part a single statewide date describes well.
Over 204 frost-free days
14 counties
3 of 14 shown
Long enough for a second succession of a quick crop after the first comes out.
Each county is placed by its own 28°F frost-free normal (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze), the same figure its own guide page publishes. Elevation, slope and cold-air drainage move a yard within its county as well — which is the part only your address resolves.
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. Each photo is a representative profile of that soil type; the named series is where it was documented, which is often another state.
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.
Loam tilted toward clay — heavier in the hand, slower to dry, and richer in nutrients than its sandier cousins. Clay particles carry a surface charge that holds fertilizer and minerals where roots can reach them.
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.
Soil weathered from shale — compressed ancient mud that splits into thin plates. It breaks down into clayey, often channery ground littered with flat rock fragments.
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 22, with the middle half of counties between Apr 13 and Apr 29 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals). Tender transplants wait two to three weeks past it, and fall planting counts back from first freezes mostly between Oct 18 and Nov 5 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. As the window narrows, the plantings just get faster — fall brassicas, then greens, then garlic to finish.
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. Ordered by how closely each plant’s published hardiness range matches New York’s zones 4a-7b, so this is a shortlist by climate fit, not a ranking of which plants matter most here. 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 4a-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 across New York. 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.
Everything above resolves to New York as a whole — a state whose own counties record seasons 122 days apart, and hardiness across zones 4a-7b. Your parcel sits at one point in that range, not in the middle of it. 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 state 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 statewide average.
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 1,086 plants against the real conditions on your land.
Three things about your lot that New York averages can't show:
We read public map data around New York — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the New York average
The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read per county and aggregated to the state band; the growing season from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS 1991–2020 28°F normals, read at each county’s own record; rainfall from NOAA Climate Normals; soils from USDA NRCS SSURGO; boundaries from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination record from the federal sources named in that beat above. Where a county carries no record of its own, it is absent from the figure rather than filled in.
New York spans USDA hardiness zones 4a-7b — which is to say winter's coldest night runs from about −30°F to 10°F depending where in New York you are, averaged over 1991–2020 (USDA PHZM 2023).
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 22, with the middle half of counties between Apr 13 and Apr 29 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals). Tender transplants wait two to three weeks past it, and fall planting counts back from first freezes mostly between Oct 18 and Nov 5 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. As the window narrows, the plantings just get faster — fall brassicas, then greens, then garlic to finish.
Across New York, the middle half of counties see their last hard freeze (28°F) between about Apr 13 and Apr 29, with a county median near Apr 22 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals). 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 13.
Measured between 28°F hard freezes, growing seasons across New York's counties mostly run about 173 to 204 days, with a county median near 185 (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 4a-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 4a-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 1,086 plants against what's actually there.
The federal record across New York runs heavier than most — 75,562 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (33,632) — 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 4a-7b, which sets what survives winter; last hard freezes range from about Apr 13 to Apr 29 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 above is measured at New York's scale — its 4a-7b band and its 185-day season. Your yard writes its own version of New York's numbers: we read soil, sun, drainage and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.
6 of the readings below were taken at New York's own scale — the full zone 4a-7b span inside its borders, the 5 soil types that dominate its ground and 75,562 documented sites on its federal record; anything it cannot resolve at this scale is named below.
Measured here
What this page can’t tell you
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.
