What Grows in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

USDA Zones 6b · 1K acres

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

Crops well matched to these conditions include cabbage, hazelnut, lavender, and collard greens — though what thrives on any one site still turns on its specific soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Stroudsburg — the short answer

Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania: USDA zone 6b, about 199 days between hard freezes, across 1K acres of town.

USDA zone
6b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 11
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Oct 27
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~199
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
1K 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 Stroudsburg's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Stroudsburg's 199-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Stroudsburg

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

Season length

Measured

Stroudsburg runs about 199 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

Stroudsburg 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 Stroudsburg is in

Stroudsburg sits in the Ridge and Valley — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Stroudsburg's own centroid, and it is not what its county reads: Monroe County is mostly North Central Appalachians. The wider page above you is answering a different question about different ground.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Stroudsburg

Every plant below cleared Stroudsburg's own zone 6b and its 199-day season. Each card opens that plant's Pennsylvania profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Stroudsburg's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Pennsylvania hazelnut guideZones 4–9Stroudsburg's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in PennsylvaniaZones 5–8Stroudsburg's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 2–11Stroudsburg's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Growing blackberry in PennsylvaniaZones 5–8Stroudsburg's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
Pennsylvania california poppy guideZones 6–10Stroudsburg's 6b is its exact cold limit.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in PennsylvaniaZones 2–10Stroudsburg's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Pawpaw: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 5–9Stroudsburg's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in PennsylvaniaStroudsburg's 199 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Pennsylvania kale guideZones 2–11Stroudsburg's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pecan, photograph
Pecan in PennsylvaniaZones 5–9Stroudsburg's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
angelica, photograph
Angelica: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 4–9Stroudsburg's 199 days clear the ~120 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Stroudsburg's 199 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
Pennsylvania okra guideZones 2–12Stroudsburg's 199 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Stroudsburg's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 3–10Stroudsburg's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in PennsylvaniaZones 2–11Stroudsburg's 199 days clear the ~70 it needs.
lilac, photograph
Pennsylvania lilac guideZones 4–10Stroudsburg's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in PennsylvaniaZones 3–8Stroudsburg's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 3–8Stroudsburg's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in PennsylvaniaStroudsburg's 199 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Oregon grape, photograph
Pennsylvania oregon grape guideZones 5–8Stroudsburg's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in PennsylvaniaZones 3–9Stroudsburg's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 6–8Stroudsburg's 6b is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in PennsylvaniaZones 3–9Stroudsburg's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Pennsylvania ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Stroudsburg's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in PennsylvaniaZones 2–7Stroudsburg's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: Pennsylvania growing notesZones 4–10Stroudsburg's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in PennsylvaniaZones 2–10Stroudsburg's 199 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Indian grass, photograph
Pennsylvania indian grass guideZones 4–9Stroudsburg's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Stroudsburg?

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 14; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 11 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Oct 27 — 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 Stroudsburg

Spotted lanternfly documented 1 miles from Stroudsburg, first recorded 2019. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Stroudsburg

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

  1. MONROE SILK MILLS INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 700 ft
  2. BRITE CLNR SVCBrownfields · 750 ft
  3. WALLINGFORD GEN STOREUnderground Storage Tanks · 800 ft
  4. STREAMSIDE FOUNDATION INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 800 ft
  5. EDWARD COSLAR SANITATIONUnderground Storage Tanks · 800 ft
  6. TOTAL AUTO SVCUnderground Storage Tanks · 900 ft
  7. ESQUIRE TRANSPORT SERVICES INCBrownfields · 1000 ft
  8. 7 ELEVEN 40176Underground Storage Tanks · 1000 ft
  9. GRAY CHEVROLETUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  10. POCONO RECORDUnderground Storage Tanks · 1100 ft
  11. SEARS ROEBUCK & COUnderground Storage Tanks · 1200 ft
  12. SUNOCO SVC STABrownfields · 1500 ft

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

Measured from Stroudsburg'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 Stroudsburg.

Total Sites

552

within ~10 miles of Stroudsburg

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

2 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Stroudsburg

High5Moderate174Low373

Highest-Severity Sites

Brodhead Creek
Superfund · Superfund NPL
Butz Landfill
Superfund · Superfund NPL
E Stroudsburg Boro Water Dept
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Penn Estates Utilities Incorp
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
100 N 9TH Street Stroudsburg
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Stroudsburg, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Stroudsburg — PFAS (6 sites) and Underground Storage Tanks (341 sites). That's not a problem with your land — it's information about it.

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

Underground Storage Tanks: Underground storage tanks are the single most common source of soil contamination near homes and gardens.

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

Use raised beds with imported soil — this eliminates the primary soil-contact pathway.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Stroudsburg

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 Stroudsburg average

Your land is one point inside Stroudsburg

Everything above resolves to Stroudsburg as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 1K 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 Stroudsburg Average

Stroudsburg Average

  • USDA Zones 6b, averaged across Stroudsburg
  • One soil character for all of Stroudsburg
  • Frost dates read at Stroudsburg's scale: Apr 11 to Oct 27

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Stroudsburg

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Stroudsburg averages 199Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Stroudsburg

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 Stroudsburg’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 Stroudsburg

When does frost risk typically end in Stroudsburg?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Stroudsburg typically lands around Apr 11, 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 2.

When is the first frost in Stroudsburg?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Stroudsburg typically arrives around Oct 27, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 13, so the watching starts about Sep 27 — about 199 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Stroudsburg?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Stroudsburg sees about 199 frost-free days — roughly Apr 11 through Oct 27, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer May 2 to Oct 13, about 164 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Stroudsburg?

The federal record around Stroudsburg is a meaningful one — 552 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (341), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.1 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 Stroudsburg?

From about Sep 27 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 27 (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 27. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Stroudsburg's scale — its 6b band and its 199-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Stroudsburg'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 Stroudsburg’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Stroudsburg's own scale — its own ~199-day season between 28°F freezes, the 1,104 acres it covers and 552 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Stroudsburg's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Stroudsburg's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 11 and Oct 27 and the ~199-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 552 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Stroudsburg, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.1 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Stroudsburg's boundary and the 1,104 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6b and a ~199-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • Stroudsburg sits in the Ridge and Valley — not the ecoregion its county mostly readsUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • A documented spotted-lanternfly record within reach of Stroudsburglydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Stroudsburg's 1,104 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Monroe County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Monroe 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 Monroe County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Stroudsburg's 1,104 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Stroudsburg you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 1,104 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.1 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 Stroudsburg-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address