What Grows in Myrtle Grove, North Carolina

USDA Zones 8b · 4K acres

Myrtle Grove, North Carolina, sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b — room for a real mix of vegetables, fruit, and perennials matched to the local frost calendar.

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

Score your parcel · free

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

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Myrtle Grove — the short answer

Myrtle Grove, North Carolina: USDA zone 8b, about 280 days between hard freezes, across 4K acres of town.

USDA zone
8b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Feb 28
New Hanover County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Dec 5
New Hanover County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Days between freezes
~280
New Hanover County normal — NOAA 1991–2020, nearest to this town
Town area
4K acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. No 30-year normal resolves at this town’s own centroid, so the hard-freeze dates are New Hanover County’s — the closest measured record, labelled as such rather than passed off as local.

Hardiness Zone Range

8b8b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 8b is Myrtle Grove's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Myrtle Grove's 280-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Myrtle Grove

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

Season length

From county records

Myrtle Grove runs about 280 days between hard freezes (read from New Hanover County, the closest normal to Myrtle Grove) — close to year-round growing.

Frost is rarely the limit here; winter plantings are as real as summer ones, and the harder question is which crops shrug off the summer heat.

Grow cool-season crops through the mild winter, and choose heat-tolerant varieties for the summer beds.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Myrtle Grove sits in USDA hardiness zone 8b.

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 Myrtle Grove is in

Myrtle Grove sits in the Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Myrtle Grove's own centroid rather than borrowed from New Hanover County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Myrtle Grove

Every plant below cleared Myrtle Grove's own zone 8b and its 280-day season. Each card opens that plant's North Carolina profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in North CarolinaZones 2–11Myrtle Grove's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
North Carolina fig guideZones 6–10Myrtle Grove's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in North CarolinaZones 6–10Myrtle Grove's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: North Carolina growing notesZones 2–11Myrtle Grove's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
loquat, photograph
Growing loquat in North CarolinaZones 7–10Myrtle Grove's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
rosemary, photograph
North Carolina rosemary guideZones 8–10Myrtle Grove's 8b is its exact cold limit.
kale, photograph
Kale in North CarolinaZones 2–11Myrtle Grove's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pomegranate, photograph
Pomegranate: North Carolina growing notesZones 7–10Myrtle Grove's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Growing lavender in North CarolinaZones 5–8Myrtle Grove's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
North Carolina lentil guideZones 2–11Myrtle Grove's 280 days clear the ~70 it needs.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear in North CarolinaZones 5–10Myrtle Grove's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Okra: North Carolina growing notesZones 2–12Myrtle Grove's 280 days clear the ~50 it needs.
almond, photograph
Growing almond in North CarolinaZones 5–9Myrtle Grove's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
potato, photograph
North Carolina potato guideZones 2–11Myrtle Grove's 8b — 6 zones of cold margin.
pumpkin, photograph
Pumpkin in North CarolinaZones 3–11Myrtle Grove's 280 days clear the ~40 it needs.
iris, photograph
Iris: North Carolina growing notesZones 3–10Myrtle Grove's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in North CarolinaZones 2–11Myrtle Grove's 280 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
North Carolina apache plume guideZones 5–11Myrtle Grove's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in North CarolinaZones 3–8Myrtle Grove's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: North Carolina growing notesZones 3–8Myrtle Grove's 8b — 5 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in North CarolinaMyrtle Grove's 280 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
North Carolina holly guideZones 5–11Myrtle Grove's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in North CarolinaZones 7–10Myrtle Grove's 8b — 1 zone of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: North Carolina growing notesZones 6–8Myrtle Grove's 8b — 2 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Growing redbud in North CarolinaZones 5–11Myrtle Grove's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
pearl millet, photograph
North Carolina pearl millet guideZones 5–11Myrtle Grove's 280 days clear the ~60 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in North CarolinaZones 5–11Myrtle Grove's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: North Carolina growing notesZones 4–10Myrtle Grove's 8b — 4 zones of cold margin.
phacelia, photograph
Growing phacelia in North CarolinaZones 2–11Myrtle Grove's 280 days clear the ~100 it needs.
liriope, photograph
North Carolina liriope guideZones 5–11Myrtle Grove's 8b — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Myrtle Grove?

