What Grows in Belmont, West Virginia

USDA Zones 6b · 261 acres

Belmont, West Virginia, sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b — room for a real mix of vegetables, fruit, and perennials matched to the local frost calendar.

These conditions suit cabbage, hazelnut, lavender, and collard greens — a starting list any specific site will trim or extend with its own soil, sun, and drainage.

Score your parcel · free

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

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Belmont — the short answer

Belmont, West Virginia: USDA zone 6b, about 211 days between hard freezes, across 261 acres of city.

USDA zone
6b
USDA PHZM 2023
Last hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 7
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
First hard freeze (28°F)
Nov 4
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
Days between freezes
~211
NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, 28°F — this town
City area
261 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

6b6b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Zone 6b is Belmont's average, not your lot's — a low corner or a tree line moves it. Against Belmont's 211-day season, see what your own ground reads.

Soil varies lot by lot — soil types explained.

What this means for growing in Belmont

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

Season length

Measured

Belmont runs about 211 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

Belmont sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b.

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 Belmont is in

Belmont sits in the Western Allegheny Plateau — EPA Level III, inside the wider Eastern Temperate Forests. That is read at Belmont's own centroid rather than borrowed from Pleasants County.

What that means for soil

What Grows in Belmont

Every plant below cleared Belmont's own zone 6b and its 211-day season. Each card opens that plant's West Virginia profile. How we score.

cabbage, photograph
Growing cabbage in West VirginiaZones 2–11Belmont's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
hazelnut, photograph
West Virginia hazelnut guideZones 4–9Belmont's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
lavender, photograph
Lavender in West VirginiaZones 5–8Belmont's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
collard greens, photograph
Collard greens: West Virginia growing notesZones 2–11Belmont's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blackberry, photograph
Growing blackberry in West VirginiaZones 5–8Belmont's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
California poppy, photograph
West Virginia california poppy guideZones 6–10Belmont's 6b is its exact cold limit.
garlic, photograph
Garlic in West VirginiaZones 2–10Belmont's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
blueberry, photograph
Blueberry: West Virginia growing notesZones 3–8Belmont's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Turkish rocket, photograph
Growing turkish rocket in West VirginiaBelmont's 211 days clear the ~90 it needs.
kale, photograph
West Virginia kale guideZones 2–11Belmont's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
pawpaw, photograph
Pawpaw in West VirginiaZones 5–9Belmont's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
angelica, photograph
Angelica: West Virginia growing notesZones 4–9Belmont's 211 days clear the ~120 it needs.
lentil, photograph
Growing lentil in West VirginiaZones 2–11Belmont's 211 days clear the ~70 it needs.
okra, photograph
West Virginia okra guideZones 2–12Belmont's 211 days clear the ~50 it needs.
potato, photograph
Potato in West VirginiaZones 2–11Belmont's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
iris, photograph
Iris: West Virginia growing notesZones 3–10Belmont's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
sunflower, photograph
Growing sunflower in West VirginiaZones 2–11Belmont's 211 days clear the ~70 it needs.
lilac, photograph
West Virginia lilac guideZones 4–10Belmont's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
hops, photograph
Hops in West VirginiaZones 3–8Belmont's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
hosta, photograph
Hosta: West Virginia growing notesZones 3–8Belmont's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
French marigold, photograph
Growing french marigold in West VirginiaBelmont's 211 days clear the ~50 it needs.
Apache plume, photograph
West Virginia apache plume guideZones 5–11Belmont's 6b — 1 zone of cold margin.
Virginia creeper, photograph
Virginia creeper in West VirginiaZones 3–9Belmont's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
tulip, photograph
Tulip: West Virginia growing notesZones 6–8Belmont's 6b is its exact cold limit.
American elm, photograph
Growing american elm in West VirginiaZones 3–9Belmont's 6b — 3 zones of cold margin.
Ethiopian mustard, photograph
West Virginia ethiopian mustard guideZones 4–10Belmont's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
Kentucky bluegrass, botanical illustration
Kentucky bluegrass in West VirginiaZones 2–7Belmont's 6b — 4 zones of cold margin.
Douglas fir, photograph
Douglas fir: West Virginia growing notesZones 4–10Belmont's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.
alfalfa, photograph
Growing alfalfa in West VirginiaZones 2–10Belmont's 211 days clear the ~100 it needs.
Indian grass, photograph
West Virginia indian grass guideZones 4–9Belmont's 6b — 2 zones of cold margin.

Is it too late to plant in Belmont?

Almost never — the real question is what to plant next. Cool-season crops can go in from around Mar 10; tender transplants wait until two to three weeks after the last 28°F hard freeze, which lands near Apr 7 (NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals); and from midsummer, planting counts back from the first fall freeze around Nov 4 — long-season crops need about 90 days of runway, quick greens only 30. A long window like this one runs successions deep into fall — and even its last weeks take quick greens and garlic.

Documented around Belmont

Survey cells within 31 miles of Belmont checked for spotted lanternfly, none carrying a detection — a surveyed negative, not an absence of looking. Nearest documented record 54 miles off. What to watch for.

