New Jersey Planting Zones by City and ZIP Code
New Jersey runs from zones 6b to 8a; 47% of its ZIPs are 7a, Newark is 7b and Trenton is 7a.
New Jersey runs from zones 6b to 8a
The coldest night of the winter averages -5°F to 0°F in the coldest of New Jersey’s ZIP codes and 10°F to 15°F in the warmest. Most of the state is zone 7a.
Planting zones of New Jersey cities
| City | Zone | Coldest night, on average | Since 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newark07102 | 7b | 5°F to 10°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (7a) |
| Trenton08611 | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | same as 2012 |
| Atlantic City08401 | 8a | 10°F to 15°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (7b) |
| Cape May08204 | 8a | 10°F to 15°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (7b) |
| Paterson07505 | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | same as 2012 |
| New Brunswick08901 | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | same as 2012 |
Tap a ZIP for that address’s frost dates and this month’s jobs.
Find your zone anywhere in New Jersey
A ZIP code or a town gives you its zone, how it moved since 2012, the frost dates at the nearest NOAA station, and the jobs for this month timed from them.
What to plant in New Jersey this month
The calendar for each of New Jersey's main zones, from vegetables to pruning and winter protection, each job tied to the extension page it comes from. Pick a month, or read the whole year below it.
Timed from the median frost dates of the 24 NOAA stations in New Jersey’s zone 7a: last spring frost Apr 18, first fall frost Oct 23. Your own ZIP’s frost dates move every window, so the ZIP tool times them for you.
Pick a month above to see every job in it.
The year at a glance
- Start vegetable seeds indoorsJan to Apr
- Sow vegetables in the gardenMar to Apr
- Sow the fall vegetable gardenJul to Aug
- Set out transplantsMar to May
- Plant trees and shrubsMar 7 to May 2 and Oct 9 to Nov 27
- Plant garlicOct 9 to Nov 13
- Plant tulips and other spring bulbsOct 30 to Nov 6
- Divide fall-blooming perennialsMar 28 to May 9
- Divide spring and summer-blooming perennialsSep 11 to Oct 23
- Prune trees and summer-flowering shrubs while dormantFeb 7 to Mar 21
- Prune spring-flowering shrubs after they bloomApr 4 to May 30
- Put hardware cloth around young tree trunksOct 23 to Dec 4
- Cut back perennials after a hard freezeOct 30 to Nov 27
What changed in New Jersey since 2012
Every ZIP on both mapsCompared ZIP by ZIP from the 2023 and 2012 USDA tables; 715 New Jersey ZIP codes appear in both.
Why New Jersey’s zones moved
Of the cities above, Newark went from 7a to 7b, Atlantic City went from 7b to 8a and Cape May went from 7b to 8a.
The USDA explains the national picture: “When compared to the 2012 map, the 2023 version reveals that about half of the country shifted to the next warmer half zone, and the other half of the country remained in the same half zone.” The new map uses 1991 to 2020 and more than 13,000 weather stations, so it draws New Jersey’s hills, valleys and cities more finely than the 2012 map did.
A warmer zone changes which perennials and shrubs come through the winter, not when the garden gets planted; that still follows the frost dates.
Frost dates and seed starting in New Jersey
New Jersey planting zone questions
Planting zones by state
Sources. USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP code tables (2023 and 2012), PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University; USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; USDA Unveils Updated Plant Hardiness Zone Map (USDA Agricultural Research Service, November 15, 2023); NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual/seasonal, by station (v1.0.1); NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Zones are read from the PRISM ZIP code tables, read Oct 9, 2026; a ZIP code’s zone is the zone at its center. The calendar’s extension sources are listed on the planting zones page and under each job.