What Grows in Paul Smiths, New York

USDA Zones 4a · 164 acres

Paul Smiths, New York, sits in USDA hardiness zone 4a — room for a real mix of vegetables, fruit, and perennials matched to the local frost calendar.

Expect cabbage, cranberry, cilantro, and collard greens to be strong candidates here; the deciding factors on any one parcel stay local — soil, sun, and drainage.

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

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Paul Smiths — the short answer

Paul Smiths, New York: USDA zone 4a, about 134 days between hard freezes, across 164 acres of town.

USDA zone
4a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
May 16
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Sep 27
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~134
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
164 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

4a4a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)
Your USDA zone 4aSee the zone map →

Zone 4a is Paul Smiths's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Paul Smiths's 134-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Paul Smiths

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

Season length

Measured

Paul Smiths runs about 134 days between hard freezes — a short growing season.

Long-maturing crops like melons, sweet potatoes, and winter squash can run out of runway before the first hard freeze, ripening late or not at all.

Lead with fast-maturing varieties, and stretch the season on both ends with cold frames, low tunnels, or a greenhouse.

Extending a short season

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Paul Smiths sits in USDA hardiness zone 4a.

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.

How hardiness zones work

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Paul Smiths is in

Paul Smiths sits in the Northeastern Highlands — EPA Level III, inside the wider Northern Forests. That is read at Paul Smiths's own centroid rather than borrowed from Franklin County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Paul Smiths

Every plant below cleared Paul Smiths's own zone 4a and its 134-day season. Each card opens that plant's New York profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in New YorkZones 2–11Paul Smiths's 4a — 2 zones of cold margin.
cranberry, photograph
New York cranberry guideZones 2–7Paul Smiths's 4a — 2 zones of cold margin.
cilantro, photograph
Cilantro in New YorkZones 2–11Paul Smiths's 134 days clear the ~35 it needs.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: New York growing notesZones 2–11Paul Smiths's 4a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Growing hazelnut in New YorkZones 4–9Paul Smiths's 4a is its exact cold limit.
epazote, photograph
New York epazote guidePaul Smiths's 134 days clear the ~60 it needs.
kale, photograph
Kale in New YorkZones 2–11Paul Smiths's 4a — 2 zones of cold margin.
blueberry, photograph
Blueberry: New York growing notesZones 3–8Paul Smiths's 4a — 1 zone of cold margin.
shiso, photograph
Growing shiso in New YorkPaul Smiths's 134 days clear the ~80 it needs.
lentil, photograph
New York lentil guideZones 2–11Paul Smiths's 134 days clear the ~70 it needs.
apple, photograph
Apple in New YorkZones 3–8Paul Smiths's 4a — 1 zone of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Okra: New York growing notesZones 2–12Paul Smiths's 134 days clear the ~50 it needs.
rhubarb, photograph
Growing rhubarb in New YorkZones 2–8Paul Smiths's 134 days clear the ~60 it needs.
sweet corn, photograph
New York sweet corn guideZones 2–11Paul Smiths's 134 days clear the ~65 it needs.
zucchini, photograph
Zucchini in New YorkZones 2–11Paul Smiths's 134 days clear the ~40 it needs.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: New York growing notesZones 3–8Paul Smiths's 4a — 1 zone of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in New YorkZones 2–11Paul Smiths's 134 days clear the ~70 it needs.
azalea, photograph
New York azalea guideZones 4–8Paul Smiths's 4a is its exact cold limit.
hops, photograph
Hops in New YorkZones 3–8Paul Smiths's 4a — 1 zone of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: New York growing notesZones 3–10Paul Smiths's 4a — 1 zone of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in New YorkPaul Smiths's 134 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
New York lilac guideZones 4–10Paul Smiths's 4a is its exact cold limit.
riverbank grape, photograph
Riverbank grape in New YorkZones 2–8Paul Smiths's 4a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Siberian squill, photograph
Siberian squill: New York growing notesZones 2–8Paul Smiths's 4a — 2 zones of cold margin.
blue spruce, photograph
Growing blue spruce in New YorkZones 2–8Paul Smiths's 4a — 2 zones of cold margin.
field pea, photograph
New York field pea guideZones 2–10Paul Smiths's 134 days clear the ~60 it needs.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in New YorkZones 2–7Paul Smiths's 4a — 2 zones of cold margin.
American elm, photograph
American elm: New York growing notesZones 3–9Paul Smiths's 4a — 1 zone of cold margin.
turnip cover crop, photograph
Growing turnip cover crop in New YorkZones 2–10Paul Smiths's 134 days clear the ~40 it needs.
bunchberry, photograph
New York bunchberry guideZones 2–6Paul Smiths's 4a — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Paul Smiths?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Apr 18; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near May 16 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Sep 27 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. In a season this compact, fast finishers and cold-hardy greens do the late work, and garlic tucked in before the freeze repays you next summer.

