What Grows in Shackle Island, Tennessee

USDA Zones 7b · 4K acres

Shackle Island, 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.

Reliable performers under these conditions include cabbage, prickly pear, california poppy, and collard greens; what your own ground favors still comes down to its soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Shackle Island — the short answer

Shackle Island, Tennessee: USDA zone 7b, about 229 days between hard freezes, across 4K acres of town.

USDA zone
7b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Mar 25
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 9
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~229
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
4K 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)
Your USDA zone 7bSee the zone map →

Zone 7b is Shackle Island's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Shackle Island's 229-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Shackle Island

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

Season length

Measured

Shackle Island runs about 229 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.

Making the most of a long season

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Shackle Island 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.

How hardiness zones work

USDA PHZM 2023

The kind of country Shackle Island is in

Shackle Island sits in the Interior Plateau — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Shackle Island's own centroid rather than borrowed from Sumner County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Shackle Island

Every plant below cleared Shackle Island's own zone 7b and its 229-day season. Each card opens that plant's Tennessee profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in TennesseeZones 2–11Shackle Island's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Tennessee prickly pear guideZones 5–10Shackle Island's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in TennesseeZones 6–10Shackle Island's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Tennessee growing notesZones 2–11Shackle Island's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Growing fig in TennesseeZones 6–10Shackle Island's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Tennessee lavender guideZones 5–8Shackle Island's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in TennesseeZones 2–10Shackle Island's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
grape, photograph
Grape: Tennessee growing notesZones 6–9Shackle Island's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in TennesseeShackle Island's 229 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
Tennessee kale guideZones 2–11Shackle Island's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Hazelnut in TennesseeZones 4–9Shackle Island's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Tennessee growing notesZones 2–11Shackle Island's 229 days clear the ~70 it needs.
pawpaw, photograph
Growing pawpaw in TennesseeZones 5–9Shackle Island's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Tennessee okra guideZones 2–12Shackle Island's 229 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in TennesseeZones 2–11Shackle Island's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Tennessee growing notesZones 3–10Shackle Island's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in TennesseeZones 2–11Shackle Island's 229 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Tennessee apache plume guideZones 5–11Shackle Island's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in TennesseeZones 3–8Shackle Island's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Tennessee growing notesZones 3–8Shackle Island's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in TennesseeShackle Island's 229 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Tennessee holly guideZones 5–11Shackle Island's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in TennesseeZones 3–9Shackle Island's 7b — 4 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Tennessee growing notesZones 6–8Shackle Island's 7b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Growing douglas fir in TennesseeZones 4–10Shackle Island's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Tennessee ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Shackle Island's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in TennesseeZones 2–7Shackle Island's 7b — 5 zones of cold margin.
western red cedar, photograph
Western red cedar: Tennessee growing notesZones 4–10Shackle Island's 7b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in TennesseeZones 5–10Shackle Island's 229 days clear the ~45 it needs.
ajuga, photograph
Tennessee ajuga guideZones 5–11Shackle Island's 7b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Shackle Island?

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 25; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Mar 25 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 9 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. With a season this long, “too late” mostly means “switch crops” — second sowings and a full fall garden are the norm, with garlic closing the year.

Documented around Shackle Island

Spotted lanternfly documented 11 miles from Shackle Island, first recorded 2023. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Shackle Island

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

  1. Worsham's General MerchandiseUnderground Storage Tanks · 1600 ft
  2. Worsham's GroceryUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.8 mi
  3. Beech High SchoolUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.3 mi
  4. WHITE HOUSE UTILITY DISTRICTPFAS · 2.6 mi
  5. Exxon Hendersonville LLCUnderground Storage Tanks · 2.7 mi
  6. Kroger Store 571Underground Storage Tanks · 3.1 mi
  7. KROGER #0571-026Brownfields · 3.1 mi
  8. TARGET T- 1511Brownfields · 3.2 mi
  9. Quicke CheckUnderground Storage Tanks · 3.3 mi
  10. COSTCO WAREHOUSE 1659Brownfields · 3.5 mi
  11. Sam's Club Fueling Station no. 8257Underground Storage Tanks · 3.5 mi
  12. PORTRAIT INNOVATIONSBrownfields · 3.5 mi

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

Measured from Shackle Island'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 Shackle Island.

Total Sites

506

within ~10 miles of Shackle Island

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

3 Superfund sites (none NPL-listed)

Explore the live map
Underground Storage Tanks349Brownfields121Toxics Release Inventory28Superfund3Nitrate2

Sources Checked

within ~10 miles of Shackle Island

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Shackle Island

High1Moderate153Low352

Highest-Severity Sites

6178 Twice Daily
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
6179 Twice Daily
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
7-Eleven INC. No. 41062
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
7207 Twice Daily
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)
8899 Twice Daily
Underground Storage Tanks · Open UST(S)

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Shackle Island, Underground Storage Tanks runs higher than the national average — 349 sites within ~10 miles of Shackle Island. It's not cause for alarm — it's worth knowing, and there's a sensible way to grow around it.

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

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

build up with a clean-soil raised bedread your soil before you plantSee what's flagged near Shackle Island
Explore the contamination map around Shackle Island·Tennessee Growing Guide
Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Shackle Island

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 Shackle Island average

Your land is one point inside Shackle Island

Everything above resolves to Shackle Island as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 4K 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 Shackle Island Average

Shackle Island Average

  • ●USDA Zones 7b, averaged across Shackle Island
  • ●One soil character for all of Shackle Island
  • ●Frost dates read at Shackle Island's scale: Mar 25 to Nov 9

YOUR Parcel

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

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Shackle Island

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Shackle Island averages 229Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Shackle Island

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 Shackle Island’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 Shackle Island

When does frost risk typically end in Shackle Island?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Shackle Island typically lands around Mar 25, 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 15.

When is the first frost in Shackle Island?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Shackle Island typically arrives around Nov 9, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 26, so the watching starts about Oct 10 — about 229 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Shackle Island?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Shackle Island sees about 229 frost-free days — roughly Mar 25 through Nov 9, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 15 to Oct 26, about 194 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Shackle Island?

The federal record around Shackle Island is a meaningful one — 506 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (349), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 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 Shackle Island?

From about Oct 10 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 9 (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 9. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Shackle Island's scale — its 7b band and its 229-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Shackle Island'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 Shackle Island’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Shackle Island's own scale — its own ~229-day season between 28°F freezes, the 3,546 acres it covers and 506 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Shackle Island's own USDA hardiness band, zones 7bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Shackle Island's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Mar 25 and Nov 9 and the ~229-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 506 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Shackle Island, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Shackle Island's boundary and the 3,546 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 7b and a ~229-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Shackle Island's own centroid, the Interior PlateauUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • A documented spotted-lanternfly record within reach of Shackle Islandlydemapr (De Bona & Helmus), 10 km survey lattice

Inherited from a wider read

  • Soil character — no town-scale survey exists, so Shackle Island's 3,546 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Sumner County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Sumner 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 Sumner County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Shackle Island's 3,546 acreswhy one lot differs from the next →
  • Which side of Shackle Island you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 3,546 acresreading your own microclimate →
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 0.3 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 Shackle Island-wide figureread your own land →
The next step finer is your own address

More in Tennessee

Sumner County Growing Guide·Tennessee Growing Guide
USDA PHZM•NOAA Climate Normals•US Census TIGER•PRISM Climate•EPA FRS