What Grows in Boyertown, Pennsylvania

USDA Zones 7a · 495 acres

Boyertown, Pennsylvania, sits in USDA hardiness zone 7a — a band that supports both cool-season staples and warm-season crops chosen to fit the local frost window.

Growers here do well with cabbage, hazelnut, california poppy, and collard greens — with the usual caveat that any single yard's soil, sun, and drainage cast the deciding vote.

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

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Boyertown — the short answer

Boyertown, Pennsylvania: USDA zone 7a, about 218 days between hard freezes, across 495 acres of town.

USDA zone
7a
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 6
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~218
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
495 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

7a7a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 7a is Boyertown's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Boyertown's 218-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Boyertown

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

Season length

Measured

Boyertown runs about 218 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.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Boyertown sits in USDA hardiness zone 7a.

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 Boyertown is in

Boyertown sits in the Northern Piedmont — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Boyertown's own centroid, and it is not what its county reads: Berks County is mostly Ridge and Valley. The wider page above you is answering a different question about different ground.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Boyertown

Every plant below cleared Boyertown's own zone 7a and its 218-day season. Each card opens that plant's Pennsylvania profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Boyertown's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Pennsylvania hazelnut guideZones 4–9Boyertown's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in PennsylvaniaZones 6–10Boyertown's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 2–11Boyertown's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in PennsylvaniaZones 5–9Boyertown's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Pennsylvania lavender guideZones 5–8Boyertown's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in PennsylvaniaZones 2–10Boyertown's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pecan, photograph
Pecan: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 5–9Boyertown's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in PennsylvaniaBoyertown's 218 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Pennsylvania kale guideZones 2–11Boyertown's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear in PennsylvaniaZones 5–10Boyertown's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 2–11Boyertown's 218 days clear the ~70 it needs.
apple, photograph
Growing apple in PennsylvaniaZones 3–8Boyertown's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Pennsylvania okra guideZones 2–12Boyertown's 218 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Boyertown's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 3–10Boyertown's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Boyertown's 218 days clear the ~70 it needs.
holly, photograph
Pennsylvania holly guideZones 5–11Boyertown's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in PennsylvaniaZones 3–8Boyertown's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 3–8Boyertown's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in PennsylvaniaBoyertown's 218 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Pennsylvania lilac guideZones 4–10Boyertown's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in PennsylvaniaZones 3–9Boyertown's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 6–8Boyertown's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in PennsylvaniaZones 3–9Boyertown's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Pennsylvania ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Boyertown's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in PennsylvaniaZones 2–7Boyertown's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 4–10Boyertown's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in PennsylvaniaZones 5–10Boyertown's 218 days clear the ~45 it needs.
Eastern gamagrass, photograph
Pennsylvania eastern gamagrass guideZones 5–9Boyertown's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Boyertown?

For most of the year, no — what changes is which crops still fit the days remaining. 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 6 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. A long window like this one runs successions deep into fall — and even its last weeks take quick greens and garlic.

Documented around Boyertown

Spotted lanternfly documented 2 miles from Boyertown, first recorded 2014. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Boyertown

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

  1. BOYERTOWN PUB COBrownfields · 300 ft
  2. BLANCHE R BOYER PARKING LOTUnderground Storage Tanks · 350 ft
  3. BOYERTOWN OILUnderground Storage Tanks · 400 ft
  4. R & R GARBER INCBrownfields · 450 ft
  5. FRIENDSHIP HOOK & LADDER CO NO 1Underground Storage Tanks · 450 ft
  6. PMG 2510Underground Storage Tanks · 600 ft
  7. GOOD SHEPHERD UCCUnderground Storage Tanks · 700 ft
  8. BOYERTOWN BORO HALLUnderground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  9. RIP ENTERPRISESUnderground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  10. NATL PENN BANKUnderground Storage Tanks · 750 ft
  11. PAUL R HAFERUnderground Storage Tanks · 800 ft
  12. BOYERTOWN CASKET COUnderground Storage Tanks · 850 ft

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

Measured from Boyertown'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 Boyertown.

Total Sites

989

within ~10 miles of Boyertown

Risk Level

High

Highest-severity

16 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Boyertown

High14Moderate377Low598

Highest-Severity Sites

Bally Ground Water Contamination
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Berks Sand Pit
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Crossley Farm
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Cryochem, INC.
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Douglassville Disposal
Superfund · Superfund NPL

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Boyertown, Superfund runs higher than the national average — 16 sites within ~10 miles of Boyertown. That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.

Superfund: Superfund sites represent the most severe contamination in the federal system.

Commission professional soil testing before any food production (test for heavy metals, VOCs, and SVOCs).

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Check your specific parcel in Boyertown

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 Boyertown average

Your land is one point inside Boyertown

Everything above resolves to Boyertown as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 495 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 Boyertown Average

Boyertown Average

  • USDA Zones 7a, averaged across Boyertown
  • One soil character for all of Boyertown
  • Frost dates read at Boyertown's scale: Apr 2 to Nov 6

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Boyertown

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Boyertown averages 218Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Boyertown

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 Boyertown’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 Boyertown

When does frost risk typically end in Boyertown?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Boyertown 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 Boyertown?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Boyertown typically arrives around Nov 6, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 23, so the watching starts about Oct 7 — about 218 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Boyertown?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Boyertown sees about 218 frost-free days — roughly Apr 2 through Nov 6, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 23 to Oct 23, about 183 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Boyertown?

The federal record around Boyertown runs heavier than most — 989 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (456), the nearest Brownfields record under a tenth of a mile out — so test the soil before planting food in the ground, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well in the meantime. Even here, proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard; the contamination map shows exactly what's recorded and where.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Boyertown?

From about Oct 7 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 6 (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 6. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Boyertown's scale — its 7a band and its 218-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Boyertown'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 Boyertown’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Boyertown's own scale — its own ~218-day season between 28°F freezes, the 495 acres it covers and 989 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Boyertown's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Boyertown's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 2 and Nov 6 and the ~218-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 989 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Boyertown, the closest Brownfields record under a tenth of a mile out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Boyertown's boundary and the 495 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7a and a ~218-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • Boyertown sits in the Northern Piedmont — not the ecoregion its county mostly readsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • A documented spotted-lanternfly record within reach of Boyertownlydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Boyertown's 495 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Berks County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Berks County
  • The growing challenges every Pennsylvania grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Pennsylvania
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Berks County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Boyertown's 495 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Boyertown you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 495 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Brownfields record under a tenth of a mile 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 Boyertown-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address