6 planting zones in Massachusetts on Map

Massachusetts has 6 USDA planting zones, ranging from zone 5a to zone 7b. Average annual minimum temperatures range from -20°F to 10°F, according to the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Western Massachusetts (the Berkshires) covers zones 5a and 5b. Central and eastern Massachusetts cover zones 6a and 6b. The southeastern coast, Cape Cod, and the islands reach zones 7a and 7b. Boston is in zone 6b, and Cape Cod is in zones 7a and 7b.

There is a pattern of distribution of Massachusetts six different planting zones, with colder zones (5a and 5b) spread in the western highlands, transitioning to milder zones (6a and 6b) in the central and eastern regions, and then warmest zones (7a and 7b) along the southeastern coast, Cape Cod, and the islands.

Find your Massachusetts (MA) growing zone — also called the gardening zone, plant zone, garden zone, hardiness zone, or climate zone — using our ZIP code tool or the Massachusetts city map below. Browse every Massachusetts city, town, and county with its USDA zone in the Massachusetts cities, towns and counties directory.

Search Massachusetts Planting Zones by ZipCode

Planting Zones Massachusetts Map

Select your Massachusetts city in the selection box below. Use the top-right corner button in the map view to toggle map layers.

What are the 6 planting zones in Massachusetts?

1. Zone 5a

Zone 5a, shown in dark purple on our map, covers a small portion of western Massachusetts, including the highest elevations of the Berkshires. Average annual minimum temperatures range from -20°F to -15°F (-28.9°C to -26.1°C), the coldest in the state.

2. Zone 5b

Zone 5b, shown in light purple on our map, covers much of western Massachusetts, Berkshire County, and parts of Franklin County. Average annual minimum temperatures range from -15°F to -10°F (-26.1°C to -23.3°C). Cities in zone 5b include Pittsfield, Adams, North Adams, Williamstown, and Lenox.

3. Zone 6a

Zone 6a, shown in blue on our map, covers central Massachusetts and parts of western Massachusetts. Average annual minimum temperatures range from -10°F to -5°F (-23.3°C to -20.6°C). Cities in zone 6a include Springfield, Worcester, Amherst, Holyoke, Chicopee, Northampton, and Fitchburg.

4. Zone 6b

Zone 6b, shown in dark green on our map, covers much of eastern and central Massachusetts, including most of the Greater Boston area. Average annual minimum temperatures range from -5°F to 0°F (-20.6°C to -17.8°C). Cities in zone 6b include Boston, Cambridge, Newton, Somerville, Lowell, Lynn, Brockton, and Taunton.

5. Zone 7a

Zone 7a, shown in light green on our map, covers the southeastern coast of Massachusetts and much of Cape Cod. Average annual minimum temperatures range from 0°F to 5°F (-17.8°C to -15°C). Cities in zone 7a include Barnstable, Hyannis, Falmouth, Plymouth, Sandwich, and Mashpee.

6. Zone 7b

Zone 7b, shown in yellow on our map, is the warmest zone in Massachusetts and covers the outermost parts of Cape Cod plus Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Average annual minimum temperatures range from 5°F to 10°F (-15°C to -12.2°C), the mildest winters in the state. Cities in zone 7b include Provincetown, Chatham, Truro, Wellfleet, Eastham, Orleans, and Nantucket.

Massachusetts Planting Zones by Region

What planting zone is Boston?

Boston is primarily in USDA zone 6b, with average annual minimum temperatures from -5°F to 0°F. Coastal Boston neighborhoods extend into zone 7a, and Boston-area cities in the same zones include Cambridge, Brookline, Newton, Somerville, and Quincy.

What planting zone is Cape Cod?

Cape Cod falls in USDA zones 7a and 7b, with average annual minimum temperatures from 0°F to 10°F. Zone 7a covers most of the Cape (Barnstable, Hyannis, Falmouth, Sandwich); zone 7b covers the outer Cape (Provincetown, Chatham, Wellfleet, Truro) plus Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

What planting zone is western Massachusetts?

Western Massachusetts falls in USDA zones 5a, 5b, and 6a, covering the Berkshires and the Pioneer Valley. Average annual minimum temperatures range from -20°F to -5°F. Cities include Pittsfield, North Adams, Williamstown, Springfield, Northampton, and Amherst.

