What Grows in Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania

USDA Zones 7a · 697 acres

Seven Valleys, 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.

These conditions suit cabbage, hazelnut, california poppy, and collard greens — a starting list any specific site will trim or extend with its own soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

No card required · your full report in seconds

Seven Valleys — the short answer

Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania: USDA zone 7a, about 212 days between hard freezes, across 697 acres of town.

USDA zone
7a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 5
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 3
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~212
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
697 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 Seven Valleys's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Seven Valleys's 212-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Seven Valleys

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

Season length

Measured

Seven Valleys runs about 212 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

Seven Valleys 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 Seven Valleys is in

Seven Valleys sits in the Northern Piedmont — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Seven Valleys's own centroid rather than borrowed from York County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Seven Valleys

Every plant below cleared Seven Valleys's own zone 7a and its 212-day season. Each card opens that plant's Pennsylvania profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Seven Valleys's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Pennsylvania hazelnut guideZones 4–9Seven Valleys's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in PennsylvaniaZones 6–10Seven Valleys's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 2–11Seven Valleys's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in PennsylvaniaZones 5–9Seven Valleys's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Pennsylvania lavender guideZones 5–8Seven Valleys's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in PennsylvaniaZones 2–10Seven Valleys's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
pecan, photograph
Pecan: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 5–9Seven Valleys's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in PennsylvaniaSeven Valleys's 212 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Pennsylvania kale guideZones 2–11Seven Valleys's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Prickly pear in PennsylvaniaZones 5–10Seven Valleys's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 2–11Seven Valleys's 212 days clear the ~70 it needs.
apple, photograph
Growing apple in PennsylvaniaZones 3–8Seven Valleys's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Pennsylvania okra guideZones 2–12Seven Valleys's 212 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Seven Valleys's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 3–10Seven Valleys's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Seven Valleys's 212 days clear the ~70 it needs.
holly, photograph
Pennsylvania holly guideZones 5–11Seven Valleys's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in PennsylvaniaZones 3–8Seven Valleys's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 3–8Seven Valleys's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in PennsylvaniaSeven Valleys's 212 days clear the ~50 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Pennsylvania lilac guideZones 4–10Seven Valleys's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in PennsylvaniaZones 3–9Seven Valleys's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 6–8Seven Valleys's 7a — 1 zone of cold margin.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in PennsylvaniaZones 3–9Seven Valleys's 7a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Pennsylvania ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Seven Valleys's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in PennsylvaniaZones 2–7Seven Valleys's 7a — 5 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 4–10Seven Valleys's 7a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in PennsylvaniaZones 5–10Seven Valleys's 212 days clear the ~45 it needs.
Eastern gamagrass, photograph
Pennsylvania eastern gamagrass guideZones 5–9Seven Valleys's 7a — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Seven Valleys?

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 8; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 5 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 3 — 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 Seven Valleys

Spotted lanternfly documented 4 miles from Seven Valleys, first recorded 2019. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Seven Valleys

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

  1. PAUL SHEPPARD JRUnderground Storage Tanks · 800 ft
  2. FYPON LTD/SEVEN VALLEYSToxics Release Inventory · 0.8 mi
  3. DIV 23Underground Storage Tanks · 0.9 mi
  4. OLD CITY OF YORK LANDFILLSuperfund · 1.0 mi
  5. GREEN VALLEY FARM CAFOCAFO · 1.3 mi
  6. YO 691Nitrate · 1.4 mi
  7. CLAYTON N MYERS JRUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.5 mi
  8. SCOTT D DELPUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.9 mi
  9. YO 1182Nitrate · 2.1 mi
  10. HARRY L FORRY & SONS INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.2 mi
  11. DALE INNERSTUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.3 mi
  12. RS DELP & SONSUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.4 mi

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

Measured from Seven Valleys'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 Seven Valleys.

Total Sites

1,118

within ~10 miles of Seven Valleys

Risk Level

High

Highest-severity

5 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Seven Valleys

High6Moderate349Low763

Highest-Severity Sites

Amp, INC. (Glen Rock Facility)
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Dover Twp Water Sys
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
New Freedom Boro Water Auth
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Old City of York Landfill
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Shrewsbury Borough
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Seven Valleys, Toxics Release Inventory runs higher than the national average — 97 sites within ~10 miles of Seven Valleys. Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.

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 Seven Valleys

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 Seven Valleys average

Your land is one point inside Seven Valleys

Everything above resolves to Seven Valleys as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 697 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 Seven Valleys Average

Seven Valleys Average

  • USDA Zones 7a, averaged across Seven Valleys
  • One soil character for all of Seven Valleys
  • Frost dates read at Seven Valleys's scale: Apr 5 to Nov 3

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Seven Valleys

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Seven Valleys averages 212Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Seven Valleys

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 Seven Valleys’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 Seven Valleys

When does frost risk typically end in Seven Valleys?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Seven Valleys typically lands around Apr 5, 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 26.

When is the first frost in Seven Valleys?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Seven Valleys typically arrives around Nov 3, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 20, so the watching starts about Oct 4 — about 212 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Seven Valleys?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Seven Valleys sees about 212 frost-free days — roughly Apr 5 through Nov 3, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 26 to Oct 20, about 177 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Seven Valleys?

The federal record around Seven Valleys runs heavier than most — 1,118 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (624), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 miles 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 Seven Valleys?

From about Oct 4 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 3 (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 3. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Seven Valleys's scale — its 7a band and its 212-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Seven Valleys'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 Seven Valleys’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Seven Valleys's own scale — its own ~212-day season between 28°F freezes, the 697 acres it covers and 1,118 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Seven Valleys's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Seven Valleys's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 5 and Nov 3 and the ~212-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 1,118 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Seven Valleys, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.2 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Seven Valleys's boundary and the 697 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7a and a ~212-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Seven Valleys's own centroid, the Northern PiedmontUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • A documented spotted-lanternfly record within reach of Seven Valleyslydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Seven Valleys's 697 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom York County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom York 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 York County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Seven Valleys's 697 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Seven Valleys you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 697 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 Seven Valleys-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address

More in Pennsylvania

Wider growing context

What grows across Pennsylvania

Seven Valleys sits outside our named growing regions, so Pennsylvania as a whole is its closest context here.