What Grows in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania

USDA Zones 6a · 254K acres

Wyoming County, in Pennsylvania, sits in USDA hardiness zone 6a — a band that supports both cool-season staples and warm-season crops chosen to fit the local frost window.

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

Grounded in USDA PHZM 2023 · Growable Ground suitability scoring · NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Score your parcel · free

Wyoming County holds more than one microclimate.

Soils and elevations shift across Wyoming County, so your frost dates and drainage aren't the county average. 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 Wyoming County — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

No card required · your full report in seconds

Wyoming County — the short answer

Wyoming County, Pennsylvania: USDA zone 6a, about 191 days between hard freezes, across 254K acres.

USDA zone
6a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 17
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 25
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F
Days between freezes
~191
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F
County area
254K acres
US Census TIGER/Line 2025

Every figure names the dataset it came from. Hard-freeze dates are county 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

6a6a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 6a is Wyoming County's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Wyoming County's 191-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Heat in Wyoming County

Across a year, Wyoming County accumulates about 2,415 growing degree days above 50°F, about 132 fewer than the middle Pennsylvania county — ahead of 23 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. Degree days are the heat a crop actually gets to work with — more of them is more room to ripen a long-season crop before the freeze closes the window.

Grounded in PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University — 1991–2020 monthly normals

Soil in Wyoming County

Across Wyoming County, the ground is predominantly Inceptisols, where Oquaga, Wellsboro, and Morris are the most extensive named soil series. The soil is generally well drained with a channery loam surface. Topsoil pH runs about 5.3–5.5, strongly acidic. Rainfall drains through hydrologic group D soils.

Soil order

Inceptisols

Drainage

Well drained

Prime farmland

9%

Hydric soils

8%

Soil still varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

How the ground varies across Wyoming County

The USDA soil survey maps 44% of Wyoming County as well drained — but another 54% drains differently: 22% moderately well drained, 14% somewhat poorly drained.

Oquaga is the most extensive named soil at 16% of mapped acres, then Wellsboro (13%) and Morris (10%).

Which of them your own lot sits on is a parcel question, not a county one. Check your address for the survey at your boundary.

What this means for growing in Wyoming County

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

Drainage

Measured

The dominant soils across Wyoming County are well drained, in hydrologic group D — ground that drains quickly.

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

Measured

Topsoil across Wyoming County runs about pH 5.3–5.5, on the acidic side.

Blueberries, potatoes, and rhododendrons thrive in it, but most vegetables start locking out nutrients below about pH 6.0 and grow pale and stunted no matter how much you feed them.

A measured lime application raises pH for the crops that need it — but test first, because the right rate depends on your own soil, not the county average.

USDA NRCS SSURGO

Season length

Measured

Wyoming County runs about 191 days between hard freezes — a moderate growing season.

There is room for the full run of cool-season crops plus a warm-season main crop, but the calendar is tight enough that a late spring or early fall frost still decides how much finishes.

Time warm-season transplants to your last hard freeze, and a few weeks of season extension turns a near-miss harvest into a sure one.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Wyoming County sits in USDA hardiness zone 6a.

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 Wyoming County is in

Wyoming County spans 2 EPA Level III ecoregions — Northern Allegheny Plateau (72%) and North Central Appalachians (28%). Which one your land falls in changes what grows wild there and how the ground behaves, and a county-wide answer cannot tell you which.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Wyoming County

We scored all 1,086 plants against Wyoming County's own USDA zone 6a and its own 191-day season between hard freezes, using the same matching engine that runs a full parcel report. These cleared both. Sun, soil pH and drainage vary lot by lot — those are the parcel questions below. Each card opens that plant's Pennsylvania profile.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Wyoming County's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Pennsylvania hazelnut guideZones 4–9Wyoming County's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in PennsylvaniaZones 5–8Wyoming County's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 2–11Wyoming County's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
blueberry, photograph
Growing blueberry in PennsylvaniaZones 3–8Wyoming County's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
Pennsylvania california poppy guideZones 6–10Wyoming County's 6a is its exact cold limit.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in PennsylvaniaZones 2–10Wyoming County's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Blackberry: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 5–8Wyoming County's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
St. Johns wort, photograph
Growing st. johns wort in PennsylvaniaZones 3–8Wyoming County's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Pennsylvania kale guideZones 2–11Wyoming County's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
cranberry, photograph
Cranberry in PennsylvaniaZones 2–7Wyoming County's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Turkish rocket: Pennsylvania growing notesWyoming County's 191 days clear the ~90 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Wyoming County's 191 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Pennsylvania okra guideZones 2–12Wyoming County's 191 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Wyoming County's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 3–8Wyoming County's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Wyoming County's 191 days clear the ~70 it needs.
azalea, photograph
Pennsylvania azalea guideZones 4–8Wyoming County's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in PennsylvaniaZones 3–8Wyoming County's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 3–10Wyoming County's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in PennsylvaniaWyoming County's 191 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Pennsylvania lilac guideZones 4–10Wyoming County's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
American bittersweet, photograph
American bittersweet in PennsylvaniaZones 3–8Wyoming County's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 6–8Wyoming County's 6a is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in PennsylvaniaZones 3–9Wyoming County's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Pennsylvania ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Wyoming County's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in PennsylvaniaZones 2–7Wyoming County's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 4–10Wyoming County's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in PennsylvaniaZones 2–10Wyoming County's 191 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Canada wild rye, photograph
Pennsylvania canada wild rye guideZones 3–8Wyoming County's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Wyoming County?

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 20; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 17 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 25 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. As the window narrows, the plantings just get faster — fall brassicas, then greens, then garlic to finish.

Documented around Wyoming County

Spotted lanternfly documented 1 miles from Wyoming County, first recorded 2018. What to watch for.

