USDA zone 7a in Georgia
USDA plant hardiness zone 7a covers 1 location across Georgia (average annual extreme minimum 0 to 5 °F): Sky Valley, GA. Average last spring frost across this group ranges April 23 and growing seasons run 175 days — even within one state, because hardiness sets winter survival, not planting dates. The table below gives every Georgia location's own frost dates; the printable planting calendar uses Sky Valley, this group's median-season location.
- USDA zone
- 7a0 to 5 °F
- Last frost range
- Apr 23avg, 32°F
- First frost range
- Oct 17avg, 32°F
- Growing season range
- 175days
Locations in this group
Every location below shares this zone and a nearby weather station, but keeps its own frost dates — find your town for its own numbers, or use the ZIP planner on the home page for an instant personalized answer.
| Location | Also covers | Nearest station | Last frost | First frost | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sky Valley * | — | Coweeta Exp Stn | Apr 23 | Oct 17 | 175 |
* Sky Valley is this group's median-season location — the calendar below is computed from its data.
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Planting calendar (Sky Valley, representative)
Computed from Sky Valley's average frost dates — the median-season location in this Georgiazone 7a group. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees — your own location's dates may run a week or two earlier or later (see the table above).
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting | Season fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 30 – May 7 | Jun 29 – Jul 19 | — | matures comfortably |
| Pepper | Very tender | Feb 12 – Feb 26 | May 7 – May 14 | Jul 6 – Aug 5 | — | matures comfortably |
| Cucumber | Tender | Mar 26 – Apr 2 | Apr 30 – May 7 | Jun 19 – Jul 9 | — | matures comfortably |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Apr 30 – May 7 | Jun 14 – Jun 29 | — | matures comfortably |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Apr 30 – May 7 | Jun 19 – Jun 29 | Aug 18 – Aug 28 | matures comfortably |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Apr 23 – May 7 | Jun 22 – Jul 22 | — | matures comfortably |
| Basil | Very tender | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 30 – May 7 | May 30 – Jun 14 | — | matures comfortably |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | May 10 – May 25 | Aug 4 – Aug 19 | matures comfortably |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | May 6 – May 21 | Jul 25 – Aug 9 | matures comfortably |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | Apr 21 – May 1 | Aug 14 – Aug 24 | matures comfortably |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Jun 1 – Jun 21 | Jul 15 – Aug 4 | matures comfortably |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | May 20 – Jun 9 | Jul 20 – Aug 9 | matures comfortably |
Which crops fit this growing season
Using Sky Valley's own 175-day growing season (32°F, NOAA 1991–2020 median) against each crop's real days-to-maturity range: 12 of 12 crops mature here with comfortable margin. A different location in the table above with a longer or shorter season will get a different mix — the ZIP planner on the home page gives your own.
Frost & freeze dates (Sky Valley)
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00312102. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 7 | May 24 | Oct 7 | Oct 19 | 152 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 23 | May 11 | Oct 17 | Nov 1 | 175 |
| 28°F | Apr 8 | Apr 28 | Oct 28 | Nov 10 | 201 |
| 24°F | Mar 26 | Apr 11 | Nov 8 | Nov 26 | 228 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. This group's median GDD (base 50°F) across all 1 locations is 3,672; Sky Valley's own reading is shown below.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 3,672 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 6,431 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 7a in Georgia
Zone 7a means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of about 0 to 5 °F on the USDA's 2023 map — the number that tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here. It does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above. Georgia spans 5 hardiness zones in this dataset — see all Georgia locations for the full range, including zones7b, 8a, 8b, 9a.
Explore zone 7a in other states at zone 7a, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What does USDA hardiness zone 7a mean in Georgia?
- Zone 7a means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of 0 to 5 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 1 location in Georgia fall in this zone. It does not set planting dates; see the frost calendar below for that.
- When should I plant tomatoes in Georgia's zone 7a?
- Using Sky Valley's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Feb 26 – Mar 12, then transplant outside about Apr 30 – May 7. Your own location in the table above may differ by a week or two — use the ZIP planner on the home page for your exact station's dates.
- Does every location in Georgia's zone 7a have the same frost dates?
- No — they do not all share a weather station, so frost dates vary by a week or more across the 1 locations listed (see the table above for each location's own dates).
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, one reading per location's own nearest station (see the table above). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to each location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.