What Grows in Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania

USDA Zones 6a · 2K acres

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

Expect cabbage, blackberry, 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 Gouldsboro, 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 Gouldsboro 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 Gouldsboro — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Gouldsboro — the short answer

Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania: USDA zone 6a, about 176 days between hard freezes, across 2K acres of town.

USDA zone
6a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 26
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 19
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~176
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
2K 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

6a6a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)
Your USDA zone 6aSee the zone map →

Zone 6a is Gouldsboro's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Gouldsboro's 176-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Gouldsboro

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

Season length

Measured

Gouldsboro runs about 176 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.

Buying weeks at each end

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Gouldsboro 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.

How hardiness zones work

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Gouldsboro is in

Gouldsboro sits in the North Central Appalachians — EPA Level III, inside the wider Northern Forests. That is read at Gouldsboro's own centroid, and it is not what its county reads: Wayne County is mostly Northern Allegheny Plateau. The wider page above you is answering a different question about different ground.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Gouldsboro

Every plant below cleared Gouldsboro's own zone 6a and its 176-day season. Each card opens that plant's Pennsylvania profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Gouldsboro's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Pennsylvania blackberry guideZones 5–8Gouldsboro's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in PennsylvaniaZones 6–10Gouldsboro's 6a is its exact cold limit.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 2–11Gouldsboro's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
cranberry, photograph
Growing cranberry in PennsylvaniaZones 2–7Gouldsboro's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Pennsylvania lavender guideZones 5–8Gouldsboro's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in PennsylvaniaZones 2–10Gouldsboro's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Pawpaw: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 5–9Gouldsboro's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
St. Johns wort, photograph
Growing st. johns wort in PennsylvaniaZones 3–8Gouldsboro's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
kale, photograph
Pennsylvania kale guideZones 2–11Gouldsboro's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
pecan, photograph
Pecan in PennsylvaniaZones 5–9Gouldsboro's 6a — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Turkish rocket: Pennsylvania growing notesGouldsboro's 176 days clear the ~90 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Gouldsboro's 176 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Pennsylvania okra guideZones 2–12Gouldsboro's 176 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Gouldsboro's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 3–8Gouldsboro's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Gouldsboro's 176 days clear the ~70 it needs.
azalea, photograph
Pennsylvania azalea guideZones 4–8Gouldsboro's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in PennsylvaniaZones 3–8Gouldsboro's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 3–10Gouldsboro's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in PennsylvaniaGouldsboro's 176 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Pennsylvania lilac guideZones 4–10Gouldsboro's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
American bittersweet, photograph
American bittersweet in PennsylvaniaZones 3–8Gouldsboro's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 6–8Gouldsboro's 6a is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in PennsylvaniaZones 3–9Gouldsboro's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Pennsylvania ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Gouldsboro's 6a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in PennsylvaniaZones 2–7Gouldsboro's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
blue spruce, photograph
Blue spruce: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 2–8Gouldsboro's 6a — 4 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in PennsylvaniaZones 2–10Gouldsboro's 176 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Canada wild rye, photograph
Pennsylvania canada wild rye guideZones 3–8Gouldsboro's 6a — 3 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Gouldsboro?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 29; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 26 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 19 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. Even past midsummer there is room for a true fall garden here, and garlic planted near the close carries the momentum into next year.

Documented around Gouldsboro

Spotted lanternfly documented 2 miles from Gouldsboro, first recorded 2018. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Gouldsboro

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

  1. MAYOS MINI MKTUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  2. AT&T COMMUNICATIONUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  3. KNIGHT WELL DRILLINGUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  4. GOULDSBORO AUTO TRUCK PLAZAUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  5. WN 372Nitrate · 2400 ft
  6. WN 371Nitrate · 0.7 mi
  7. GOULDSBORO ASSN PROPUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.9 mi
  8. TOBYHANNA ARTILLERY RANGES (FUDS)Superfund · 1.7 mi
  9. WN 382Nitrate · 2.8 mi
  10. WN 403Nitrate · 2.9 mi
  11. DAVINKOUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.9 mi
  12. FISHER FUEL & SVCUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.3 mi

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

Measured from Gouldsboro'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 Gouldsboro.

Total Sites

258

within ~10 miles of Gouldsboro

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

4 Superfund sites

Explore the live map
Underground Storage Tanks107Nitrate98Brownfields43PFAS4Superfund4

Sources Checked

within ~10 miles of Gouldsboro

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Gouldsboro

High5Moderate135Low118

Highest-Severity Sites

Davinko
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Edwards Sand & Gravel
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Fisher Fuel & Svc
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Gouldsboro Auto Truck Plaza
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Liberty Travel Plaza
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Gouldsboro, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Gouldsboro — PFAS (4 sites) and Nitrate (98 sites). It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

PFAS: PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are called "forever chemicals" because they do not biodegrade.

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

Test irrigation water source — this is the primary pathway for PFAS to reach garden crops.

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

read your soil before you plantcontrol your inputs in containersbuild soil that holds onto nitrogenSee what's flagged near Gouldsboro
Explore the contamination map around Gouldsboro·Pennsylvania Growing Guide
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Check your specific parcel in Gouldsboro

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 Gouldsboro average

Your land is one point inside Gouldsboro

Everything above resolves to Gouldsboro as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 2K 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 Gouldsboro Average

Gouldsboro Average

  • ●USDA Zones 6a, averaged across Gouldsboro
  • ●One soil character for all of Gouldsboro
  • ●Frost dates read at Gouldsboro's scale: Apr 26 to Oct 19

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Gouldsboro

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Gouldsboro averages 176Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Gouldsboro

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 Gouldsboro’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 Gouldsboro

When does frost risk typically end in Gouldsboro?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Gouldsboro typically lands around Apr 26, 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 17.

When is the first frost in Gouldsboro?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Gouldsboro typically arrives around Oct 19, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 5, so the watching starts about Sep 19 — about 176 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Gouldsboro?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Gouldsboro sees about 176 frost-free days — roughly Apr 26 through Oct 19, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 17 to Oct 5, about 141 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Gouldsboro?

The federal record around Gouldsboro is a meaningful one — 258 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (107), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 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 Gouldsboro?

From about Sep 19 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 19 (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 19. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Gouldsboro's scale — its 6a band and its 176-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Gouldsboro'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 Gouldsboro’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Gouldsboro's own scale — its own ~176-day season between 28°F freezes, the 1,646 acres it covers and 258 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Gouldsboro's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Gouldsboro's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 26 and Oct 19 and the ~176-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 258 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Gouldsboro, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Gouldsboro's boundary and the 1,646 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6a and a ~176-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • Gouldsboro sits in the North Central Appalachians — not the ecoregion its county mostly readsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • A documented spotted-lanternfly record within reach of Gouldsborolydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Gouldsboro's 1,646 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Wayne County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Wayne 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 Wayne County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Gouldsboro's 1,646 acreswhy one lot differs from the next →
  • Which side of Gouldsboro you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 1,646 acresreading your own microclimate →
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 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 Gouldsboro-wide figureread your own land →
The next step finer is your own address

More in Pennsylvania

Wayne County Growing Guide·Pennsylvania Growing Guide
USDA PHZM•NOAA Climate Normals•US Census TIGER•PRISM Climate•EPA FRS