Vermont has 5 USDA planting zones, ranging from Zone 4a to Zone 6a, per the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. These growing zones — also called hardiness zones, gardening zones, plant zones, or climate zones — span average annual minimum temperatures from -30°F in the Northeast Kingdom to -5°F near Brattleboro.
Zone 4a, the coldest, sits in the northeastern corner of the state. Zones 4b and 5a cover most of northern and central Vermont. Zone 5b covers southern Vermont and the Connecticut River Valley. Zone 6a, the warmest, appears in small pockets in the southernmost regions, particularly around Brattleboro.
Major Vermont cities fall into different zones — Burlington (Zone 5a), Montpelier (Zone 4b), and Brattleboro (Zone 5b/6a) — reflecting Vermont’s north-to-south climate gradient.
Find your Vermont planting zone by ZIP code below, or pick your city on the interactive map. The Vermont cities, towns, and counties list shows hardiness zones for every VT location.
Search Vermont Planting Zones by ZipCode
Planting Zones Vermont Map
Select or type your Vermont city name in the selection box below. Use the top-right corner button in the map view to toggle map layers.
Planting Zones
Planting Zones
What are the 5 planting zones in Vermont?
1. Zone 4a
Zone 4a, shown in dark purple on our map, covers the northeasternmost part of Vermont. With average annual minimum temperatures ranging from -30°F to -25°F (-34.4°C to -31.7°C), it represents the coldest areas in the state. Cities in Zone 4a include parts of Essex County like Canaan, Norton, and Island Pond.
2. Zone 4b
Zone 4b, shown in navy blue on our map, covers a larger area of northern Vermont, including most of the Northeast Kingdom. Average annual minimum temperatures in this zone range from -25°F to -20°F (-31.7°C to -28.9°C). Cities in Zone 4b include St. Johnsbury, Newport, and Montpelier, with smaller communities like Hardwick, Lyndonville, and Troy.
3. Zone 5a
Zone 5a, shown in teal on our map, covers large areas of central Vermont. With average annual minimum temperatures between -20°F and -15°F (-28.9°C to -26.1°C), this zone includes Burlington, Rutland, Middlebury, and Barre. Other notable locations include Stowe, Waterbury, and Brandon.
4. Zone 5b
Zone 5b, shown in light green on our map, covers southern Vermont and the Connecticut River Valley. This zone experiences average annual minimum temperatures from -15°F to -10°F (-26.1°C to -23.3°C). Cities in Zone 5b include Brattleboro, Bennington, Springfield, Chester, and Windsor, with other locations like Manchester, Ludlow, and Bellows Falls.
5. Zone 6a
Zone 6a, the warmest in Vermont, appears in bright yellow on our map in small pockets of the southernmost part of the state. With average annual minimum temperatures ranging from -10°F to -5°F (-23.3°C to -20.6°C), Zone 6a includes parts of Brattleboro and surrounding areas in Windham County.
