4 planting zones in Nebraska and Map

Nebraska have 4 planting zones ranging from zone 4b to 6a, according to the latest USDA’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map,

The state’s zone exhibits a temperature gradient, with colder zones in the north and west, transitioning to warmer zones in the southeast. Zone 4b, the coldest, appears minimally in northern elevations. Zone 5a covers most of northern and western Nebraska, including the Sandhills and Panhandle. Zone 5b, the most extensive, covers central and eastern regions. Zone 6a, the warmest, is confined to the southeastern corner.

You can find your Nebraska planting zone by using our ZIP code tool or the Nebraska city planting zone map. Both tools, provided below in the post, will help you determine your exact USDA growing zone.

Search Nebraska Planting Zones by ZipCode

Planting Zones Nebraska Map

Select your Nebraska city from the selection box below. You can select different map layers from top right corner button in mapview.

What are the 4 planting zones in Nebraska?

1. Zone 4b

Zone 4b, shown in purple shade in the provided map image above. This zone typically experiences average annual minimum temperatures ranging from -25°F to -20°F (-31.7°C to -28.9°C). It represents the coldest areas of Nebraska, in higher elevations and the extreme northern parts of the state.

2. Zone 5a

Shown by the darkest blue areas on our map, Zone 5a covers the northern and western portions of Nebraska. This zone experiences average annual minimum temperatures between -20°F and -15°F (-28.9°C to -26.1°C). It covers a large part of the state, including the Sandhills region and the Panhandle. Some cities in this zone are Alliance, Chadron, Valentine, and Scottsbluff. The zone also extends eastward, covering cities like Norfolk and South Sioux City.

3. Zone 5b

Zone 5b, shown in green color on our map above, is the most extensive planting zone in Nebraska. It covers a large part of the state, from the central regions to parts of eastern Nebraska. This zone experiences average annual minimum temperatures from -15°F to -10°F (-26.1°C to -23.3°C). It includes major cities such as parts of Omaha, Grand Island and North Platte. The zone include diverse landscapes, from the Platte River Valley to the eastern edge of the Sandhills.

4. Zone 6a

The bright yellow colored areas on our map, Zone 6a is the warmest planting zone in Nebraska, covering the southeastern corner of the state. This zone has average annual minimum temperatures ranging from -10°F to -5°F (-23.3°C to -20.6°C). It have cities like Beatrice, Falls City, and Nebraska City. The zone benefits from slightly milder winters due to its lower elevation and more southerly latitude within the state. It represents the transition between the cooler central plains and the warmer regions of the Midwest.

Planting Zones in Nebraska with Cities

USDA hardiness zones for Nebraska Cities, Towns and Counties. Latest Data from USDA (2023)

