The Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) spans USDA hardiness zones 5a-6a — enough range to grow cool-season vegetables, hardy fruit, and warm-season crops that mature before the first hard frost.
The coldest, highest, shortest-season corner of Nevada. Where Reno gardens run zone 7a and Las Vegas 9a, Elko sits at zone 5a with roughly 110 frost-free days and the White Pine uplands around Ely at 6a with about 136 — a full two-plus zones colder and 100-plus fewer growing days than anywhere else on the state's pages. Growing here means a cold-hardy, short-season palette raced against a window that opens in late May and closes by mid-September. Growers here do well with tomato, grape, sagebrush, and pinon pine — with the usual caveat that any single yard's soil, sun, and drainage cast the deciding vote.
The Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) spans Nevada.
Your yard isn't all of the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely).
The Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) spans USDA zones 5a-6a, but your parcel sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and low spots nudge it further. 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 Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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The Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) — the short answer
The Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely): USDA zones 5a-6a, 110–136 frost-free days, in Nevada.
- USDA zones
- 5a-6a
- USDA PHZM 2023, aggregated over the footprint
- Frost-free season
- 110–136 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020
- Counties
- 2
- US Census TIGER/Line 2025
- Region type
- County cluster
- Growable Ground growing-region registry
Region boundary: Growable Ground growing-region registry — curated county clusters, EPA Level III ecoregions, and town clusters drawn finer than any county. Where a region publishes no measured season, no season figure is shown.
Hardiness Zone Range
What Grows in the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)
Plants matched to the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)'s USDA zones 5a-6a, ordered by how much hardiness margin each has across the region — the ones with room to spare at both ends of this band lead. Each links to its full growing profile.
Native Plants of the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)
Plants the USDA PLANTS Database documents as native and present in this region’s state, kept only where the published hardiness range meets the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)’s USDA zones 5a-6a — closest range match first. Presence is recorded by state, so a plant can be documented across the state and still be scarce in your corner of the region.
The ground across the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)
The USDA soil survey maps this ground county by county. These are those records weighted by land area across two member counties — this region’s own profile, not a state figure.
The ground is predominantly Aridisols, at 45% of mapped acres, followed by Mollisols (37%), Entisols (15%) and Inceptisols (2%). Six soil orders appear somewhere inside the footprint, which is the honest reason a regional soil answer only goes so far. The most extensive named soils are Palinor, Cleavage, and Chiara.
93% of those acres are well drained, and another 2% poorly drained, 2% somewhat excessively drained. Topsoil pH runs 7.2–8.5 between the lowest and the highest county on record.
Soil order
Aridisols
Drainage
Well drained
Topsoil pH
7.2–8.5
Hydric soils
2%
Soil changes across a driveway, so which of these your own ground sits on is a parcel question rather than a regional one. Elko County holds the most wetland ground here, at 2% — soil types explained.
USDA NRCS SSURGO via Soil Data Access
What this means for growing in the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)
The soil survey reads this ground county by county, and the readings above are those records summed across the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely). Here is what they mean for a garden here — and the move an experienced grower makes about each one.
Drainage
From county records93% of the mapped acres across the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) are well drained — ground that drains quickly. That is area-weighted across all two of its mapped counties.
The upside is soil you can work early in spring and roots that never drown; the cost is that fast-draining ground dries out fast and leaches nutrients away before plants can use them.
Work in compost and mulch to hold moisture and feed, and water more often in short doses than deep and rarely.
USDA NRCS SSURGO
Surface pH
From county recordsTopsoil across the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) runs pH 7.2–8.5 — alkaline in all two of them.
Many vegetables cope, but acid-lovers like blueberries struggle, and iron and manganese lock up above about pH 7.5 — leaves yellow between the veins even in rich soil.
Elemental sulfur and generous organic matter lower pH slowly for the beds that need it; test first so you add only what the soil actually calls for.
USDA NRCS SSURGO
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) — and how to grow with it.
Across the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)'s 2 counties the federal record holds 1,774 documented sites, mostly Mining (1,204), Underground Storage Tanks (329) and Brownfields (96). The heaviest single county is Elko County, with 1,196.
That is a regional count, not a reading of any one lot — proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis. Open the map outlined to the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) to see which records sit where you actually grow.
Sources Checked
Summed across the 2 counties in the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely), Mining runs higher than the national average — 1,204 sites across the 2 counties in the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely). Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.
Mining: Mining sites — both historic and active — can leach heavy metals (arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury) into soil and water for centuries after operations cease.
Test soil for heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury) — this is essential near any mining site.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.
Your land is one point inside the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)
Everything above resolves to the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) as a whole — a footprint spanning USDA zones 5a-6a. Your parcel sits in exactly one of them. 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 region 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 regional average.
Your Lot vs the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) Average
Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) Average
- ●USDA Zones 5a-6a, averaged across Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)
- ●One soil character for all of Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)
- ●State-average frost dates
YOUR Parcel
- ✓Your exact zone, not Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)'s 5a-6a
- ✓Your SSURGO soil type & pH
- ✓Your sun exposure, cast in 3D
See MY Growing Report
Read your parcel in the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)
Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, contamination, and scored plant recommendations.
