What Grows in Lowgap, North Carolina

USDA Zones 7b · 728 acres

Lowgap, North Carolina, sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b — a zone band wide enough that plant choice, not possibility, is the interesting question.

Crops well matched to these conditions include cabbage, prickly pear, california poppy, and collard greens — though what thrives on any one site still turns on its specific soil, sun, and drainage.

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

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Lowgap — the short answer

Lowgap, North Carolina: USDA zone 7b, about 214 days between hard freezes, across 728 acres of town.

USDA zone
7b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 2
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 2
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~214
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
728 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)
Your USDA zone 7bSee the zone map →

Zone 7b is Lowgap's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Lowgap's 214-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Lowgap

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

Season length

Measured

Lowgap runs about 214 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.

Making the most of a long season

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Lowgap 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.

How hardiness zones work

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Lowgap is in

Lowgap sits in the Piedmont — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Lowgap's own centroid rather than borrowed from Surry County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Lowgap

Every plant below cleared Lowgap's own zone 7b and its 214-day season. Each card opens that plant's North Carolina profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in North CarolinaZones 2–11Lowgap's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
North Carolina prickly pear guideZones 5–10Lowgap's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in North CarolinaZones 6–10Lowgap's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: North Carolina growing notesZones 2–11Lowgap's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Growing fig in North CarolinaZones 6–10Lowgap's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
North Carolina lavender guideZones 5–8Lowgap's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in North CarolinaZones 2–10Lowgap's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
grape, photograph
Grape: North Carolina growing notesZones 6–9Lowgap's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in North CarolinaLowgap's 214 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
North Carolina kale guideZones 2–11Lowgap's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Hazelnut in North CarolinaZones 4–9Lowgap's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: North Carolina growing notesZones 2–11Lowgap's 214 days clear the ~70 it needs.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in North CarolinaZones 5–9Lowgap's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
North Carolina okra guideZones 2–12Lowgap's 214 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in North CarolinaZones 2–11Lowgap's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: North Carolina growing notesZones 3–10Lowgap's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in North CarolinaZones 2–11Lowgap's 214 days clear the ~70 it needs.
holly, photograph
North Carolina holly guideZones 5–11Lowgap's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in North CarolinaZones 3–8Lowgap's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: North Carolina growing notesZones 3–8Lowgap's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in North CarolinaLowgap's 214 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
North Carolina lilac guideZones 4–10Lowgap's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in North CarolinaZones 3–9Lowgap's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: North Carolina growing notesZones 6–8Lowgap's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Growing douglas fir in North CarolinaZones 4–10Lowgap's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
North Carolina ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Lowgap's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in North CarolinaZones 2–7Lowgap's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
western red cedar, photograph
Western red cedar: North Carolina growing notesZones 4–10Lowgap's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in North CarolinaZones 5–10Lowgap's 214 days clear the ~45 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
North Carolina ajuga guideZones 5–11Lowgap's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Lowgap?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 5; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 2 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 2 — 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 Lowgap

Spotted lanternfly documented 10 miles from Lowgap, first recorded 2022. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Lowgap

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

  1. H & M SERVICEUnderground Storage Tanks · 900 ft
  2. W.M. WOODRUFF'S SON INC.Underground Storage Tanks · 900 ft
  3. CALLOWAY GROCERYUnderground Storage Tanks · 900 ft
  4. BUDDY COCKERHAMUnderground Storage Tanks · 900 ft
  5. C.G. MOXLEY SERVICEUnderground Storage Tanks · 900 ft
  6. COSBY GOLDINGUnderground Storage Tanks · 900 ft
  7. LOWGAP GROCERY & GRILLUnderground Storage Tanks · 2200 ft
  8. FLAV-O-RICH- MOUNT AIRY BRANCHUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.8 mi
  9. LOW GAP SHELLUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.8 mi
  10. MOUNTAIN VIEW GROCERYUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.4 mi
  11. HANSEN TURBINE / FALCON TURBINEBrownfields · 4.3 mi
  12. KANOWSKY FURUNITURE OF VAUnderground Storage Tanks · 4.5 mi

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

Measured from Lowgap'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 Lowgap.

Total Sites

124

within ~10 miles of Lowgap

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

2 Superfund sites (none NPL-listed)

Explore the live map
Underground Storage Tanks97Brownfields13Toxics Release Inventory7Nitrate3Superfund2

Sources Checked

within ~10 miles of Lowgap

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Lowgap

High0Moderate32Low92

Highest-Severity Sites

Berriers General Store
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Brintle Enterprises INC
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Chris Food Mart
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Circle K 2701537
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Eddie Hull
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Lowgap, Underground Storage Tanks runs higher than the national average — 97 sites within ~10 miles of Lowgap. That's not a problem with your land — it's information about 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 Lowgap
Explore the contamination map around Lowgap·North Carolina Growing Guide
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Check your specific parcel in Lowgap

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 Lowgap average

Your land is one point inside Lowgap

Everything above resolves to Lowgap as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 728 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 Lowgap Average

Lowgap Average

  • ●USDA Zones 7b, averaged across Lowgap
  • ●One soil character for all of Lowgap
  • ●Frost dates read at Lowgap's scale: Apr 2 to Nov 2

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Lowgap

Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Lowgap, North Carolina — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, and scored plant recommendations.

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Lowgap averages 214Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Lowgap

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 Lowgap’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 Lowgap

When does frost risk typically end in Lowgap?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Lowgap typically lands around Apr 2, 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 23.

When is the first frost in Lowgap?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Lowgap typically arrives around Nov 2, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 19, so the watching starts about Oct 3 — about 214 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Lowgap?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Lowgap sees about 214 frost-free days — roughly Apr 2 through Nov 2, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 23 to Oct 19, about 179 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Lowgap?

The federal record around Lowgap is a meaningful one — 124 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (97), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 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 Lowgap?

From about Oct 3 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 2 (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 2. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Lowgap's scale — its 7b band and its 214-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Lowgap'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 Lowgap’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Lowgap's own scale — its own ~214-day season between 28°F freezes, the 728 acres it covers and 124 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Lowgap's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Lowgap's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 2 and Nov 2 and the ~214-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 124 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Lowgap, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Lowgap's boundary and the 728 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7b and a ~214-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Lowgap's own centroid, the PiedmontUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • A documented spotted-lanternfly record within reach of Lowgaplydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Lowgap's 728 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Surry County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Surry County
  • The growing challenges every North Carolina grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom North Carolina
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Surry County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Lowgap's 728 acreswhy one lot differs from the next →
  • Which side of Lowgap you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 728 acresreading your own microclimate →
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 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 Lowgap-wide figureread your own land →
The next step finer is your own address

More in North Carolina

Surry County Growing Guide·North Carolina Growing Guide
USDA PHZM•NOAA Climate Normals•US Census TIGER•PRISM Climate•EPA FRS