Planting Zones in Vermont with Cities
USDA hardiness zones for Vermont Cities, Towns, and Counties. Data source: 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
| Planting Zones in Vermont | Temp Range (°F) | Cities |
|---|---|---|
| 5a | -20 to -15 | Adamant, Alburg, Arlington, Barnard, Barre, Belmont, Belvidere Center, Benson, Bethel, Bomoseen, Bondville, Bradford, Brandon, Bridgewater, Bridgewater Corners, Bridport, Bristol, Brookfield, Brownsville, Burlington, Calais, Cambridge, Castleton, Center Rutland, Charlotte, Chelsea, Chittenden, Colchester, Corinth, Danby, Dorset, East Arlington, East Barre, East Corinth, East Dorset, East Fairfield, East Middlebury, East Poultney, East Randolph, East Thetford, East Wallingford, Eden, Essex, Essex Junction, Fair Haven, Fairfax, Fairfield, Fairlee, Ferrisburg, Florence, Forest Dale, Franklin, Gaysville, Grafton, Grand Isle, Graniteville, Granville, Hancock, Hartford, Hartland, Hartland Four Corners, Highgate Center, Highgate Springs, Hinesburg, Huntington, Hydeville, Isle La Motte, Jamaica, Jeffersonville, Jericho, Johnson, Jonesville, Killington, Londonderry, Manchester Center, Middlebury, Middletown Springs, Milton, Monkton, Montgomery Center, Montpelier, Moretown, New Haven, Newbury, North Clarendon, North Ferrisburg, North Hartland, North Hero, North Pomfret, North Thetford, Northfield, Northfield Falls, Norwich, Orwell, Pawlet, Peru, Pittsfield, Pittsford, Plainfield, Post Mills, Poultney, Proctor, Quechee, Randolph, Randolph Center, Richmond, Ripton, Rochester, Roxbury, Rupert, Rutland, Saint Albans, Saint Albans Bay, Salisbury, Shaftsbury, Sharon, Sheldon, Sheldon Springs, Shoreham, South Burlington, South Londonderry, South Pomfret, South Royalton, South Strafford, Starksboro, Stockbridge, Stowe, Strafford, Swanton, Thetford, Thetford Center, Tunbridge, Underhill, Underhill Center, Vergennes, Vershire, Waitsfield, Wallingford, Warren, Washington, Waterbury, Waterbury Center, Waterville, Websterville, Wells, Wells River, West Dover, West Fairlee, West Hartford, West Pawlet, West Rupert, West Rutland, West Topsham, West Townshend, West Wardsboro, Westfield, Westford, Weston, White River Junction, Whiting, Wilder, Williamstown, Williston, Wilmington, Winooski, Woodstock, Worcester |
| 5b | -15 to -10 | Ascutney, Bellows Falls, Bennington, Brattleboro, Burlington, Cambridgeport, Cavendish, Chester, Colchester, Cuttingsville, East Dover, Jacksonville, Ludlow, Manchester, Marlboro, Mount Holly, Newfane, North Bennington, North Pownal, North Springfield, Perkinsville, Plymouth, Pownal, Proctorsville, Putney, Reading, Readsboro, Saxtons River, Shelburne, South Hero, South Newfane, South Woodstock, Springfield, Townshend, Vernon, Wardsboro, West Dummerston, West Halifax, Westminster, Westminster Station, Whitingham, Williamsville, Windsor |
| 4b | -25 to -20 | Albany, Bakersfield, Barnet, Barton, Beebe Plain, Cabot, Concord, Coventry, Craftsbury, Craftsbury Common, Danville, East Berkshire, East Burke, East Calais, East Hardwick, East Haven, East Montpelier, East Ryegate, East Saint Johnsbury, Eden Mills, Enosburg Falls, Gilman, Glover, Granby, Greensboro, Greensboro Bend, Groton, Hardwick, Hyde Park, Irasburg, Lake Elmore, Lowell, Lower Waterford, Lunenburg, Lyndon, Lyndon Center, Lyndonville, Marshfield, Mc Indoe Falls, Montgomery, Montpelier, Morrisville, Moscow, Newport, Newport Center, North Concord, North Hyde Park, North Montpelier, North Troy, Orleans, Passumpsic, Peacham, Richford, Saint Johnsbury, Saint Johnsbury Center, Sheffield, South Ryegate, Sutton, Troy, West Burke, West Danville, West Glover, West Newbury, Wolcott, Woodbury |
| 6a | -10 to -5 | Brattleboro |
| 4a | -30 to -25 | Averill, Beecher Falls, Canaan, Derby, Derby Line, East Charleston, Guildhall, Island Pond, Morgan, Norton, West Charleston |
Best plants for Vermont planting zones
Based on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, these 5 plants suit Vermont’s zones:
- Zone 4a: Serviceberry
- Zone 4b: Northern Highbush Blueberry
- Zone 5a: Red Maple
- Zone 5b: Sugar Maple
- Zone 6a: Eastern Red Cedar