What Grows in Foundryville, Pennsylvania

USDA Zones 6b · 346 acres

Foundryville, Pennsylvania, sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b — a zone band wide enough that plant choice, not possibility, is the interesting question.

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

Score your parcel · free

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

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Foundryville — the short answer

Foundryville, Pennsylvania: USDA zone 6b, about 196 days between hard freezes, across 346 acres of town.

USDA zone
6b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 13
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 26
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~196
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
346 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

6b6b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 6b is Foundryville's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Foundryville's 196-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Foundryville

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

Season length

Measured

Foundryville runs about 196 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

Foundryville sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b.

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 Foundryville is in

Foundryville sits in the Ridge and Valley — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Foundryville's own centroid rather than borrowed from Columbia County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Foundryville

Every plant below cleared Foundryville's own zone 6b and its 196-day season. Each card opens that plant's Pennsylvania profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Foundryville's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Pennsylvania hazelnut guideZones 4–9Foundryville's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in PennsylvaniaZones 5–8Foundryville's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 2–11Foundryville's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Growing blackberry in PennsylvaniaZones 5–8Foundryville's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
Pennsylvania california poppy guideZones 6–10Foundryville's 6b is its exact cold limit.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in PennsylvaniaZones 2–10Foundryville's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Pawpaw: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 5–9Foundryville's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in PennsylvaniaFoundryville's 196 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Pennsylvania kale guideZones 2–11Foundryville's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pecan, photograph
Pecan in PennsylvaniaZones 5–9Foundryville's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
angelica, photograph
Angelica: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 4–9Foundryville's 196 days clear the ~120 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Foundryville's 196 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Pennsylvania okra guideZones 2–12Foundryville's 196 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Foundryville's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 3–10Foundryville's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Foundryville's 196 days clear the ~70 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Pennsylvania lilac guideZones 4–10Foundryville's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in PennsylvaniaZones 3–8Foundryville's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 3–8Foundryville's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in PennsylvaniaFoundryville's 196 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Oregon grape, photograph
Pennsylvania oregon grape guideZones 5–8Foundryville's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in PennsylvaniaZones 3–9Foundryville's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 6–8Foundryville's 6b is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in PennsylvaniaZones 3–9Foundryville's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Pennsylvania ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Foundryville's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in PennsylvaniaZones 2–7Foundryville's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 4–10Foundryville's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in PennsylvaniaZones 2–10Foundryville's 196 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Indian grass, photograph
Pennsylvania indian grass guideZones 4–9Foundryville's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Foundryville?

Usually not — gardeners here simply switch what goes in the ground as the season moves. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 16; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 13 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 26 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. The tail of the season still works: sixty-day crops into late summer, quick greens after, garlic last of all.

Documented around Foundryville

Spotted lanternfly documented 0 miles from Foundryville, first recorded 2019. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Foundryville

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

  1. ST MARY CHUnderground Storage Tanks · 2300 ft
  2. BERWICK HOSP CTR/BERWICKBrownfields · 0.5 mi
  3. GOOD SHEPHERD LUTH CHUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.5 mi
  4. CONNERS BODY SHOPBrownfields · 0.6 mi
  5. PEPSI COLA METRO BOTTLINGUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.7 mi
  6. BERWICK AREA SR HIGH SCHUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.7 mi
  7. BERWICK AREA HSBrownfields · 0.7 mi
  8. SHOEMAKER AUTO PARTSUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.9 mi
  9. JOHN W YORKSUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.9 mi
  10. CM LAUBACH & SONSUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.0 mi
  11. CRISPIN MULTIPLEX MFG COBrownfields · 1.0 mi
  12. DIJOHNS FUEL SVCUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.1 mi

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

Measured from Foundryville'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 Foundryville.

Total Sites

256

within ~10 miles of Foundryville

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

1 Superfund site

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Foundryville

High5Moderate74Low177

Highest-Severity Sites

Almedia & Webb Mines
Mining Sites · Past Producer
Almedia Mine
Mining Sites · Past Producer
Safety Light Corporation
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Webb Mine
Mining Sites · Past Producer
Acf Ind. Incorporated Biba Complex
Toxics Release Inventory · 18603CFNDSPOBOX

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Foundryville, Toxics Release Inventory runs higher than the national average — 17 sites within ~10 miles of Foundryville. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

Toxics Release Inventory: TRI facilities report annual chemical releases to air, water, and land.

Check prevailing wind direction — downwind parcels face higher exposure than upwind or crosswind locations.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Foundryville

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 Foundryville average

Your land is one point inside Foundryville

Everything above resolves to Foundryville as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 346 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 Foundryville Average

Foundryville Average

  • USDA Zones 6b, averaged across Foundryville
  • One soil character for all of Foundryville
  • Frost dates read at Foundryville's scale: Apr 13 to Oct 26

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Foundryville

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Foundryville averages 196Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Foundryville

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 Foundryville’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 Foundryville

When does frost risk typically end in Foundryville?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Foundryville typically lands around Apr 13, 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 4.

When is the first frost in Foundryville?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Foundryville typically arrives around Oct 26, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 12, so the watching starts about Sep 26 — about 196 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Foundryville?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Foundryville sees about 196 frost-free days — roughly Apr 13 through Oct 26, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 4 to Oct 12, about 161 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Foundryville?

The federal record around Foundryville is a meaningful one — 256 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (155), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.4 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 Foundryville?

From about Sep 26 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 Oct 26 (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 Oct 26. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Foundryville's scale — its 6b band and its 196-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Foundryville'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 Foundryville’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Foundryville's own scale — its own ~196-day season between 28°F freezes, the 346 acres it covers and 256 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Foundryville's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Foundryville's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 13 and Oct 26 and the ~196-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 256 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Foundryville, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.4 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Foundryville's boundary and the 346 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6b and a ~196-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Foundryville's own centroid, the Ridge and ValleyUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • A documented spotted-lanternfly record within reach of Foundryvillelydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Foundryville's 346 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Columbia County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Columbia 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 Columbia County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Foundryville's 346 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Foundryville you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 346 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.4 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 Foundryville-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address