New Jersey Planting Zones

The New Jersey climate is primarily humid subtropical. The northeast, central and southern regions experience the conditions typical of this climate with humid, warm summers and very cold winters. As a result of the high elevation, the northwest part of the state has a humid continental climate with significantly cooler temperatures. Winters there regularly see sub-0 temperatures. Across the state’s planting zones, summer high temperatures average around mid to high 80s with lows averaging in the 60s. There is about a three-week span where temperatures can reach into 90s – 100s. Much of the state sees winter highs with an average of mid 30s to mid 40s and lows are mid-teens to high 20s. The annual precipitation is anywhere between 43 and 51 inches with up to 30 thunderstorms a year, most of them during the summer. Snowfall varies per year and depends largely on location, but it typically snows about 10 to 15 inches per year near the coast and in the south, 15 to 30 inches in the central and northeast and 40 to 50 inches in the northwestern highlands. Winters through the beginning of spring often see “nor’easters,” which can cause blizzards and flooding. 

Frost dates are the primary source that determine the U.S. hardiness zones and tell us which plants and flowers will grow and when to plant them. Gilmour’s Interactive Planting Zone Map makes it easy to know what zone you are in. Knowing the New Jersey planting zones is a great resource for gardeners, particularly since there isn’t much variation in zones. New Jersey growing zones only range from 6a to 7b, so when planning a garden, it is important to know which one you are in to determine which plant flowers and vegetables will thrive in that zone. For the most part, it is fine to plant anything rated in a lower zone, too. Just be careful not to plant anything rated for higher zones, or it may have a difficult time making it through the cold New Jersey winters. 

There are a number of vegetables that grow well in New Jersey. With the right planning, it is easy to have a full garden of veggies that will produce all season long. Beans, carrots, beets, lettuce, onions, radish, zucchini, summer squash, cabbage and broccoli are all well-suited for the area. There are just as many or more plants and flowers that love the growing conditions New Jersey has to offer. Some of the easiest to grow include anemone, aster, blanket flower, coral bells, chrysanthemum, basket of gold, butterfly weed, daylily, hellebore and many more.