USDA zone 8a in New Jersey
USDA plant hardiness zone 8a covers 2 locations across New Jersey (average annual extreme minimum 10 to 15 °F): Atlantic, NJ, Villas, NJ. Average last spring frost across this group ranges March 26 (Atlantic) to April 1 (Villas), and growing seasons run 222–240 days (Villas to Atlantic) — even within one state, because hardiness sets winter survival, not planting dates. The table below gives every New Jersey location's own frost dates; the printable planting calendar uses Atlantic, this group's median-season location.
- USDA zone
- 8a10 to 15 °F
- Last frost range
- Mar 26–Apr 1avg, 32°F
- First frost range
- Nov 9–Nov 21avg, 32°F
- Growing season range
- 222–240days
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic * | Brigantine | Atlantic City | Mar 26 | Nov 21 | 240 |
| Villas | Rio Grande, North Cape May, Cape May Point, West Wildwood | Cape May 2 Nw | Apr 1 | Nov 9 | 222 |
* Atlantic 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 (Atlantic, representative)
Computed from Atlantic's average frost dates — the median-season location in this New Jerseyzone 8a 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 29 – Feb 12 | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Jun 1 – Jun 21 | — | matures comfortably |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 15 – Jan 29 | Apr 9 – Apr 16 | Jun 8 – Jul 8 | — | matures comfortably |
| Cucumber | Tender | Feb 26 – Mar 5 | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | May 22 – Jun 11 | — | matures comfortably |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | May 17 – Jun 1 | — | matures comfortably |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | May 22 – Jun 1 | Sep 22 – Oct 2 | matures comfortably |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | May 25 – Jun 24 | — | matures comfortably |
| Basil | Very tender | Feb 12 – Feb 26 | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | May 2 – May 17 | — | matures comfortably |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Feb 12 – Feb 26 | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 12 – Apr 27 | Sep 8 – Sep 23 | matures comfortably |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Feb 12 – Feb 26 | Apr 8 – Apr 23 | Aug 29 – Sep 13 | matures comfortably |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Feb 12 – Feb 26 | Mar 24 – Apr 3 | Sep 18 – Sep 28 | matures comfortably |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Mar 5 – Mar 12 | May 4 – May 24 | Aug 19 – Sep 8 | matures comfortably |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 29 – Feb 12 | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 22 – May 12 | Aug 24 – Sep 13 | matures comfortably |
Which crops fit this growing season
Using Atlantic's own 240-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 (Atlantic)
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USW00013724. 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 4 | Apr 18 | Nov 10 | Nov 26 | 217 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 26 | Apr 6 | Nov 21 | Dec 7 | 240 |
| 28°F | Mar 15 | Mar 30 | Dec 2 | Dec 22 | 263 |
| 24°F | Mar 6 | Mar 21 | Dec 17 | Jan 7 | 288 |
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 2 locations is 3,701; Atlantic's own reading is shown below.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 3,570 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 6,163 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 8a in New Jersey
Zone 8a means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of about 10 to 15 °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. New Jersey spans 4 hardiness zones in this dataset — see all New Jersey locations for the full range, including zones6b, 7a, 7b.
Explore zone 8a in other states at zone 8a, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What does USDA hardiness zone 8a mean in New Jersey?
- Zone 8a means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of 10 to 15 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 2 locations in New Jersey fall in this zone. It does not set planting dates; see the frost calendar below for that.
- Where in New Jersey's zone 8a is the growing season longest?
- Atlantic runs the longest season on this page at about 240 days; Villas is shortest at about 222 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 New Jersey's zone 8a?
- Using Atlantic's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Jan 29 – Feb 12, then transplant outside about Apr 2 – Apr 9. 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 New Jersey's zone 8a 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 2 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.