Memphis, Tennessee, sits in USDA hardiness zones 7a-8b — a range where zone-matched perennials and frost-aware annual timing set what succeeds.
The conditions favor tomato, pawpaw, iris, and muscadine grape, among others — though every individual site edits that list with its own soil, sun, and drainage.
Even in Memphis, 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 Memphis lot. 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
7a-8b
Last Hard Freeze (28°F)
Jan 26
Shelby County normal — light frosts run a few weeks later
First Frost (state avg.)
Oct 10 - Nov 5
City Area
185K acres
Hardiness Zone Range
Growing Season (statewide frost window)
Zone maps are averages across Memphis. Your yard's slope, trees, and frost pockets shift what actually grows — see your land's exact reading.
Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.
What Grows in Memphis
Plants matched to Memphis's USDA zones 7a-8b — each links to its full growing profile.
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.
Environmental Intelligence
Understanding what's nearby helps you make informed decisions about where and how to grow.
Sources Checked
within ~10 miles of Memphis
Severity Distribution
within ~10 miles of Memphis
Highest-Severity Sites
A note from Gnorman
What an experienced grower watches for around here
In and around Memphis, two things run higher than the national average — Superfund (55 sites) and Underground Storage Tanks (2,028 sites). Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.
Superfund: Superfund sites represent the most severe contamination in the federal system.
Underground Storage Tanks: Underground storage tanks are the single most common source of soil contamination near homes and gardens.
Commission professional soil testing before any food production (test for heavy metals, VOCs, and SVOCs).
Use raised beds with imported soil — this eliminates the primary soil-contact pathway.
Check your specific parcel in Memphis
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
Memphis Average
- ●USDA Zones 7a-8b
- ●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 specific parcel in Memphis
Pull a site-specific report for your exact address in Memphis, 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 Memphis, Tennessee
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 7a-8b (USDA PHZM 2023)
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Jan 26 (shelby county normal, NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals — light frosts can follow for a few weeks)
- First Fall Frost (state avg.): Oct 10 - Nov 5 (NOAA 30-Year Climate Normals)
- Land Area: 185K acres (US Census TIGER 2025)
Zone data: USDA ARS Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Climate data: NOAA NCEI. Boundaries: US Census TIGER/Line 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zone is Memphis, Tennessee?
Memphis sits in USDA hardiness zones 7a-8b, per the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Zones reflect average annual extreme minimum temperatures from 1991–2020 weather data.
When does frost risk typically end in Memphis?
The last hard freeze (28°F) in Memphis typically lands around Jan 26, 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.
What vegetables grow in Memphis?
Memphis's zones 7a-8b support 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 Memphis, really?
Officially, Memphis sits in USDA zones 7a-8b (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 Memphis?
The federal record around Memphis runs heavier than most — 3,087 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.
How do I protect my plants from frost in Memphis?
As the season closes around Tennessee's first fall frost near Oct 10 - Nov 5 (NOAA 30-year climate normals (1991–2020)), a few moves buy time: cover tender plants with floating row cover or an old sheet on still, clear nights, water the soil the afternoon before a freeze so it holds warmth overnight, and harvest frost-tender crops like tomatoes, peppers, and basil before the first hard night. Hardy greens and root crops shrug off light frost and often sweeten after it, so leave them in.
Everything on this page is a Memphis 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.