USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6

Zone 6 covers winter lows from -10°F to 0°F, split into 6a (-10 to -5°F) and 6b (-5 to 0°F).

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6 is a temperate, four-season zone defined by an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of -10 to 0 degrees F. It is one of the most widely gardened zones in the country, cold enough to give many fruit trees the winter chill they need while still supporting a long, productive summer. The zone is split into two subzones, 6a (-10 to -5 degrees F) and 6b (-5 to 0 degrees F), which helps gardeners fine-tune plant choices near the edges of a plant's rated range.

Climate and where it is found

Zone 6 forms a broad band across the middle of the United States and reaches into the interior Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic. You will find it across much of Missouri, Kansas, southern Ohio, and Kentucky, through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and into parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, as well as at higher elevations in states such as Colorado, New Mexico, and the interior Pacific Northwest. Winters are genuinely cold with reliable freezes and periods of snow, while summers are warm to hot and generally humid in the East and drier in the West. The frost-free growing season typically runs about 150 to 180 days, with the last spring frost around mid-April to early May and the first fall frost from mid-October into early November.

States most often in Zone 6

Based on locations in our database, these states have the most ZIP codes falling in Zone 6:

What grows in Zone 6

A wide range of hardy perennials, shrubs, and trees overwinter dependably in Zone 6, including plants rated to Zone 6 or lower. Most cold-hardy fruit trees such as apples, pears, sour cherries, and many plums thrive here because winter temperatures satisfy their chilling requirement without dropping low enough to routinely kill the wood. Cool-season and warm-season vegetables both do well, since the season is long enough to mature tomatoes, peppers, melons, and winter squash while still allowing spring and fall crops of greens and roots. Cold-hardy herbaceous perennials, spring-flowering bulbs, and many ornamental shrubs and shade trees are reliable landscape backbones, and a good snow cover often adds extra winter protection for their roots and crowns.

• Tomatoes, peppers, and other warm-season vegetables
• Apples, pears, and sour cherries
• Cool-season greens such as lettuce, spinach, and kale
• Root crops including carrots, beets, and radishes
• Winter squash, pumpkins, and melons
• Cold-hardy herbs such as thyme, oregano, and chives
• Spring-flowering bulbs like tulips and daffodils
• Hardy perennials and flowering shrubs rated to Zone 6 or colder

Gardening tips for Zone 6

Plan the vegetable garden around your local frost dates: start warm-season crops indoors in early spring, then transplant them outside once the danger of frost has passed, usually in May. The 150 to 180 day season is comfortable for most crops, but season-extension tools such as cold frames, low tunnels, row cover, and raised beds let you plant earlier in spring and harvest well into fall. When choosing perennials, shrubs, and trees, look for plants rated to Zone 6 or a colder zone so they can survive a typical winter, and site borderline or marginally hardy plants in sheltered spots protected from harsh wind. A layer of mulch applied after the ground begins to freeze helps moderate soil temperatures and reduces frost heaving of perennials and newly set plants.

Sample locations in Zone 6

Open any location for its live weather, frost dates, and planting calendar:

Related tools

Hardiness zones tell you what survives winter. To decide when to plant, check your frost dates and planting calendar, and browse crops and growing guides for individual plants.

Zone boundaries follow the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, which is based on 1991-2020 winter minimum temperatures. Local microclimates, elevation, and unusual winters can differ from the map. Page updated Aug 4, 2026.