What Grows in Lee Mont, Virginia

USDA Zones 8a · 487 acres

Lee Mont, Virginia, sits in USDA hardiness zone 8a — 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, fig, 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 Lee Mont, 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 Lee Mont 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 Lee Mont — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

No card required · your full report in seconds

Lee Mont — the short answer

Lee Mont, Virginia: USDA zone 8a, about 261 days between hard freezes, across 487 acres of town.

USDA zone
8a
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Mar 14
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 30
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~261
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Town area
487 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

8a8a
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 8a is Lee Mont's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Lee Mont's 261-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Lee Mont

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

Season length

Measured

Lee Mont runs about 261 days between hard freezes — close to year-round growing.

Frost is rarely the limit here; winter plantings are as real as summer ones, and the harder question is which crops shrug off the summer heat.

Grow cool-season crops through the mild winter, and choose heat-tolerant varieties for the summer beds.

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals

Winter hardiness

Measured

Lee Mont sits in USDA hardiness zone 8a.

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 Lee Mont is in

Lee Mont sits in the Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Lee Mont's own centroid rather than borrowed from Accomack County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Lee Mont

Every plant below cleared Lee Mont's own zone 8a and its 261-day season. Each card opens that plant's Virginia profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in VirginiaZones 2–11Lee Mont's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
fig, photograph
Virginia fig guideZones 6–10Lee Mont's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
California poppy in VirginiaZones 6–10Lee Mont's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: Virginia growing notesZones 2–11Lee Mont's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
prickly pear, photograph
Growing prickly pear in VirginiaZones 5–10Lee Mont's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Virginia lavender guideZones 5–8Lee Mont's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in VirginiaZones 2–10Lee Mont's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
grape, photograph
Grape: Virginia growing notesZones 6–9Lee Mont's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
rosemary, photograph
Growing rosemary in VirginiaZones 8–10Lee Mont's 8a is its exact cold limit.
kale, photograph
Virginia kale guideZones 2–11Lee Mont's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
Hazelnut in VirginiaZones 4–9Lee Mont's 8a — 4 zones of cold margin.
lentil, photograph
Lentil: Virginia growing notesZones 2–11Lee Mont's 261 days clear the ~70 it needs.
loquat, photograph
Growing loquat in VirginiaZones 7–10Lee Mont's 8a — 1 zone of cold margin.
okra, photograph
Virginia okra guideZones 2–12Lee Mont's 261 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in VirginiaZones 2–11Lee Mont's 8a — 6 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: Virginia growing notesZones 3–10Lee Mont's 8a — 5 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in VirginiaZones 2–11Lee Mont's 261 days clear the ~70 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
Virginia apache plume guideZones 5–11Lee Mont's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in VirginiaZones 3–8Lee Mont's 8a — 5 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: Virginia growing notesZones 3–8Lee Mont's 8a — 5 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in VirginiaLee Mont's 261 days clear the ~50 it needs.
holly, photograph
Virginia holly guideZones 5–11Lee Mont's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Carolina jessamine, photograph
Carolina jessamine in VirginiaZones 7–10Lee Mont's 8a — 1 zone of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: Virginia growing notesZones 6–8Lee Mont's 8a — 2 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Growing douglas fir in VirginiaZones 4–10Lee Mont's 8a — 4 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
Virginia ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Lee Mont's 8a — 4 zones of cold margin.
ajuga, photograph
Ajuga in VirginiaZones 5–11Lee Mont's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
redbud, photograph
Redbud: Virginia growing notesZones 5–11Lee Mont's 8a — 3 zones of cold margin.
Japanese millet, photograph
Growing japanese millet in VirginiaZones 5–10Lee Mont's 261 days clear the ~45 it needs.
blue grama, photograph
Virginia blue grama guideZones 3–10Lee Mont's 261 days clear the ~90 it needs.

Is it too late to plant in Lee Mont?

For most of the year, no — what changes is which crops still fit the days remaining. Cool-season crops can go in from around Feb 14; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Mar 14 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 30 — 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.

Documented around Lee Mont

Survey cells within 31 miles of Lee Mont checked for spotted lanternfly, none carrying a detection — a surveyed negative, not an absence of looking. Nearest documented record 37 miles off. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Lee Mont

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

  1. C.V. YOUNG CONSTRUCTIONUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.0 mi
  2. Willetts MarketUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.2 mi
  3. Coards GarageUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.3 mi
  4. ASSOCIATED FARMS, INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.3 mi
  5. LEWIS CLEANERSUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.3 mi
  6. WARREN F. NOCK; SRUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.3 mi
  7. PARKS MOTOR CO INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.3 mi
  8. Eastern Shore Community Services BoardUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.4 mi
  9. Bobs TexacoUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.4 mi
  10. PARKSLEY MIDDLE SCHOOLUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.4 mi
  11. LUNCH BOXUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.4 mi
  12. MITCHELL JOHNSON CONS INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 1.5 mi

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

Measured from Lee Mont'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 Lee Mont.

Total Sites

172

within ~10 miles of Lee Mont

Risk Level

Moderate

Highest-severity

4 Toxics Release Inventory facilities

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Lee Mont

High0Moderate56Low116

Highest-Severity Sites

64K 25
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
64K 26
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
64K 27
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
64K 28
Nitrate Monitoring · Well
64K 30
Nitrate Monitoring · Well

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Lee Mont, Underground Storage Tanks runs higher than the national average — 121 sites within ~10 miles of Lee Mont. That's not a problem with your land — it's information about 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.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Lee Mont

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 Lee Mont average

Your land is one point inside Lee Mont

Everything above resolves to Lee Mont as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 487 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 Lee Mont Average

Lee Mont Average

  • USDA Zones 8a, averaged across Lee Mont
  • One soil character for all of Lee Mont
  • Frost dates read at Lee Mont's scale: Mar 14 to Nov 30

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Lee Mont's 8a
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Lee Mont

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Lee Mont averages 261Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Lee Mont

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 Lee Mont’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 Lee Mont

When does frost risk typically end in Lee Mont?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Lee Mont typically lands around Mar 14, 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 4.

When is the first frost in Lee Mont?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Lee Mont typically arrives around Nov 30, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Nov 16, so the watching starts about Oct 31 — about 261 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Lee Mont?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Lee Mont sees about 261 frost-free days — roughly Mar 14 through Nov 30, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 4 to Nov 16, about 226 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Lee Mont?

The federal record around Lee Mont shows 172 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (121), the nearest Underground Storage Tanks record about 1.0 miles out — a typical footprint for a growing area, and proximity to a documented site is information, not a diagnosis of any one yard. It's worth seeing which recorded sites sit closest to where you grow, and testing the soil before new food beds near any of them.

How do I protect my plants from frost in Lee Mont?

From about Oct 31 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 30 (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 30. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Lee Mont's scale — its 8a band and its 261-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Lee Mont'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 Lee Mont’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Lee Mont's own scale — its own ~261-day season between 28°F freezes, the 487 acres it covers and 172 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Lee Mont's own USDA hardiness band, zones 8aUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Lee Mont's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Mar 14 and Nov 30 and the ~261-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 172 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Lee Mont, the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 1.0 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Lee Mont's boundary and the 487 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 8a and a ~261-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Lee Mont's own centroid, the Middle Atlantic Coastal PlainUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • Lanternfly survey cells around Lee Mont 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 Lee Mont's 487 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Accomack County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Accomack County
  • The growing challenges every Virginia grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom Virginia
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Accomack County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Lee Mont's 487 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Lee Mont you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 487 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Underground Storage Tanks record about 1.0 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 Lee Mont-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address