What planting zone is eastern Massachusetts?

Eastern Massachusetts falls in USDA zones 6b and 7a, covering Greater Boston, the North Shore, and the South Shore. Average annual minimum temperatures range from -5°F to 5°F. Cities include Boston, Cambridge, Lowell, Lynn, Plymouth, Salem, and Gloucester.

Planting Zones in Massachusetts with Cities

Find the USDA hardiness zone for every Massachusetts city, town, and county in the table below. Data Source: 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.

Planting Zones in Massachusetts	Temp Range (°F)	Cities
6b	-5 to 0	Abington, Accord, Acton, Agawam, Allston, Andover, Arlington, Arlington Heights, Ashland, Attleboro, Attleboro Falls, Auburndale, Avon, Babson Park, Bedford, Bellingham, Belmont, Berkley, Berlin, Beverly, Billerica, Blackstone, Bolton, Boston, Boxford, Braintree, Bridgewater, Brighton, Brockton, Brookline, Brookline Village, Bryantville, Burlington, Byfield, Cambridge, Canton, Carlisle, Carver, Charlton, Charlton Depot, Chartley, Chelmsford, Cherry Valley, Chestnut Hill, Concord, Danvers, Dedham, Douglas, Dover, Dudley, East Bridgewater, East Longmeadow, East Taunton, East Walpole, Easton, Elmwood, Essex, Fayville, Feeding Hills, Foxboro, Framingham, Franklin, Georgetown, Grafton, Halifax, Hamilton, Hanover, Hanscom Afb, Hanson, Hathorne, Haverhill, Holbrook, Holden, Holliston, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Hudson, Hyde Park, Ipswich, Jamaica Plain, Lakeville, Lancaster, Lawrence, Leicester, Lexington, Lincoln, Linwood, Longmeadow, Lowell, Lynn, Lynnfield, Malden, Manchaug, Mansfield, Marlborough, Mattapan, Maynard, Medfield, Medford, Medway, Melrose, Mendon, Methuen, Middleboro, Middleton, Milford, Millis, Millville, Milton, Milton Village, Monponsett, Natick, Needham, New Town, Newbury, Newburyport, Newton, Newton Center, Newton Highlands, Newton Lower Falls, Newton Upper Falls, Newtonville, Nonantum, Norfolk, North Andover, North Attleboro, North Billerica, North Carver, North Chelmsford, North Dighton, North Easton, North Grafton, North Pembroke, North Reading, North Uxbridge, North Waltham, Northborough, Northbridge, Norton, Norwood, Nutting Lake, Oxford, Peabody, Pembroke, Pinehurst, Plainville, Plympton, Prides Crossing, Quincy, Randolph, Raynham, Raynham Center, Reading, Readville, Rochdale, Rockland, Roslindale, Rowley, Salem, Salisbury, Saugus, Sharon, Sheldonville, Sherborn, Somerville, South Carver, South Easton, South Grafton, South Hamilton, South Lancaster, South Walpole, Southborough, Southbridge, Southwick, Springfield, Stoneham, Stoughton, Stow, Sudbury, Sutton, Taunton, Tewksbury, Topsfield, Upton, Uxbridge, Waban, Wakefield, Wales, Walpole, Waltham, Watertown, Waverley, Wayland, Webster, Wellesley, Wellesley Hills, Wenham, West Boxford, West Bridgewater, West Medford, West Newbury, West Newton, West Roxbury, West Springfield, Westborough, Weston, Westwood, Weymouth, Whitinsville, Whitman, Wilmington, Winchester, Woburn, Woodville, Worcester, Wrentham
6a	-10 to -5	Amesbury, Amherst, Ashburnham, Ashby, Ashley Falls, Auburn, Ayer, Barre, Becket, Belchertown, Blandford, Bondsville, Boxborough, Boylston, Brimfield, Brookfield, Charlton City, Chester, Chesterfield, Chicopee, Clinton, Conway, Deerfield, Devens, Dracut, Dunstable, East Brookfield, Easthampton, Erving, Fiskdale, Fitchburg, Florence, Gardner, Gilbertville, Goshen, Granby, Granville, Great Barrington, Greenfield, Groton, Groveland, Hadley, Hampden, Hardwick, Harvard, Hatfield, Haverhill, Haydenville, Holland, Holyoke, Huntington, Indian