Sighting records, so they follow observers as much as insects.

What gets applied to farmland in Wyoming County

USGS estimates 17,739 lb of Glyphosate on Wyoming County farmland in 2019, its largest by weight, ahead of Atrazine (3,103 lb) and Metolachlor & Metolachlor-s (2,245 lb).

Farmland across the whole county, not any one lot. Check your address for the site-by-site record.

Safe to Grow Here?

What the federal record shows across Wyoming County — and how to grow with it.

Federal record: Elevated

We checked the federal record across Wyoming County245 documented sites across 5 of the 9 source types we track.

The most significant on record: 2 Toxics Release Inventory facilities. Active industrial facilities reporting chemical releases to air, water, and land.

There's a meaningful federal record across Wyoming County — worth a look before you plant food, not a reason to hold back from growing. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard. A soil test before new food beds is the sensible precaution here, and the map shows exactly which sites sit where, so you can see what's actually near you.

Sources: EPA, USGS1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.

What's on the federal record near Wyoming County

Closest first, across Wyoming County. Listing isn't leaking, and distance isn't exposure.

  1. WY 153Nitrate · 1.7 mi
  2. SUGAR HOLLOW DINERUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.8 mi
  3. EATON TWP SPVRUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.3 mi
  4. BOWMAN CREEK SVC CTRUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.3 mi
  5. SR 3007 OVER RBMN RAILROAD MPMS 83059Brownfields · 2.3 mi
  6. WY 25Nitrate · 2.5 mi
  7. TUNKHANNOCK BORO MUNIC AUTHPFAS · 2.6 mi
  8. TUSCARORA ELECTRIC MFG CO INCBrownfields · 2.6 mi
  9. TUSCARORA ELECUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.6 mi
  10. TUNKHANNOCK FUEL COUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.7 mi
  11. MOUNTAIN ENERGY SERVICESBrownfields · 2.7 mi
  12. TUNKHANNOCK EXXONUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.7 mi

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

Measured from Wyoming County'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 Wyoming County.

Total Sites

245

across Wyoming County

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

2 Toxics Release Inventory facilities

Severity Distribution

across Wyoming County

High1Moderate129Low115

Highest-Severity Sites

Tunkhannock Boro Munic Auth
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Ace Robbins
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Airline Petro Bulk
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Bluhms Shopping Ctr
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Bowman Creek Svc Ctr
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Wyoming County, Nitrate runs higher than the national average — 94 sites across Wyoming County. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

Nitrate: Nitrate contamination primarily comes from agricultural fertilizer runoff and failing septic systems.

Test well water for nitrate if you rely on a private well for irrigation (EPA standard: 10 mg/L).

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Wyoming County

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 Wyoming County average

Your land is one point inside Wyoming County

Everything above resolves to Wyoming County as a whole — one PHZM band and one county frost record, read across 254K 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 county 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 county average.

Your Lot vs the Wyoming County Average

Wyoming County Average

  • USDA Zones 6a, averaged across Wyoming County
  • One soil character for all of Wyoming County
  • Frost dates read at Wyoming County's scale: Apr 17 to Oct 25

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Wyoming County's 6a
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your parcel in Wyoming County

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Wyoming County averages 191Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Wyoming County

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at county grain; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at this county’s own record where one resolves, and the labelled statewide window where none does; soils from the USDA NRCS SSURGO survey, area-weighted across the county’s own map units; boundaries and acreage from US Census TIGER/Line 2025; the contamination and pesticide records from the federal sources named in their beats above. Where Wyoming County carries no record of its own, the figure is inherited and labelled — the resolution ledger below names each.

Common questions about Wyoming County

When does frost risk typically end in Wyoming County?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Wyoming County typically lands around Apr 17, 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 May 8.

How long is the growing season in Wyoming County?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Wyoming County sees about 191 frost-free days — roughly Apr 17 through Oct 25, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 8 to Oct 11, about 156 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Wyoming County?

The federal record around Wyoming County is a meaningful one — 245 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (110), the nearest Nitrate record about 1.7 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.

Everything above is measured at Wyoming County's scale — its 6a band and its 191-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Wyoming County'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 Wyoming County’s own scale

9 of the readings below were taken at Wyoming County's own scale — its own ~191-day span between 28°F freezes, the 3 most extensive soil series mapped here and 245 documented sites inside its boundary; one is borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Wyoming County's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Wyoming County's own 28°F hard-freeze dates and its ~191-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • The soil order, drainage, surface pH, and the 3 most extensive named soil series mapped in Wyoming CountyUSDA NRCS SSURGO
  • 245 documented contamination sites inside the county boundary, distance-sorted from its center — the closest Nitrate record about 1.7 miles outFederal environmental registers
  • Wyoming County's boundary and the 254,245 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6a and a ~191-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The 2 ecoregions Wyoming County spans, Northern Allegheny Plateau the largestUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • Open occurrence records documented in Wyoming County for 2 tracked speciesGBIF derived datasets (CC0 / CC BY 4.0)
  • Which agricultural compounds go onto Wyoming County farmland, and roughly how muchUSGS NAWQA EPest county estimates

Inherited from a wider read

  • The growing challenges every Pennsylvania grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Pennsylvania

What this page can’t tell you

  • How the season shifts across Wyoming County — the ~191 days above is one reading at its centre; the 12 towns below each carry their owntowns in this county
  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Wyoming County's 254,245 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which of those 245 documented sites actually reaches your soil — that needs your address, the wind, and the groundwater directionhow we read the record
  • Where cold air settles, which slopes face the sun, and which way the wind runs on your own ground — none of it survives being averaged over Wyoming Countyread your own land
Go one step finer: towns in Wyoming County