What does USDA hardiness zone 7b mean in New York?

Zone 7b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of 5 to 10 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 17 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 7b is the growing season longest?

New York runs the longest season on this page at about 244 days; Northwest Harbor is shortest at about 182 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 7b?

Using Wading River's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Feb 9 – Feb 23, then transplant outside about Apr 13 – Apr 20. 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 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 17 locations listed (see the table above for each location's own dates).

USDA zone 7b in New York

5 to 10 °F avg. annual extreme minimum · 17 locations in this group · NOAA 1991–2020 normals

USDA plant hardiness zone 7b covers 17 locations across New York (average annual extreme minimum 5 to 10 °F): Coram, NY, Dix Hills, NY, Freeport, NY, Harrison, NY, Huntington, NY, Montauk, NY, and 11 more. Average last spring frost across this group ranges March 26 (New York) to April 23 (Northwest Harbor), and growing seasons run 182–244 days (Northwest Harbor to New York) — 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 Wading River, this group's median-season location.

USDA zone: 7b5 to 10 °F
Last frost range: Mar 26–Apr 23avg, 32°F
First frost range: Oct 24–Nov 25avg, 32°F
Growing season range: 182–244days

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.

Own frost dates per location.
Location	Also covers	Nearest station	Last frost	First frost	Season (days)
Coram	Commack, Smithtown, Brentwood, Hauppauge, Centereach, Bohemia, +23 more	Islip Li Macarthur Ap	Apr 10	Nov 2	207
Dix Hills	Melville, West Babylon, East Farmingdale, Levittown, Hicksville, East Meadow, +25 more	Farmingdale Ap	Apr 6	Nov 6	213
Freeport	Merrick, Bellmore	Wantagh Cedar Creek	Apr 3	Nov 11	221
Harrison	New Rochelle, Glen Cove, Mamaroneck, Riverside, Port Chester, Bayville	Westchester Co Ap	Apr 12	Oct 31	200
Huntington	East Northport, Greenlawn, Northport, Centerport	Centerport	Apr 9	Nov 10	215
Montauk	Quonochontaug	Montauk Ap	Apr 7	Nov 15	222
New York	Newark, Elizabeth, Linden, Kearny, Bayonne, Carteret, +8 more	Newark Intl Ap	Apr 2	Nov 10	222
New York	Fort Lee, Englewood Cliffs, West New York, Edgewater, Cliffside Park, Fairview	New York Cntrl Pk Twr	Mar 30	Nov 20	236
New York	Oceanside, Freeport, Lawrence, Valley Stream, Elmont, Rockville Centre, +16 more	New York Jfk Intl Ap	Apr 2	Nov 14	226
New York	—	Ny Ave V Brooklyn	Apr 1	Nov 19	233
New York	Yonkers, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, Sands Point, Kings Point, Fort Lee, +11 more	New York Laguardia Ap	Mar 26	Nov 25	244
Northwest Harbor	Bridgehampton, Water Mill, Southold, Cutchogue, Wainscott, Amagansett, +4 more	Bridgehampton	Apr 23	Oct 24	182
Old Westbury	East Meadow, Uniondale, Garden, Hempstead, Westbury, North New Hyde Park, +10 more	Mineola	Apr 2	Nov 12	224
Orient	—	Groton	Apr 8	Nov 2	207
Rocky Point	Miller Place, East Shoreham, Sound Beach	Shirley Brookhaven Ap	Apr 18	Oct 28	193
Wading River *	—	Riverhead Rsch Farm	Apr 6	Nov 9	215
Yonkers	Eastchester	Dobbs Ferry-ardsley	Apr 20	Oct 26	189

* Wading River 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 (Wading River, representative)

Computed from Wading River's average frost dates — the median-season location in this New Yorkzone 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).

Crop

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Tomato

Pepper

Cucumber

Summer squash / zucchini

Start indoors
Plant out
Fall sowing
First harvest

Planting windows for Wading River (New York, zone 7b), this group's representative location.
Crop	Frost tolerance	Start indoors	Plant out	First harvest	Fall planting	Season fit
Tomato	Tender	Feb 9 – Feb 23	Apr 13 – Apr 20	Jun 12 – Jul 2	—	matures comfortably
Pepper	Very tender	Jan 26 – Feb 9	Apr 20 – Apr 27	Jun 19 – Jul 19	—	matures comfortably
Cucumber	Tender	Mar 9 – Mar 16	Apr 13 – Apr 20	Jun 2 – Jun 22	—	matures comfortably
Summer squash / zucchini	Tender	—	Apr 13 – Apr 20	May 28 – Jun 12	—	matures comfortably
Bush bean	Tender	—	Apr 13 – Apr 20	Jun 2 – Jun 12	Sep 10 – Sep 20	matures comfortably
Sweet corn	Tender	—	Apr 6 – Apr 20	Jun 5 – Jul 5	—	matures comfortably
Basil	Very tender	Feb 23 – Mar 9	Apr 13 – Apr 20	May 13 – May 28	—	matures comfortably
Lettuce	Half-hardy	Feb 23 – Mar 9	Mar 9 – Mar 23	Apr 23 – May 8	Aug 27 – Sep 11	matures comfortably
Pea	Hardy	—	Feb 23 – Mar 9	Apr 19 – May 4	Aug 17 – Sep 1	matures comfortably
Spinach	Hardy	—	Feb 23 – Mar 9	Apr 4 – Apr 14	Sep 6 – Sep 16	matures comfortably
Carrot	Half-hardy	—	Mar 16 – Mar 23	May 15 – Jun 4	Aug 7 – Aug 27	matures comfortably
Broccoli	Half-hardy	Feb 9 – Feb 23	Mar 9 – Mar 23	May 3 – May 23	Aug 12 – Sep 1	matures comfortably

Which crops fit this growing season

Using Wading River's own 215-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 (Wading River)

From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00307134. 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.

Freeze probabilities by temperature threshold (MM/DD, NOAA 1991–2020), Wading River.
Threshold	Last spring — avg	Last spring — 90%-safe	First fall — avg	First fall — 90%-safe	Season (days)
36°F	Apr 20	May 3	Oct 28	Nov 10	190
32°F (freeze)	Apr 6	Apr 19	Nov 9	Nov 22	215
28°F	Mar 28	Apr 7	Nov 21	Dec 5	239
24°F	Mar 15	Mar 29	Dec 4	Dec 24	263

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 17 locations is 3,333; Wading River's own reading is shown below.

Annual growing degree days for Wading River (°F·days, NOAA 1991–2020).
Model	°F·days	Used for
Base 50°F (warm-season)	3,416	standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans)
Base 40°F (cool-season)	5,862	cool-season crops (brassicas, greens)

Hardiness zone 7b in New York

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. 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, 7a.

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 New York?: Zone 7b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of 5 to 10 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 17 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 7b is the growing season longest?: New York runs the longest season on this page at about 244 days; Northwest Harbor is shortest at about 182 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 7b?: Using Wading River's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Feb 9 – Feb 23, then transplant outside about Apr 13 – Apr 20. 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 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 17 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.