McMinn County, in Tennessee, sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b — room for a real mix of vegetables, fruit, and perennials matched to the local frost calendar.
Expect tomato, pawpaw, iris, and muscadine grape to be strong candidates here; the deciding factors on any one parcel stay local — soil, sun, and drainage.
McMinn County lies within Appalachia — a regional growing area with its own character.
Grounded in USDA PHZM 2023 · Growable Ground suitability scoring · NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
McMinn County holds more than one microclimate.
Soils and elevations shift across McMinn County, so your frost dates and drainage aren't the county average. Enter your address and we'll score 1,112 plants against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Quick Facts
USDA Zones
7b
Last Hard Freeze (28°F)
Feb 13
County normal — light frosts run a few weeks later
First Hard Freeze (28°F)
Dec 21
County normal — light frosts arrive a few weeks earlier
County Area
275K acres
Hardiness Zone Range
Zone maps are averages across McMinn County. Your yard's slope, trees, and frost pockets shift what actually grows — see your land's exact reading.
Soil in McMinn County
Across McMinn County, the ground is predominantly Ultisols, where Fullerton, Bodine, and Coile are the most extensive named soil series. The soil is generally well drained with a gravelly silt loam surface. Topsoil pH runs about 5.0–5.5, strongly acidic. Rainfall drains through hydrologic group B soils.
Soil order
Ultisols
Drainage
Well drained
Prime farmland
15%
Hydric soils
2%
Soil still varies lot by lot — soil types explained.
What Grows in McMinn County
Plants matched to McMinn County's USDA zones 7b — each links to its full growing profile.
Is it too late to plant in McMinn County?
Rarely: the season closes in stages, not all at once, and each stage has its crops. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 16; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Feb 13 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Dec 21 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. In a climate this gentle, “too late” hardly applies — the question becomes which crops prefer the cooler months ahead.
Growing Challenges in Tennessee
What an experienced grower plans around here — each one has a move.
Heavy clay soils in the Nashville Basin
Basin clay is fertile once it drains — a raised bed handles that immediately, and yearly compost makes it permanent.
High humidity promotes disease in summer
Morning base-watering, breathing room between plants, and resistant varieties — the humid-summer basics from your extension.
Variable spring weather with late frost risk
Let your local frost normals set the schedule — Tennessee springs reward the growers who wait out the last cold snap.
For cultivar selection, pest pressure, and planting-time guidance specific to Tennessee, the UT Extension is the authoritative local source.
Safe to Grow Here?
What the federal record shows across McMinn County — and how to grow with it.
We checked the federal record across McMinn County — 276 documented sites across 8 of the 9 source types we track.
The most significant on record: 4 Superfund sites. Sites tracked in EPA's Superfund program — from assessment-stage CERCLIS entries to confirmed National Priorities List cleanup sites.
McMinn County carries one of the heavier federal records we track — and that's not a verdict on your yard. Proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis: nothing here says any particular parcel is affected. It does earn one concrete step — before food beds go in the ground, a professional soil test tells you exactly what you're working with, and raised beds with clean imported soil grow well almost anywhere in the meantime.
Sources: EPA, USGS — 1.8M documented sites tracked nationwide across 9 federal source types.
Environmental Intelligence
Understanding what's nearby helps you make informed decisions about where and how to grow.
Severity Distribution
across McMinn County
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around McMinn County, two things run higher than the national average — Toxic Release Inventory (32 sites) and PFAS (3 sites). It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.
Toxic Release Inventory: TRI facilities report annual chemical releases to air, water, and land.
PFAS: PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are called "forever chemicals" because they do not biodegrade.
Check prevailing wind direction — downwind parcels face higher exposure than upwind or crosswind locations.
Test irrigation water source — this is the primary pathway for PFAS to reach garden crops.
Check your specific parcel in McMinn County
Get exact proximity distances to contamination sources for your specific parcel — plus soil, sun, drainage, and 1,112 plant recommendations.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
Your Specific Parcel Matters
McMinn County Average
- ●USDA Zones 7b
- ●Generic soil type for the area
- ●State-average frost dates
YOUR Parcel
- ✓Your exact hardiness zone
- ✓Your SSURGO soil type & pH
- ✓Your sun exposure, cast in 3D
See MY Growing Report
Read your parcel in McMinn County
Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in McMinn County, Tennessee — soil, sun, drainage, frost risk, and scored plant recommendations.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
Key Growing Facts for McMinn County, Tennessee
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 7b (USDA PHZM 2023)
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Feb 13 (county normal, NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals — light frosts can follow for a few weeks)
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Dec 21 (county normal, NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals — light frosts can arrive a few weeks earlier)
- Days Between Hard Freezes: ~311 (county normal, NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals)
- County Land Area: 275K acres (US Census TIGER 2025)
Zone data: USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Climate data: NOAA NCEI. County boundaries: US Census TIGER/Line 2025.
Frost dates here are the McMinn County average. Low spots and tree cover move them by days on any one yard — see your exact frost windows.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zone is McMinn County, Tennessee?
McMinn County sits in USDA hardiness zone 7b, per the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Zones reflect average annual extreme minimum temperatures from 1991–2020 weather data.
Is it too late to plant in McMinn County?
Rarely: the season closes in stages, not all at once, and each stage has its crops. Cool-season crops can go in from around Jan 16; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Feb 13 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Dec 21 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. In a climate this gentle, “too late” hardly applies — the question becomes which crops prefer the cooler months ahead.
When does frost risk typically end in McMinn County?
The last hard freeze (28°F) in McMinn County typically lands around Feb 13, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — an earlier marker than the light-frost dates many planting charts quote. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost — light frosts can still bite for a few more weeks, so tender transplants usually wait another 2–3 weeks.
How long is the growing season in McMinn County?
Measured between 28°F hard freezes, McMinn County sees about 311 frost-free days — roughly Feb 13 through Dec 21, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops get a somewhat shorter practical window, since lighter frosts reach a few weeks past the hard-freeze dates on both ends.
What vegetables grow in McMinn County?
McMinn County's zone 7b supports a wide range — strong performers include Tomato, Pawpaw, Iris, Muscadine Grape, and Tulip Poplar. What actually takes on any one site comes down to its soil, sun, and drainage, and we score each plant against the real conditions at your address.
Which hardiness zone is McMinn County, really?
Officially, McMinn County sits in USDA zone 7b (USDA PHZM 2023) — but a zone is a 30-year average of winter's coldest night across an area, and it can't see any one yard. A south-facing slope, a tree line, or a low frost pocket can shift a single site by half a zone either way, which is why neighboring gardeners often quote different numbers. We read the conditions at your exact address — soil, sun, slope, and frost — and score 1,112 plants against what's actually there.
Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in McMinn County?
The federal record around McMinn County runs heavier than most — 276 documented sites — 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.
Just moved to McMinn County — what should I know before planting?
Start with three facts. McMinn County sits in USDA zone 7b, which sets what survives winter; the last 28°F hard freeze typically clears around Feb 13, with about 311 frost-free days to work with (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and 276 documented sites sit on the federal record here, so a soil test before food beds is the smart first step. From there, matching plants to your actual soil and sun is the fun part.
Everything on this page is a McMinn County average. Your yard writes its own version — we read soil, sun, drainage, and frost at your exact address. Try it for 14 days — no card required.
Will It Grow Here?
Zone fit is the first question — each answer below reads Tennessee's frost window, season length, and soil profile against the plant's real requirements.