USDA zone 7b in Missouri
USDA plant hardiness zone 7b covers 12 locations across Missouri (average annual extreme minimum 5 to 10 °F): Broseley, MO, Caruthersville, MO, Fairdealing, MO, Fisk, MO, Gainesville, MO, Kennett, MO, and 6 more. Average last spring frost across this group ranges March 18 (Rives) to April 12 (Naylor), and growing seasons run 196–240 days (Gainesville to Rives) — even within one state, because hardiness sets winter survival, not planting dates. The table below gives every Missouri location's own frost dates; the printable planting calendar uses New Madrid, this group's median-season location.
- USDA zone
- 7b5 to 10 °F
- Last frost range
- Mar 18–Apr 12avg, 32°F
- First frost range
- Oct 23–Nov 14avg, 32°F
- Growing season range
- 196–240days
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broseley | Qulin, Dudley, Fisk | Poplar Bluff Muni Ap | Mar 31 | Oct 31 | 214 |
| Caruthersville | — | Caruthersville | Mar 24 | Nov 9 | 230 |
| Fairdealing | — | Poplar Bluff | Mar 29 | Nov 5 | 222 |
| Fisk | — | Wappapello Dam | Apr 2 | Nov 2 | 215 |
| Gainesville | — | Dora 3se | Apr 9 | Oct 23 | 196 |
| Kennett | Senath, Greenway | Kennett Radio Kboa | Mar 31 | Nov 1 | 215 |
| Malden | Dexter, Piggott, Campbell, Bernie, Clarkton, Frisbee, +5 more | Malden Muni Ap | Mar 29 | Nov 3 | 221 |
| Naylor | — | Doniphan | Apr 12 | Oct 26 | 196 |
| New Madrid * | — | New Madrid | Mar 28 | Nov 3 | 220 |
| Rives | — | Blytheville | Mar 18 | Nov 14 | 240 |
| Sikeston | Matthews, Grayridge, Bertrand, Morehouse, Anniston, Canalou, +3 more | Sikeston Pwr Stn | Mar 26 | Nov 6 | 225 |
| Wilson | — | Cairo 3n | Apr 2 | Oct 31 | 211 |
* New Madrid 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 (New Madrid, representative)
Computed from New Madrid's average frost dates — the median-season location in this Missourizone 7b 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 | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | Jun 3 – Jun 23 | — | matures comfortably |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 17 – Jan 31 | Apr 11 – Apr 18 | Jun 10 – Jul 10 | — | matures comfortably |
| Cucumber | Tender | Feb 28 – Mar 7 | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | May 24 – Jun 13 | — | matures comfortably |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | May 19 – Jun 3 | — | matures comfortably |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | May 24 – Jun 3 | Sep 4 – Sep 14 | matures comfortably |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 27 – Jun 26 | — | matures comfortably |
| Basil | Very tender | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | May 4 – May 19 | — | matures comfortably |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Apr 14 – Apr 29 | Aug 21 – Sep 5 | matures comfortably |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Apr 10 – Apr 25 | Aug 11 – Aug 26 | matures comfortably |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Mar 26 – Apr 5 | Aug 31 – Sep 10 | matures comfortably |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Mar 7 – Mar 14 | May 6 – May 26 | Aug 1 – Aug 21 | matures comfortably |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Apr 24 – May 14 | Aug 6 – Aug 26 | matures comfortably |
Which crops fit this growing season
Using New Madrid's own 220-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 (New Madrid)
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00236045. 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 | Apr 7 | Apr 25 | Oct 25 | Nov 5 | 200 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 28 | Apr 12 | Nov 3 | Nov 19 | 220 |
| 28°F | Mar 17 | Apr 1 | Nov 15 | Dec 4 | 243 |
| 24°F | Mar 5 | Mar 22 | Nov 28 | Dec 19 | 266 |
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 12 locations is 4,726; New Madrid's own reading is shown below.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 4,747 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 7,451 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 7b in Missouri
Zone 7b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of about 5 to 10 °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. Missouri spans 6 hardiness zones in this dataset — see all Missouri locations for the full range, including zones5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 8a.
Explore zone 7b in other states at zone 7b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What does USDA hardiness zone 7b mean in Missouri?
- Zone 7b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of 5 to 10 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 12 locations in Missouri fall in this zone. It does not set planting dates; see the frost calendar below for that.
- Where in Missouri's zone 7b is the growing season longest?
- Rives runs the longest season on this page at about 240 days; Gainesville is shortest at about 196 days — they share the same hardiness zone, but they sit at different weather stations, so their frost calendars differ.
- When should I plant tomatoes in Missouri's zone 7b?
- Using New Madrid's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Jan 31 – Feb 14, then transplant outside about Apr 4 – Apr 11. 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 Missouri's zone 7b 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 12 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.