What's on the federal record near Belmont

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

  1. BELMONT HEALTHCARE CENTERBrownfields · 1000 ft
  2. J & J EQUIPMENT COMPANYUnderground Storage Tanks · 1000 ft
  3. RICE'S PENNZOILUnderground Storage Tanks · 1000 ft
  4. LAMBERT ENTERPRISES INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 1000 ft
  5. BELMONT LOADING ZONE # 44Underground Storage Tanks · 1300 ft
  6. PLEASANT CO HQ 03371Underground Storage Tanks · 1300 ft
  7. CITY SEWER PLANT & LIFT STATIONUnderground Storage Tanks · 1500 ft
  8. CYTEC INDUSTRIES INCUnderground Storage Tanks · 1500 ft
  9. PENNSBORO WV BULK PLANT 480Underground Storage Tanks · 1500 ft
  10. BELMONT SUBSTATIONUnderground Storage Tanks · 1500 ft
  11. UNION CARBIDE LINDE DIV 2/86Underground Storage Tanks · 1500 ft
  12. WILLOW ISLAND PLANTUnderground Storage Tanks · 1500 ft

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

Measured from Belmont'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 Belmont.

Total Sites

241

within ~10 miles of Belmont

Risk Level

Elevated

Highest-severity

2 Superfund sites

Severity Distribution

within ~10 miles of Belmont

High7Moderate50Low184

Highest-Severity Sites

Pleasants CO Psd
PFAS Sampling · PFAS Detected
Allegheny Energy Pleasants Power Station
Toxics Release Inventory · 26134rshgs1pwer
Allnex USA INC
Toxics Release Inventory · 2613wllnxs252he
American Cyanamid
Superfund · Superfund (Non-NPL)
Axens North America, INC
Toxics Release Inventory · 26134crtrn74cat

A note from Gnorman

What an experienced grower watches for around here

In and around Belmont, two things run higher than the national average within ~10 miles of Belmont — PFAS (6 sites) and Toxics Release Inventory (16 sites). Knowing it is half the work — and it's nothing a thoughtful grower can't plan for.

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

Toxics Release Inventory: TRI facilities report annual chemical releases to air, water, and land.

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

Check prevailing wind direction — downwind parcels face higher exposure than upwind or crosswind locations.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Belmont

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 Belmont average

Your land is one point inside Belmont

Everything above resolves to Belmont as a whole — one PHZM band and one 28°F frost record, read across 261 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 Belmont Average

Belmont Average

  • USDA Zones 6b, averaged across Belmont
  • One soil character for all of Belmont
  • Frost dates read at Belmont's scale: Apr 7 to Nov 4

YOUR Parcel

  • Your exact zone, not Belmont's 6b
  • Your SSURGO soil type & pH
  • Your sun exposure, cast in 3D

See MY Growing Report

Free Report

Read your specific parcel in Belmont

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

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

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Belmont averages 211Your sun & shade

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

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

How we know this about Belmont

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 Belmont’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 Belmont

When does frost risk typically end in Belmont?

The last hard freeze (28°F) in Belmont typically lands around Apr 7, 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 28.

When is the first frost in Belmont?

The first hard freeze (28°F) in Belmont typically arrives around Nov 4, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals — the point tender summer crops finish. Lighter frosts run ahead of it, near Oct 21, so the watching starts about Oct 5 — about 211 days after the spring freeze cleared.

How long is the growing season in Belmont?

Measured between 28°F hard freezes, Belmont sees about 211 frost-free days — roughly Apr 7 through Nov 4, per NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. Tender crops work a shorter one: nearer Apr 28 to Oct 21, about 176 days.

Is the soil safe to grow vegetables in Belmont?

The federal record around Belmont is a meaningful one — 241 documented sites, mostly Underground Storage Tanks entries (106), the nearest Brownfields record about 0.2 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 Belmont?

From about Oct 5 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 4 (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 4. Hardy greens and roots shrug off light frost and sweeten after it — leave them in.

Everything above is measured at Belmont's scale — its 6b band and its 211-day season. Your yard writes its own version of Belmont'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 Belmont’s own scale

7 of the readings below were taken at Belmont's own scale — its own ~211-day season between 28°F freezes, the 261 acres it covers and 241 documented sites around it; 4 are borrowed from a wider read, named and linked below.

Measured here

  • Belmont's own USDA hardiness band, zones 6bUSDA PHZM 2023
  • Belmont's own 28°F hard-freeze dates, about Apr 7 and Nov 4 and the ~211-day span between themNOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
  • 241 documented contamination sites on the federal record near Belmont, the closest Brownfields record about 0.2 miles out from the town centreFederal environmental registers
  • Belmont's boundary and the 261 acres inside itUS Census TIGER/Line 2025
  • Which of 1,086 plants clear zones 6b and a ~211-day seasonGrowable Ground crop-matching engine
  • The ecoregion at Belmont's own centroid, the Western Allegheny PlateauUS EPA Level III Ecoregions
  • Lanternfly survey cells around Belmont 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 Belmont's 261 acres read through its county's SSURGO summaryfrom Pleasants County
  • Growing-degree days and winter chill — measured county-wide only, so the county page carries themfrom Pleasants County
  • The growing challenges every West Virginia grower plans around — written at state scale, so they stay on the state guidefrom West Virginia
  • Butterfly and beetle records, and the farmland pesticide estimate — all published county-widefrom Pleasants County

What this page can’t tell you

  • The soil pH, drainage, sun hours, and frost pockets on any one lot among Belmont's 261 acreswhy one lot differs from the next
  • Which side of Belmont you're on — a low spot frosts first and a south wall warms early, and one normal is being asked to speak for all 261 acresreading your own microclimate
  • How close that record sits to YOUR lot — the closest Brownfields record about 0.2 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 Belmont-wide figureread your own land
The next step finer is your own address