What Grows in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

USDA Zones 6b · 623 acres

Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b — room for a real mix of vegetables, fruit, and perennials matched to the local frost calendar.

Reliable performers under these conditions include cabbage, hazelnut, lavender, and collard greens; what your own ground favors still comes down to its soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Lewisburg — the short answer

Lewisburg, Pennsylvania: USDA zone 6b, about 207 days between hard freezes, across 623 acres of town.

USDA zone
6b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 7
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 31
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~207
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
623 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 Lewisburg's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Lewisburg's 207-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Lewisburg

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

Season length

Measured

Lewisburg runs about 207 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

Lewisburg 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 Lewisburg is in

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

What that means for soil

What Grows in Lewisburg

Every plant below cleared Lewisburg's own zone 6b and its 207-day season. Each card opens that plant's Pennsylvania profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Lewisburg's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Pennsylvania hazelnut guideZones 4–9Lewisburg's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in PennsylvaniaZones 5–8Lewisburg's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 2–11Lewisburg's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Growing blackberry in PennsylvaniaZones 5–8Lewisburg's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
Pennsylvania california poppy guideZones 6–10Lewisburg's 6b is its exact cold limit.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in PennsylvaniaZones 2–10Lewisburg's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blueberry, photograph
Blueberry: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 3–8Lewisburg's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in PennsylvaniaLewisburg's 207 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Pennsylvania kale guideZones 2–11Lewisburg's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Pawpaw in PennsylvaniaZones 5–9Lewisburg's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
angelica, photograph
Angelica: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 4–9Lewisburg's 207 days clear the ~120 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Lewisburg's 207 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Pennsylvania okra guideZones 2–12Lewisburg's 207 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Lewisburg's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 3–10Lewisburg's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Lewisburg's 207 days clear the ~70 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Pennsylvania lilac guideZones 4–10Lewisburg's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in PennsylvaniaZones 3–8Lewisburg's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 3–8Lewisburg's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in PennsylvaniaLewisburg's 207 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Pennsylvania apache plume guideZones 5–11Lewisburg's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in PennsylvaniaZones 3–9Lewisburg's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 6–8Lewisburg's 6b is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in PennsylvaniaZones 3–9Lewisburg's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Pennsylvania ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Lewisburg's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in PennsylvaniaZones 2–7Lewisburg's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 4–10Lewisburg's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in PennsylvaniaZones 2–10Lewisburg's 207 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Indian grass, photograph
Pennsylvania indian grass guideZones 4–9Lewisburg's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Lewisburg?

Too late for some crops, right on time for others — a growing season is a sequence, not a deadline. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 10; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 7 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 31 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. With a season this long, “too late” mostly means “switch crops” — second sowings and a full fall garden are the norm, with garlic closing the year.

Documented around Lewisburg

Spotted lanternfly documented 3 miles from Lewisburg, first recorded 2019. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Lewisburg

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

  1. CENTRAL BUILDERS SUPPLY COBrownfields · 200 ft
  2. LEWISBURG READY MIX PLTUnderground Storage Tanks · 200 ft
  3. BUFFALO VALLEY SUPPLY CORPUnderground Storage Tanks · 250 ft
  4. QUICK SHOP 4Underground Storage Tanks · 650 ft
  5. BEYER & FORTNERUnderground Storage Tanks · 700 ft
  6. WILLIAM A SHOWERSUnderground Storage Tanks · 800 ft
  7. RL POETH SCRAP IRON & METAL YARDUnderground Storage Tanks · 800 ft
  8. DIEHL CHEVROLET CADILAC COUnderground Storage Tanks · 1000 ft
  9. BUFFALO VALLEY TELEUnderground Storage Tanks · 1000 ft
  10. HESS 38281Underground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  11. PA HOUSE TRUCK GARAGEUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  12. CVS PHARMACY #1604Brownfields · 1100 ft

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

Measured from Lewisburg'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 Lewisburg.

Total Sites

557

within ~10 miles of Lewisburg

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

1 Superfund site (none NPL-listed)

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Lewisburg

High0Moderate189Low368

Highest-Severity Sites

7 Eleven 40231
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
7 Eleven 40421
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Andrew a Reiff Swine Farm
Concentrated Animal Feeding · Effective
Bb Nonwovens Simpsonville INC
Toxics Release Inventory · 17837vrtcdrt15n
Beaver Run Farms INC
Concentrated Animal Feeding · Effective

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Lewisburg, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Lewisburg — CAFO (16 sites) and Toxics Release Inventory (38 sites). It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

CAFO: CAFOs pose a different contamination profile than chemical sources.

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

Wash all produce consumed raw thoroughly, especially leafy greens grown near CAFOs.

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

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Lewisburg

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 Lewisburg average

Your land is one point inside Lewisburg

Everything above resolves to Lewisburg as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 623 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 Lewisburg Average

Lewisburg Average

  • USDA Zones 6b, averaged across Lewisburg
  • One soil character for all of Lewisburg
  • Frost dates read at Lewisburg's scale: Apr 7 to Oct 31

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Lewisburg

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Lewisburg averages 207Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Lewisburg

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 Lewisburg’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 Lewisburg

When does frost risk typically end in Lewisburg?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Lewisburg typically lands around Apr 7, 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 28.

When is the first frost in Lewisburg?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Lewisburg typically arrives around Oct 31, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 17, so the watching starts about Oct 1 — about 207 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Lewisburg?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Lewisburg sees about 207 frost-free days — roughly Apr 7 through Oct 31, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 28 to Oct 17, about 172 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Lewisburg?

The federal record around Lewisburg is a meaningful one — 557 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (303), the nearest Brownfields record under a tenth of a mile 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 Lewisburg?

From about Oct 1 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 31 (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 31. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Lewisburg's scale — its 6b band and its 207-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Lewisburg'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 Lewisburg’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Lewisburg's own scale — its own ~207-day season between 28°F freezes, the 623 acres it covers and 557 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Lewisburg's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Lewisburg's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 7 and Oct 31 and the ~207-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 557 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Lewisburg, the closest Brownfields record under a tenth of a mile out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Lewisburg's boundary and the 623 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6b and a ~207-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Lewisburg's own centroid, the Ridge and ValleyUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • A documented spotted-lanternfly record within reach of Lewisburglydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Lewisburg's 623 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Union County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Union 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 Union County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Lewisburg's 623 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Lewisburg you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 623 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 Lewisburg-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address