Usually not — gardeners here simply switch what goes in the ground as the season moves. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 31; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Feb 28 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Dec 5 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. In a climate this gentle, “too late” hardly applies — the question becomes which crops prefer the cooler months ahead.

Documented around Myrtle Grove

Spotted lanternfly documented 7 miles from Myrtle Grove, first recorded 2023. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Myrtle Grove

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

  1. HANDEE HUGOS 26Underground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  2. GUY'S STATIONUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  3. GOGAS 10Underground Storage Tanks · 0.6 mi
  4. HARRIS TEETER 096Brownfields · 0.7 mi
  5. WALGREENS #12853Brownfields · 0.7 mi
  6. NH-371Nitrate · 0.7 mi
  7. 10 CARDLOCKUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.8 mi
  8. NCDSCA DC650006 (WILLIAMS FABRICARE INC)Brownfields · 0.8 mi
  9. WORSLEY TRANSPORTUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.9 mi
  10. L.V. SUTTON PLANTUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.9 mi
  11. UNION CARBIDE INDUSTRIAL GASESUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.9 mi
  12. HOME DEPOT USA HD 3609Brownfields · 0.9 mi

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

Measured from Myrtle Grove'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 Myrtle Grove.

Total Sites

844

within ~10 miles of Myrtle Grove

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

10 Superfund sites (none NPL-listed)

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Myrtle Grove

High5Moderate302Low537

Highest-Severity Sites

Carolina Beach Water System
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Cfpua/Monterey Heights
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
The Cape Master System
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Wrightsville Beach Water
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
A & a New & Used Cars Sales, INC
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

Know Before You Grow

  • Underground tanks leak petroleum as they age — near a former filling station, test the soil.
  • Near a brownfield, raised beds of imported soil give your food clean ground.
  • On a private well, test for nitrates: above 10 mg/L the water needs treatment before irrigating.
Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Myrtle Grove

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 Myrtle Grove average

Your land is one point inside Myrtle Grove

Everything above resolves to Myrtle Grove as a whole — one PHZM band, read across 4K acres, with hard-freeze dates borrowed from New Hanover County’s record because no 30-year normal resolves at this town’s own centroid. 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 Myrtle Grove Average

Myrtle Grove Average

  • USDA Zones 8b, averaged across Myrtle Grove
  • One soil character for all of Myrtle Grove
  • Frost dates read at Myrtle Grove's scale: Feb 28 to Dec 5

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Myrtle Grove's 8b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Myrtle Grove

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Myrtle Grove averages 280Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Myrtle Grove

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 New Hanover County’s record, because none resolves here; 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 Myrtle Grove

When does frost risk typically end in Myrtle Grove?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Myrtle Grove typically lands around Feb 28, 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 Mar 21.

When is the first frost in Myrtle Grove?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Myrtle Grove typically arrives around Dec 5, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 21, so the watching starts about Nov 5 — about 280 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Myrtle Grove?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Myrtle Grove sees about 280 frost-free days — roughly Feb 28 through Dec 5, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Mar 21 to Nov 21, about 245 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Myrtle Grove?

The federal record around Myrtle Grove is a meaningful one — 844 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (472), 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 Myrtle Grove?

From about Nov 5 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 Dec 5 (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 Dec 5. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Myrtle Grove's scale — its 8b band and its 280-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Myrtle Grove'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 Myrtle Grove’s own scale

6 of the readings below were taken at Myrtle Grove's own scale — the 4,292 acres it covers and 844 documented sites around it; 5 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Myrtle Grove's own USDA hardiness band, zones 8bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • 844 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Myrtle Grove, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.6 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Myrtle Grove's boundary and the 4,292 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 8b and a ~280-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Myrtle Grove's own centroid, the Middle Atlantic Coastal PlainUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • A documented spotted-lanternfly record within reach of Myrtle Grovelydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • The 28°F hard-freeze dates — Myrtle Grove has no normal of its own, so its county's is the closest measured readfrom New Hanover County
  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Myrtle Grove's 4,292 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom New Hanover County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom New Hanover 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 New Hanover County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Myrtle Grove's 4,292 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Myrtle Grove you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 4,292 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 Myrtle Grove-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address