Gardening in the Northeast US: Zones 4–7 Regional Guide

title: "Gardening in the Northeast US: Zones 4–7 Regional Guide"

The Northeast is not one climate—it is six or seven climates stacked on top of each other. A gardener in coastal Connecticut (zone 7a) and a gardener in northern Maine (zone 4b) share a region on the map but almost nothing else about their growing conditions. What they do share: a cold winter that ends abruptly, a compressed spring planting window, summer humidity, and deer pressure that has reached crisis levels in suburban areas.

I garden in Melville, Long Island, zone 7a, on sandy loam with persistent deer. That context shapes this guide where it should—but for the colder zones (4, 5, and 6), I rely on Cornell Cooperative Extension, University of New Hampshire Extension, and UMass Extension rather than personal experience.

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Table of Contents

1. USDA Zones and What They Mean Here
2. Soil: What You're Working With
3. First and Last Frost Dates by Zone
4. Seasonal Planting Calendar
5. What Grows Best in the Northeast
6. What Does Not Work
7. Pest Pressure
8. Disease Pressure
9. Native Plant Recommendations
10. Frequently Asked

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