Orchard, Jefferson, Lake Pleasant, Leeds, Leominster, Leverett, Littleton, Ludlow, Lunenburg, Merrimac, Middlefield, Millbury, Monson, Montague, New Braintree, North Amherst, North Brookfield, North Egremont, North Hatfield, North Oxford, Northampton, Northfield, Oakham, Palmer, Paxton, Pepperell, Petersham, Princeton, Russell, Rutland, Sandisfield, Sheffield, Shirley, Shrewsbury, South Barre, South Deerfield, South Egremont, South Hadley, Southampton, Southfield, Spencer, Springfield, Sterling, Still River, Sturbridge, Sunderland, Thorndike, Three Rivers, Townsend, Turners Falls, Tyngsboro, Ware, Warren, West Boylston, West Brookfield, West Chesterfield, West Groton, West Hatfield, West Millbury, West Springfield, West Townsend, West Warren, Westfield, Westford, Westminster, Whately, Wheelwright, Wilbraham, Williamsburg, Worcester, Woronoco, Worthington
5b	-15 to -10	Adams, Ashfield, Athol, Baldwinville, Berkshire, Bernardston, Buckland, Charlemont, Cheshire, Colrain, Cummington, Dalton, Drury, East Otis, East Templeton, Gardner, Glendale, Heath, Hinsdale, Housatonic, Hubbardston, Lanesboro, Lee, Lenox, Lenox Dale, Mill River, Monroe Bridge, Monterey, New Salem, North Adams, Northfield, Orange, Otis, Pittsfield, Plainfield, Richmond, Rowe, Royalston, Savoy, Shelburne Falls, Shutesbury, South Lee, Stockbridge, Templeton, Tyringham, Warwick, Wendell, Wendell Depot, West Stockbridge, Williamstown, Winchendon, Windsor
7a	0 to 5	Acushnet, Assonet, Barnstable, Boston, Buzzards Bay, Cambridge, Cataumet, Centerville, Charlestown, Chelsea, Cohasset, Cotuit, Cummaquid, Dartmouth, Dighton, Duxbury, East Falmouth, East Freetown, East Sandwich, East Wareham, Everett, Fairhaven, Fall River, Falmouth, Forestdale, Gloucester, Green Harbor, Greenbush, Hingham, Hull, Humarock, Hyannis, Hyannis Port, Kingston, Lynn, Manchester, Manomet, Marblehead, Marion, Marshfield, Marshfield Hills, Marstons Mills, Mashpee, Mattapoisett, Minot, Monument Beach, Nahant, New Bedford, North Dartmouth, North Falmouth, North Marshfield, North Scituate, Norwell, Oak Bluffs, Ocean Bluff, Onset, Osterville, Plymouth, Pocasset, Quincy, Rehoboth, Revere, Rochester, Rockport, Sagamore, Sagamore Beach, Salem, Sandwich, Scituate, Seekonk, Somerset, Somerville, South Dartmouth, South Dennis, South Yarmouth, Swampscott, Swansea, Vineyard Haven, Wareham, West Barnstable, West Falmouth, West Hyannisport, West Tisbury, West Wareham, West Yarmouth, Westport, Westport Point, Weymouth, White Horse Beach, Winthrop, Yarmouth Port
7b	5 to 10	Brewster, Chatham, Chilmark, Cuttyhunk, Dennis, Dennis Port, East Dennis, East Orleans, Eastham, Edgartown, Harwich, Harwich Port, Menemsha, Nantucket, North Chatham, North Eastham, North Truro, Orleans, Provincetown, Siasconset, South Chatham, South Harwich, South Orleans, South Wellfleet, Truro, Wellfleet, West Chatham, West Dennis, West Harwich, Woods Hole

5 Best Plants for Massachusetts Planting Zones

Massachusetts planting zones range from 5a to 7b. Five plants suited to these zones include:

• Zone 5a: Hosta (Hosta spp.) – Known for its hardiness and attractive foliage.
• Zone 5b: Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) – A resilient perennial with bright yellow flowers.
• Zone 6a: Daylily (Hemerocallis spp.) – Blooms profusely in summer and is easy to care for.
• Zone 6b: Peony (Paeonia spp.) – Appreciated for its large, fragrant flowers.
• Zone 7a-7b: Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) – Known for its beautiful, large blooms and adaptability.