What Grows in Glen Park, New York

USDA Zones 5a · 457 acres

Glen Park, New York, sits in USDA hardiness zone 5a — a zone band wide enough that plant choice, not possibility, is the interesting question.

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

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

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Glen Park — the short answer

Glen Park, New York: USDA zone 5a, about 184 days between hard freezes, across 457 acres of town.

USDA zone
5a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 23
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 24
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~184
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
457 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

5a5a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 5a is Glen Park's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Glen Park's 184-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Glen Park

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

Season length

Measured

Glen Park runs about 184 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

Glen Park sits in USDA hardiness zone 5a.

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 Glen Park is in

Glen Park sits in the Eastern Great Lakes Lowlands — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Glen Park's own centroid rather than borrowed from Jefferson County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Glen Park

Every plant below cleared Glen Park's own zone 5a and its 184-day season. Each card opens that plant's New York profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in New YorkZones 2–11Glen Park's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
cranberry, photograph
New York cranberry guideZones 2–7Glen Park's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in New YorkZones 5–8Glen Park's 5a is its exact cold limit.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: New York growing notesZones 2–11Glen Park's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Growing hazelnut in New YorkZones 4–9Glen Park's 5a — 1 zone of cold margin.
French tarragon, photograph
New York french tarragon guideZones 3–7Glen Park's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in New YorkZones 2–10Glen Park's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
blueberry, photograph
Blueberry: New York growing notesZones 3–8Glen Park's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
St. Johns wort, photograph
Growing st. johns wort in New YorkZones 3–8Glen Park's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
kale, photograph
New York kale guideZones 2–11Glen Park's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
apple, photograph
Apple in New YorkZones 3–8Glen Park's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: New York growing notesZones 2–11Glen Park's 184 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Growing okra in New YorkZones 2–12Glen Park's 184 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
New York potato guideZones 2–11Glen Park's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Pumpkin in New YorkZones 3–11Glen Park's 184 days clear the ~40 it needs.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: New York growing notesZones 3–8Glen Park's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in New YorkZones 2–11Glen Park's 184 days clear the ~70 it needs.
azalea, photograph
New York azalea guideZones 4–8Glen Park's 5a — 1 zone of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in New YorkZones 3–8Glen Park's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: New York growing notesZones 3–10Glen Park's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in New YorkGlen Park's 184 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
New York lilac guideZones 4–10Glen Park's 5a — 1 zone of cold margin.
American bittersweet, photograph
American bittersweet in New YorkZones 3–8Glen Park's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Canada anemone, photograph
Canada anemone: New York growing notesZones 3–8Glen Park's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in New YorkZones 3–9Glen Park's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
New York alfalfa guideZones 2–10Glen Park's 184 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in New YorkZones 2–7Glen Park's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
blue spruce, photograph
Blue spruce: New York growing notesZones 2–8Glen Park's 5a — 3 zones of cold margin.
annual ryegrass, photograph
Growing annual ryegrass in New YorkZones 3–10Glen Park's 184 days clear the ~90 it needs.
Canada wild rye, photograph
New York canada wild rye guideZones 3–8Glen Park's 5a — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Glen Park?

Rarely: the season closes in stages, not all at once, and each stage has its crops. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 26; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 23 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 24 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Even past midsummer there is room for a true fall garden here, and garlic planted near the close carries the momentum into next year.

Documented around Glen Park

Survey cells within 31 miles of Glen Park checked for spotted lanternfly, none carrying a detection — a surveyed negative, not an absence of looking. Nearest documented record 65 miles off. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Glen Park

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

  1. AVIAGEN NORTH AMERICA HATCHERYUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  2. FEDERAL EXPRESS - ZWTTBrownfields · 0.7 mi
  3. PENSKE TRUCK LEASING CO LPBrownfields · 0.9 mi
  4. 7-ELEVEN #40502Underground Storage Tanks · 1.0 mi
  5. FISHER GAUGE LTD (FISHER CAST)Toxics Release Inventory · 1.0 mi
  6. FISHER GAUGE LTD (FISHER CAST)Brownfields · 1.0 mi
  7. SCHOLASTIC STRUCTURES INCBrownfields · 1.0 mi
  8. ALLIED MOTION TECHNOLOGIES WATERTOWNBrownfields · 1.1 mi
  9. STATURE ELECTRICToxics Release Inventory · 1.1 mi
  10. 7-ELEVEN #40486Underground Storage Tanks · 1.1 mi
  11. SUBURBAN HEATING OIL PARTNERSUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.1 mi
  12. CAR FRESHNER CORPBrownfields · 1.1 mi

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

Measured from Glen Park'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 Glen Park.

Total Sites

404

within ~10 miles of Glen Park

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

19 Toxics Release Inventory facilities

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Glen Park

High2Moderate95Low307

Highest-Severity Sites

Leray Town Wd 2 & 4
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Watertown City
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
7-Eleven #40210
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
7-Eleven #40486
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
7-Eleven #40487
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Glen Park, CAFO runs higher than the national average — 10 sites within ~10 miles of Glen Park. That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.

CAFO: CAFOs pose a different contamination profile than chemical sources.

Wash all produce consumed raw thoroughly, especially leafy greens grown near CAFOs.

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Check your specific parcel in Glen Park

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 Glen Park average

Your land is one point inside Glen Park

Everything above resolves to Glen Park as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 457 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 Glen Park Average

Glen Park Average

  • USDA Zones 5a, averaged across Glen Park
  • One soil character for all of Glen Park
  • Frost dates read at Glen Park's scale: Apr 23 to Oct 24

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Glen Park's 5a
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Glen Park

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Glen Park averages 184Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Glen Park

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 Glen Park’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 Glen Park

When does frost risk typically end in Glen Park?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Glen Park typically lands around Apr 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 May 14.

When is the first frost in Glen Park?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Glen Park typically arrives around Oct 24, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 10, so the watching starts about Sep 24 — about 184 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Glen Park?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Glen Park sees about 184 frost-free days — roughly Apr 23 through Oct 24, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 14 to Oct 10, about 149 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Glen Park?

The federal record around Glen Park is a meaningful one — 404 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (219), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.6 miles out — so a soil test before new food beds is a sensible precaution here, not a reason to hold back from growing. Remember that proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what sits where.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Glen Park?

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

Everything above is measured at Glen Park's scale — its 5a band and its 184-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Glen Park'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 Glen Park’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Glen Park's own scale — its own ~184-day season between 28°F freezes, the 457 acres it covers and 404 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Glen Park's own USDA hardiness band, zones 5aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Glen Park's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 23 and Oct 24 and the ~184-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 404 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Glen Park, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.6 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Glen Park's boundary and the 457 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 5a and a ~184-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Glen Park's own centroid, the Eastern Great Lakes LowlandsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • Lanternfly survey cells around Glen Park checked, none carrying a detectionlydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Glen Park's 457 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Jefferson County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Jefferson 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 Jefferson County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Glen Park's 457 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Glen Park you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 457 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.6 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 Glen Park-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address