What Grows in Blaine, Tennessee

USDA Zones 7b · 6K acres

Blaine, Tennessee, sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b — a band that supports both cool-season staples and warm-season crops chosen to fit the local frost window.

Growers here do well with cabbage, prickly pear, california poppy, 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 Blaine, 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 Blaine 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 Blaine — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

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Blaine — the short answer

Blaine, Tennessee: USDA zone 7b, about 237 days between hard freezes, across 6K acres of city.

USDA zone
7b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Mar 20
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 12
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~237
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
City area
6K 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

7b7b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 7b is Blaine's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Blaine's 237-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Blaine

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

Season length

Measured

Blaine runs about 237 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

Blaine sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b.

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 Blaine is in

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

What that means for soil

What Grows in Blaine

Every plant below cleared Blaine's own zone 7b and its 237-day season. Each card opens that plant's Tennessee profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in TennesseeZones 2–11Blaine's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Tennessee prickly pear guideZones 5–10Blaine's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in TennesseeZones 6–10Blaine's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Tennessee growing notesZones 2–11Blaine's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Growing fig in TennesseeZones 6–10Blaine's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Tennessee lavender guideZones 5–8Blaine's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in TennesseeZones 2–10Blaine's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
grape, photograph
Grape: Tennessee growing notesZones 6–9Blaine's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in TennesseeBlaine's 237 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Tennessee kale guideZones 2–11Blaine's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Hazelnut in TennesseeZones 4–9Blaine's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Tennessee growing notesZones 2–11Blaine's 237 days clear the ~70 it needs.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in TennesseeZones 5–9Blaine's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Tennessee okra guideZones 2–12Blaine's 237 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in TennesseeZones 2–11Blaine's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Tennessee growing notesZones 3–10Blaine's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in TennesseeZones 2–11Blaine's 237 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Tennessee apache plume guideZones 5–11Blaine's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in TennesseeZones 3–8Blaine's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Tennessee growing notesZones 3–8Blaine's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in TennesseeBlaine's 237 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Tennessee holly guideZones 5–11Blaine's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in TennesseeZones 3–9Blaine's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Tennessee growing notesZones 6–8Blaine's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Growing douglas fir in TennesseeZones 4–10Blaine's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Tennessee ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Blaine's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in TennesseeZones 2–7Blaine's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Redbud: Tennessee growing notesZones 5–11Blaine's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in TennesseeZones 5–10Blaine's 237 days clear the ~45 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Tennessee ajuga guideZones 5–11Blaine's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Blaine?

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 Feb 20; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Mar 20 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 12 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. There is slack in a calendar like this — late plantings, second rounds of favorites, and a fall bench that keeps beds working.

Documented around Blaine

Survey cells within 31 miles of Blaine checked for spotted lanternfly, none carrying a detection — a surveyed negative, not an absence of looking. Nearest documented record 73 miles off. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Blaine

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

  1. Blaine ExxonUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.8 mi
  2. Hee Haw Market #2Underground Storage Tanks · 0.8 mi
  3. Former Phillips 66-kelso OilUnderground Storage Tanks · 0.8 mi
  4. Gas N Go no. 619Underground Storage Tanks · 1.3 mi
  5. By-Lo Market No. 22Underground Storage Tanks · 1.8 mi
  6. Riverside MarketUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.5 mi
  7. C and W MarketUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.8 mi
  8. R B Jones GroceryUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.8 mi
  9. RichlandMining · 3.8 mi
  10. James T And Norma K BaileyUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.8 mi
  11. Roy And Jack VandergriftUnderground Storage Tanks · 4.0 mi
  12. Interstate Truck Painting ShopUnderground Storage Tanks · 4.3 mi

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

Measured from Blaine'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 Blaine.

Total Sites

183

within ~10 miles of Blaine

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

1 Superfund site (none NPL-listed)

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Blaine

High5Moderate86Low92

Highest-Severity Sites

Blaine Exxon
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
By-Lo #32
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
Gg:B-011
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
Gg:B-011
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
Gg:B-012
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Blaine, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Blaine — Mining (22 sites) and PFAS (3 sites). Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.

Mining: Mining sites — both historic and active — can leach heavy metals (arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury) into soil and water for centuries after operations cease.

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

Test soil for heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury) — this is essential near any mining site.

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

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Blaine

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 Blaine average

Your land is one point inside Blaine

Everything above resolves to Blaine as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 6K 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 city 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 Blaine Average

Blaine Average

  • USDA Zones 7b, averaged across Blaine
  • One soil character for all of Blaine
  • Frost dates read at Blaine's scale: Mar 20 to Nov 12

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Blaine

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Blaine averages 237Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Blaine

The datasets: hardiness from the USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, read at this city’s own centroid; hard-freeze dates from NOAA 1991–2020 28°F normals at Blaine’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 city grain anywhere on this page — there is no city-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 Blaine

When does frost risk typically end in Blaine?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Blaine typically lands around Mar 20, 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 10.

When is the first frost in Blaine?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Blaine typically arrives around Nov 12, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 29, so the watching starts about Oct 13 — about 237 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Blaine?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Blaine sees about 237 frost-free days — roughly Mar 20 through Nov 12, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 10 to Oct 29, about 202 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Blaine?

The federal record around Blaine is a meaningful one — 183 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (117), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.8 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 Blaine?

From about Oct 13 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 12 (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 12. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Blaine's scale — its 7b band and its 237-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Blaine'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 Blaine’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Blaine's own scale — its own ~237-day season between 28°F freezes, the 6,090 acres it covers and 183 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Blaine's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Blaine's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Mar 20 and Nov 12 and the ~237-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 183 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Blaine, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.8 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Blaine's boundary and the 6,090 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7b and a ~237-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Blaine's own centroid, the Ridge and ValleyUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • Lanternfly survey cells around Blaine checked, none carrying a detectionlydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Blaine's 6,090 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Grainger County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Grainger County
  • The growing challenges every Tennessee grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Tennessee
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Grainger County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Blaine's 6,090 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Blaine you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 6,090 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.8 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 Blaine-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address