USDA zone 7a in New York
USDA plant hardiness zone 7a covers 9 locations across New York (average annual extreme minimum 0 to 5 °F): Calverton, NY, Cutchogue, NY, East Patchogue, NY, Fredonia, NY, Hampton Bays, NY, Manorville, NY, and 3 more. Average last spring frost across this group ranges April 6 (Calverton) to May 7 (Hampton Bays), and growing seasons run 160–215 days (Hampton Bays to Calverton) — even within one state, because hardiness sets winter survival, not planting dates. The table below gives every New York location's own frost dates; the printable planting calendar uses Yonkers, this group's median-season location.
- USDA zone
- 7a0 to 5 °F
- Last frost range
- Apr 6–May 7avg, 32°F
- First frost range
- Oct 14–Nov 9avg, 32°F
- Growing season range
- 160–215days
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calverton | Riverhead, Mattituck, Jamesport, Aquebogue, Laurel | Riverhead Rsch Farm | Apr 6 | Nov 9 | 215 |
| Cutchogue | Tuckahoe, North Haven, New Suffolk | Bridgehampton | Apr 23 | Oct 24 | 182 |
| East Patchogue | Stony Brook, Ocean Beach | Islip Li Macarthur Ap | Apr 10 | Nov 2 | 207 |
| Fredonia | Dunkirk | Fredonia | Apr 25 | Nov 1 | 185 |
| Hampton Bays | Westhampton, East Quogue, Quogue, Remsenburg-Speonk | Westhamptn Gabreski Ap | May 7 | Oct 14 | 160 |
| Manorville | Yaphank, Ridge, Shirley, Medford, Middle Island, Brookhaven, +7 more | Shirley Brookhaven Ap | Apr 18 | Oct 28 | 193 |
| New | Croton-on-Hudson, Valley Cottage, Peekskill, Congers, Ossining, Mount Kisco, +13 more | Yorktown Hts 1w | Apr 25 | Oct 19 | 174 |
| West Point | Fort Montgomery, Verplanck | West Point | Apr 10 | Nov 1 | 204 |
| Yonkers * | Pearl River, Alpine, Nanuet, Blauvelt, Montvale, Orangeburg, +10 more | Dobbs Ferry-ardsley | Apr 20 | Oct 26 | 189 |
* Yonkers 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 (Yonkers, representative)
Computed from Yonkers's average frost dates — the median-season location in this New Yorkzone 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 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 27 – May 4 | Jun 26 – Jul 16 | — | matures comfortably |
| Pepper | Very tender | Feb 9 – Feb 23 | May 4 – May 11 | Jul 3 – Aug 2 | — | matures comfortably |
| Cucumber | Tender | Mar 23 – Mar 30 | Apr 27 – May 4 | Jun 16 – Jul 6 | — | matures comfortably |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Apr 27 – May 4 | Jun 11 – Jun 26 | — | matures comfortably |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Apr 27 – May 4 | Jun 16 – Jun 26 | Aug 27 – Sep 6 | matures comfortably |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Apr 20 – May 4 | Jun 19 – Jul 19 | — | matures comfortably |
| Basil | Very tender | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 27 – May 4 | May 27 – Jun 11 | — | matures comfortably |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 7 – May 22 | Aug 13 – Aug 28 | matures comfortably |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | May 3 – May 18 | Aug 3 – Aug 18 | matures comfortably |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apr 18 – Apr 28 | Aug 23 – Sep 2 | matures comfortably |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Mar 30 – Apr 6 | May 29 – Jun 18 | Jul 24 – Aug 13 | matures comfortably |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Mar 23 – Apr 6 | May 17 – Jun 6 | Jul 29 – Aug 18 | matures comfortably |
Which crops fit this growing season
Using Yonkers's own 189-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 (Yonkers)
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00302129. 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 2 | May 18 | Oct 12 | Oct 31 | 164 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 20 | May 6 | Oct 26 | Nov 10 | 189 |
| 28°F | Apr 4 | Apr 20 | Nov 7 | Nov 23 | 217 |
| 24°F | Mar 22 | Apr 5 | Nov 22 | Dec 8 | 243 |
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 9 locations is 3,060; Yonkers's own reading is shown below.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 3,333 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 5,718 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 7a in New York
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. New York spans 8 hardiness zones in this dataset — see all New York locations for the full range, including zones4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7b.
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 New York?
- Zone 7a means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of 0 to 5 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 9 locations in New York fall in this zone. It does not set planting dates; see the frost calendar below for that.
- Where in New York's zone 7a is the growing season longest?
- Calverton runs the longest season on this page at about 215 days; Hampton Bays is shortest at about 160 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 York's zone 7a?
- Using Yonkers's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Feb 23 – Mar 9, then transplant outside about Apr 27 – May 4. 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 York'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 9 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.