Planting Zones in Nebraska	Temp Range (°F)	Cities
5b	-15 to -10	Abie, Ainsworth, Albion, Alda, Ames, Amherst, Angora, Ansley, Arapahoe, Arcadia, Archer, Arlington, Arthur, Ashland, Ashton, Auburn, Aurora, Axtell, Ayr, Bartley, Battle Creek, Beaver City, Beaver Crossing, Bee, Beemer, Belgrade, Bellevue, Bellwood, Benedict, Benkelman, Big Springs, Bladen, Blair, Bloomfield, Blue Hill, Boelus, Bradshaw, Brady, Brainard, Brock, Broken Bow, Brownville, Brule, Bruno, Brunswick, Burr, Cairo, Callaway, Cambridge, Carroll, Cedar Bluffs, Cedar Creek, Cedar Rapids, Central City, Ceresco, Champion, Chapman, Chappell, Clarks, Clarkson, Colon, Columbus, Comstock, Cook, Cozad, Craig, Creston, Culbertson, Curtis, Dalton, Dannebrog, Davey, David City, Decatur, Dickens, Dix, Dodge, Doniphan, Duncan, Dwight, Eddyville, Elba, Elgin, Elk Creek, Elm Creek, Elsie, Elsmere, Elwood, Emmet, Enders, Eustis, Fairmont, Farnam, Farwell, Fort Calhoun, Fremont, Fullerton, Garland, Genoa, Gering, Gibbon, Giltner, Goehner, Gothenburg, Grand Island, Grant, Greenwood, Gresham, Gretna, Gurley, Haigler, Halsey, Hampton, Hartington, Hayes Center, Hazard, Heartwell, Henderson, Hendley, Herman, Hershey, Holbrook, Holstein, Hooper, Hordville, Hoskins, Howells, Humphrey, Imperial, Inavale, Indianola, Ithaca, Johnson, Johnstown, Julian, Juniata, Kearney, Kenesaw, Keystone, Lawrence, Leigh, Lemoyne, Lewellen, Lexington, Lincoln, Lindsay, Linwood, Litchfield, Lodgepole, Loomis, Louisville, Loup City, Lyons, Madison, Madrid, Magnet, Malcolm, Malmo, Marquette, Mason City, Max, Maxwell, Maywood, Mc Cool Junction, Mclean, Mead, Meadow Grove, Memphis, Milford, Miller, Minden, Monroe, Moorefield, Morse Bluff, Mullen, Nehawka, Nemaha, Newman Grove, Nickerson, Norfolk, North Bend, North Loup, North Platte, Oakland, Odessa, Offutt A F B, Ogallala, Omaha, Oneill, Ord, Osceola, Oshkosh, Overton, Page, Palisade, Palmer, Parks, Paxton, Peru, Petersburg, Phillips, Pilger, Plainview, Platte Center, Pleasanton, Polk, Potter, Prague, Primrose, Randolph, Ravenna, Raymond, Red Cloud, Rising City, Riverdale, Rockville, Rogers, Roseland, Saint Edward, Saint Libory, Saint Paul, Schuyler, Scotia, Scribner, Seneca, Seward, Shelby, Shelton, Sidney, Silver Creek, Smithfield, Snyder, South Bend, Springfield, Stanton, Staplehurst, Stapleton, Sterling, Stockville, Stratton, Stromsburg, Sumner, Surprise, Sutherland, Syracuse, Talmage, Tecumseh, Tekamah, Thedford, Tryon, Uehling, Ulysses, Union, Utica, Valley, Valparaiso, Venango, Waco, Wahoo, Wallace, Waterloo, Wauneta, Wausa, Waverly, Wellfleet, West Point, Westerville, Weston, Whitman, Willow Island, Winside, Wisner, Wolbach, Wood Lake, Wood River, York, Yutan
5a	-20 to -15	Allen, Alliance, Amelia, Anselmo, Arnold, Ashby, Atkinson, Bancroft, Bartlett, Bassett, Bayard, Belden, Bingham, Brewster, Bridgeport, Bristow, Broadwater, Burwell, Bushnell, Butte, Center, Chadron, Chambers, Clearwater, Cody, Coleridge, Concord, Crawford, Creighton, Crofton, Crookston, Dakota City, Dixon, Dunning, Ellsworth, Elyria, Emerson, Ericson, Ewing, Fordyce, Gordon, Greeley, Hadar, Harrisburg, Harrison, Hay Springs, Hemingford, Homer, Hubbard, Hyannis, Inman, Jackson, Kilgore, Kimball, Lakeside, Laurel, Lisco, Long Pine, Lyman, Lynch, Macy, Marsland, Maskell, Melbeta, Merna, Merriman, Mills, Minatare, Mitchell, Morrill, Naper, Neligh, Nenzel, Newcastle, Newport, Niobrara, Norfolk, Oakdale, Oconto, Orchard, Osmond, Pender, Pierce, Ponca, Purdum, Rosalie, Royal, Rushville, Saint Helena, Sargent, Scottsbluff, South Sioux City, Spalding, Sparks, Spencer, Springview, Stuart, Taylor, Thurston, Tilden, Valentine, Verdigre, Wakefield, Walthill, Waterbury, Wayne, Whiteclay, Whitney, Winnebago, Winnetoon, Wynot
6a	-10 to -5	Adams, Alexandria, Alma, Alvo, Atlanta, Avoca, Barneston, Beatrice, Bellevue, Belvidere, Bennet, Bennington, Bertrand, Bloomington, Blue Springs, Boys Town, Bruning, Burchard, Byron, Campbell, Carleton, Chester, Clatonia, Clay Center, Cordova, Cortland, Crab Orchard, Crete, Danbury, Davenport, Dawson, Daykin, De Witt, Denton, Deshler, Deweese, Diller, Dorchester, Douglas, Du Bois, Dunbar, Eagle, Edgar, Edison, Elkhorn, Elmwood, Endicott, Exeter, Fairbury, Fairfield, Falls City, Filley, Firth, Franklin, Friend, Funk, Geneva, Gilead, Glenvil, Grafton, Guide Rock, Hallam, Hardy, Harvard, Hastings, Hebron, Hickman, Hildreth, Holdrege, Hubbell, Humboldt, Inland, Jansen, Kennard, La Vista, Lebanon, Lewiston, Liberty, Lincoln, Manley, Martell, Mc Cook, Milligan, Murdock, Murray, Naponee, Nebraska City, Nelson, Oak, Odell, Ohiowa, Omaha, Ong, Orleans, Otoe, Oxford, Palmyra, Panama, Papillion, Pawnee City, Pickrell, Plattsmouth, Pleasant Dale, Plymouth, Republican City, Reynolds, Riverton, Roca, Rulo, Ruskin, Salem, Saronville, Shickley, Shubert, Sprague, St Columbans, Stamford, Steele City, Steinauer, Stella, Strang, Superior, Sutton, Swanton, Table Rock, Tobias, Trenton, Trumbull, Unadilla, Upland, Verdon, Virginia, Walton, Washington, Weeping Water, Western, Wilber, Wilcox, Wilsonville, Wymore

Geography and plants in Nebraska?

Nebraska’s geography influences its four USDA planting zones, visible on the USDA latest planting map. Here are prominent plants for each zone:

1. Zone 4b (-25°F to -20°F): Siberian Iris – Highly cold-hardy perennial that thrives in extreme conditions.
2. Zone 5a (-20°F to -15°F): Black-Eyed Susan – Drought-tolerant native wildflower well-suited to Nebraska’s climate.
3. Zone 5b (-15°F to -10°F): Purple Coneflower – Native prairie plant that adapts well to this extensive zone across central Nebraska.
4. Zone 6a (-10°F to -5°F): Butterfly Weed – Attracts pollinators and tolerates the slightly milder winters of southeastern Nebraska.