What Grows in Farmingdale, New York

USDA Zones 7b · 700 acres

Farmingdale, New York, 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.

A short list that earns its place here — cabbage, prickly pear, california poppy, and collard greens — with any one site's soil, sun, and drainage making the final cut.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Farmingdale — the short answer

Farmingdale, New York: USDA zone 7b, about 243 days between hard freezes, across 700 acres of town.

USDA zone
7b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Mar 25
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
~243
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
700 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 Farmingdale's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Farmingdale's 243-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Farmingdale

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

Season length

Measured

Farmingdale runs about 243 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

Farmingdale 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 Farmingdale is in

Farmingdale sits in the Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Farmingdale's own centroid, and it is not what its county reads: Nassau County is mostly Northeastern Coastal Zone. The wider page above you is answering a different question about different ground.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Farmingdale

Every plant below cleared Farmingdale's own zone 7b and its 243-day season. Each card opens that plant's New York profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in New YorkZones 2–11Farmingdale's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
New York prickly pear guideZones 5–10Farmingdale's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in New YorkZones 6–10Farmingdale's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: New York growing notesZones 2–11Farmingdale's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Growing fig in New YorkZones 6–10Farmingdale's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
New York lavender guideZones 5–8Farmingdale's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in New YorkZones 2–10Farmingdale's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
grape, photograph
Grape: New York growing notesZones 6–9Farmingdale's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in New YorkFarmingdale's 243 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
New York kale guideZones 2–11Farmingdale's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Hazelnut in New YorkZones 4–9Farmingdale's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: New York growing notesZones 2–11Farmingdale's 243 days clear the ~70 it needs.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in New YorkZones 5–9Farmingdale's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
New York okra guideZones 2–12Farmingdale's 243 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in New YorkZones 2–11Farmingdale's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: New York growing notesZones 3–10Farmingdale's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in New YorkZones 2–11Farmingdale's 243 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
New York apache plume guideZones 5–11Farmingdale's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in New YorkZones 3–8Farmingdale's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: New York growing notesZones 3–8Farmingdale's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in New YorkFarmingdale's 243 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
New York holly guideZones 5–11Farmingdale's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in New YorkZones 3–9Farmingdale's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: New York growing notesZones 6–8Farmingdale's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Growing douglas fir in New YorkZones 4–10Farmingdale's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
New York ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Farmingdale's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in New YorkZones 2–7Farmingdale's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Redbud: New York growing notesZones 5–11Farmingdale's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in New YorkZones 5–10Farmingdale's 243 days clear the ~45 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
New York ajuga guideZones 5–11Farmingdale's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Farmingdale?

Too late for some crops, right on time for others — a growing season is a sequence, not a deadline. Cool-season crops can go in from around Feb 25; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Mar 25 (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. Here the season winds down slowly: late sowings, a real autumn harvest, and garlic in the ground before the first hard freeze.

Documented around Farmingdale

Spotted lanternfly documented 2 miles from Farmingdale, first recorded 2021. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Farmingdale

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

  1. VILLAGE CLEANERSBrownfields · 250 ft
  2. J P PRINTING INC-MINUTE MAN PRESSBrownfields · 350 ft
  3. N 9106. 1Nitrate · 350 ft
  4. WHITE SWAN CLEANERSBrownfields · 550 ft
  5. 7-ELEVENUnderground Storage Tanks · 700 ft
  6. CVS PHARMACY #1073Brownfields · 1400 ft
  7. VALEROUnderground Storage Tanks · 1500 ft
  8. CAP-A RADIATORBrownfields · 1600 ft
  9. ALL STAR AUTO COLLISIONBrownfields · 1700 ft
  10. N 1937. 1Nitrate · 2000 ft
  11. N 6644. 1Nitrate · 2000 ft
  12. N 4010. 1Nitrate · 2200 ft

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

Measured from Farmingdale'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 Farmingdale.

Total Sites

4,671

within ~10 miles of Farmingdale

Risk Level

High

Highest-severity

64 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Farmingdale

High25Moderate2,953Low1,693

Highest-Severity Sites

Anchor Chemicals
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Bethpage Wd
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Claremont Polychemical
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Garden City (V)
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Hempstead (V)
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Farmingdale, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Farmingdale — Nitrate (2,604 sites) and Superfund (64 sites). That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.

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

Superfund: Superfund sites represent the most severe contamination in the federal system.

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

Commission professional soil testing before any food production (test for heavy metals, VOCs, and SVOCs).

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Farmingdale

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 Farmingdale average

Your land is one point inside Farmingdale

Everything above resolves to Farmingdale as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 700 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 Farmingdale Average

Farmingdale Average

  • USDA Zones 7b, averaged across Farmingdale
  • One soil character for all of Farmingdale
  • Frost dates read at Farmingdale's scale: Mar 25 to Nov 23

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Farmingdale

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Farmingdale averages 243Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Farmingdale

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 Farmingdale’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 Farmingdale

When does frost risk typically end in Farmingdale?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Farmingdale typically lands around Mar 25, 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 15.

When is the first frost in Farmingdale?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Farmingdale 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 243 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Farmingdale?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Farmingdale sees about 243 frost-free days — roughly Mar 25 through Nov 23, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 15 to Nov 9, about 208 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Farmingdale?

The federal record around Farmingdale runs heavier than most — 4,671 documented sites, mostly Nitrate entries (2,604), the nearest Brownfields 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 Farmingdale?

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 Farmingdale's scale — its 7b band and its 243-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Farmingdale'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 Farmingdale’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Farmingdale's own scale — its own ~243-day season between 28°F freezes, the 700 acres it covers and 4,671 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Farmingdale's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Farmingdale's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Mar 25 and Nov 23 and the ~243-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 4,671 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Farmingdale, the closest Brownfields record under a tenth of a mile out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Farmingdale's boundary and the 700 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7b and a ~243-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • Farmingdale sits in the Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens — not the ecoregion its county mostly readsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • A documented spotted-lanternfly record within reach of Farmingdalelydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Farmingdale's 700 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Nassau County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Nassau County
  • The growing challenges every New York grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom New York
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Nassau County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Farmingdale's 700 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Farmingdale you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 700 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Brownfields 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 Farmingdale-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address