Three things about your lot that Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) averages can't show:
We read public map data around The Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) average
How we know this about the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)
The boundary: a cluster of neighboring counties. Growing regions have no official boundary, so this footprint is our published one, and every figure on this page was measured over the counties inside it rather than borrowed from the state around it.
The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, aggregated across the footprint; the growing season from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS 1991–2020 28°F normals, read at each member’s own record; boundaries from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination record from the federal sources named in that beat above; the soil from the USDA NRCS SSURGO survey, read at each member county’s own record and weighted to this footprint by land area. Where a member carries no record of its own, it is absent from the figure rather than filled in.
Common questions about the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)
What hardiness zone is the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)?
The Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) spans USDA hardiness zones 5a-6a, aggregated from the USDA Agricultural Research Service Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 across the region's counties. Zones reflect average annual extreme minimum temperatures from 1991–2020 data.
How long is the growing season in the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)?
Measured between 28°F hard freezes, the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)'s counties mostly run 117 to 130 frost-free days, median 123 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991–2020, over 2 member counties). That 13-day spread is the honest read — no single season describes 2 counties, and each county guide below carries its own.
When does frost risk end in the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)?
Across the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely), the middle half of member counties see their last 28°F hard freeze between May 23 and May 25 (median May 24), and their first fall freeze between Sep 19 and Sep 30. Those are hard freezes, not the last light frost: tender transplants wait for about Jun 14, and elevation decides which end of a 2-day spread you garden in.
What grows well in the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)?
The Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)'s conditions suit plants such as Tomato, Grape, Sagebrush, Pinon Pine. What actually thrives on any one site still turns on its specific soil, sun, and drainage — we score each plant against the real conditions at your address.
How is the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) defined?
The Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) is defined here as a curated cluster of 2 neighboring counties that share a growing character. Growing regions have no official boundary, so this footprint is our published one — every county in it is named on this page.
Which states does the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) cover?
The Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely) spans Nevada. Each state's full growing guide is linked on this page.
What other growing regions cover the same states?
Mojave Desert, Humboldt River Corridor, Truckee Meadows / Reno, Carson Valley, Lahontan Valley / Fallon, and Pahrump Valley share at least one state with the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely). Growing regions overlap and interlock — a single address can sit inside more than one, which is why the precise read is always the parcel, not the region.
What this page reads at the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)’s own scale
6 of the readings below were taken at the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)'s own scale — the zone 5a-6a band across its footprint, a median 123-day season across its 2 counties and 1,774 documented federal contamination records across its 2 counties, 1,196 of them in Elko County alone; one is borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.
Measured here
- The USDA hardiness band 5a-6a aggregated across all 2 counties in the footprintUSDA PHZM 2023
- The boundary itself — the 2 counties this region is curated fromGrowable Ground subregion registry
- The growing character that makes this region distinct from the states it crossesGrowable Ground subregion registry
- The 28°F season across the footprint — the middle half of its 2 counties run 117 to 130 frost-free days, median 123NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020
- The federal contamination record over the whole footprint — 1,774 documented federal contamination records across its 2 counties, 1,196 of them in Elko County aloneEPA, USGS and USDA federal site records
- The soil order mix across the footprint — 45% Aridisols, topsoil pH 7.2–8.5, area-weighted across its 2 mapped countiesUSDA NRCS SSURGO
Inherited from a wider read
- The candidate plant list — its state's curated sets, merged and filtered to zones 5a-6afrom Nevada
What this page can’t tell you
- Which end of the 13-day range your ground sits at — 117 days at one extreme, 130 at the other, decided mostly by elevationfrost dates explained →
- Which of those soils your own ground sits on — the survey maps them county-wide, and they change across a drivewaysoil types explained →
- The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on one specific lotwhy one lot differs from the next →
Explore the Northeastern Nevada High Desert (Elko / Ruby Valley / Ely)
State growing guides
Counties in this region
Other growing regions across Nevada
A hot, low desert of creosote flats and Joshua trees where growing means irrigation, heat-loving crops, and shade — pomegranates, dates, and desert-adapted beds.
Northern Nevada's warm irrigated middle ground: the Humboldt River's zone 6b towns — Winnemucca, Lovelock, and Battle Mountain — run a longer, milder season than the 5a high desert around Elko yet stay cooler than the western valleys, with roughly 160–175 frost-free days behind the famed Lovelock cantaloupe.
The high-desert valley where Reno and Sparks sit in the Sierra Nevada's rain shadow — alkaline, irrigation-dependent ground and a short zone-7a season of about 150 frost-free days, with killing frost holding into mid-May.
Nevada's oldest farm valley — Carson River bottomland under the Sierra front where cold-air drainage keeps frost in play into June: a 6b-7b floor with a 147-164-day window, distinct from both Tahoe above and the desert basins east.
The Newlands Project's century-old irrigated oasis — Fallon's Hearts O' Gold cantaloupe ground, a zone-7a valley floor with a documented 179-day season in a county whose average runs 40 days shorter.
A warm desert basin over the hill from Death Valley — the committed record reads 8b with a 268-288-day season, two zones warmer and more than four months longer than the county row averaged across Nye's cold central-Nevada ranges; Nevada's unlikely vineyard-and-orchard pocket.