Documented around Paul Smiths

Survey cells within 31 miles of Paul Smiths checked for spotted lanternfly, none carrying a detection — a surveyed negative, not an absence of looking. Nearest documented record 45 miles off. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Paul Smiths

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

  1. PAUL SMITHS COLLEGEUnderground Storage Tanks · 1400 ft
  2. MACNEILL'S MEACHAM LAKE GEN.Underground Storage Tanks · 1700 ft
  3. MEACHAM LAKE CAMPGROUNDUnderground Storage Tanks · 1700 ft
  4. ADIRONDACK PARK VISITOR INTERPRETIVE CENTER (APVICUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.0 mi
  5. MOODYS COUNTRY STOREUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.0 mi
  6. F1051Nitrate · 1.3 mi
  7. CAMP KANAKTIYOUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.4 mi
  8. TREVALLYN, LLCUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.9 mi
  9. PAUL SMITHS COLLEGEBrownfields · 2.3 mi
  10. CAMP TOPRIDGEUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.5 mi
  11. CAMP GABRIELSUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.3 mi
  12. NYSDOTUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.9 mi

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

Measured from Paul Smiths'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 Paul Smiths.

Total Sites

129

within ~10 miles of Paul Smiths

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

1 Superfund site (none NPL-listed)

Explore the live map
Underground Storage Tanks92Nitrate18Brownfields17PFAS1Superfund1

Sources Checked

within ~10 miles of Paul Smiths

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Paul Smiths

High0Moderate47Low82

Highest-Severity Sites

Adirondack Medical Center
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Adirondack Park Visitor Interpretive Center (Apvic
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Ampersand Biotech LLC
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Bay Pond Condominium
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Camp Forestmere
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Paul Smiths, Underground Storage Tanks runs higher than the national average — 92 sites within ~10 miles of Paul Smiths. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

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.

build up with a clean-soil raised bedread your soil before you plantSee what's flagged near Paul Smiths
Explore the contamination map around Paul Smiths·New York Growing Guide
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Check your specific parcel in Paul Smiths

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 Paul Smiths average

Your land is one point inside Paul Smiths

Everything above resolves to Paul Smiths as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 164 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 Paul Smiths Average

Paul Smiths Average

  • ●USDA Zones 4a, averaged across Paul Smiths
  • ●One soil character for all of Paul Smiths
  • ●Frost dates read at Paul Smiths's scale: May 16 to Sep 27

YOUR Parcel

  • ✓Your exact zone, not Paul Smiths's 4a
  • ✓Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • ✓Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Paul Smiths

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Paul Smiths averages 134Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Paul Smiths

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 Paul Smiths’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 Paul Smiths

When does frost risk typically end in Paul Smiths?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Paul Smiths typically lands around May 16, 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 Jun 6.

When is the first frost in Paul Smiths?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Paul Smiths typically arrives around Sep 27, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Sep 13, so the watching starts about Aug 28 — about 134 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Paul Smiths?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Paul Smiths sees about 134 frost-free days — roughly May 16 through Sep 27, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Jun 6 to Sep 13, about 99 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Paul Smiths?

The federal record around Paul Smiths is a meaningful one — 129 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (92), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 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 gardeners stretch the season in Paul Smiths?

With about 134 frost-free days between hard freezes, Paul Smiths rewards the classic extension moves: floating row cover buys roughly two to four extra weeks at each shoulder — on this season that is a working window nearer 162 to 190 days — and cold frames or low tunnels buy more. Starting transplants indoors ahead of the May 16 hard-freeze normal stretches the season without touching the calendar.

Everything above is measured at Paul Smiths's scale — its 4a band and its 134-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Paul Smiths'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 Paul Smiths’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Paul Smiths's own scale — its own ~134-day season between 28°F freezes, the 164 acres it covers and 129 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Paul Smiths's own USDA hardiness band, zones 4aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Paul Smiths's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about May 16 and Sep 27 and the ~134-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 129 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Paul Smiths, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Paul Smiths's boundary and the 164 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 4a and a ~134-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Paul Smiths's own centroid, the Northeastern HighlandsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • Lanternfly survey cells around Paul Smiths 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 Paul Smiths's 164 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Franklin County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Franklin 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 Franklin County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Paul Smiths's 164 acreswhy one lot differs from the next →
  • Which side of Paul Smiths you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 164 acresreading your own microclimate →
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 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 Paul Smiths-wide figureread your own land →
The next step finer is your own address

More in New York

Franklin County Growing Guide·New York Growing Guide
USDA PHZM•NOAA Climate Normals•US Census TIGER•PRISM Climate•EPA FRS