Data / Original study
Which Crops Adapt to the Widest Range of Climates?
Climate breadth is the number of USDA zones a species tolerates (usdaZoneMax − usdaZoneMin). The widest-adapted crops below are the safest bets for uncertain or shifting climates. Showing the top 25.
| # | Species | USDA range | Zones spanned | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Cumin | 2–11 | 10 | Herb |
| 2 | Dill | 2–11 | 10 | Herb |
| 3 | Garden Pea | 2–11 | 10 | Vegetable |
| 4 | Radish | 2–11 | 10 | Vegetable |
| 5 | Spinach | 2–11 | 10 | Vegetable |
| 6 | Alfalfa | 3–11 | 9 | Timber & Agroforestry |
| 7 | Carrot | 3–11 | 9 | Vegetable |
| 8 | Cattail | 3–11 | 9 | Ornamental |
| 9 | Niger | 3–11 | 9 | Vegetable |
| 10 | Potato | 3–11 | 9 | Vegetable |
| 11 | Bathua | 3–10 | 8 | Vegetable |
| 12 | Indian Wood-Sorrel (Yellow Sorrel) | 4–11 | 8 | Other |
| 13 | Lotus | 4–11 | 8 | Ornamental |
| 14 | Rocket | 3–10 | 8 | Vegetable |
| 15 | Safflower | 4–11 | 8 | Herb |
| 16 | Strawberry | 3–10 | 8 | Fruit |
| 17 | Black Medick | 3–9 | 7 | Timber & Agroforestry |
| 18 | Catmint | 3–9 | 7 | Herb |
| 19 | Chives | 3–9 | 7 | Herb |
| 20 | Cogon Grass | 5–11 | 7 | Ornamental |
| 21 | Dandelion | 3–9 | 7 | Herb |
| 22 | Field Bindweed (Hiran Khuri) | 4–10 | 7 | Other |
| 23 | Linseed | 5–11 | 7 | Herb |
| 24 | Oats | 3–9 | 7 | Vegetable |
| 25 | Onion | 3–9 | 7 | Vegetable |
Methodology & data
This study is computed from our plant database. Of 398 profiled species, 398 carry a verified USDA hardiness range; the remaining 0 lack zone data and are excluded from every count here. Hardiness ranges are compiled from the RHS, the Missouri Botanical Garden and standard pomology references. No sun, water, height or soil axes exist in the dataset yet, so those are not reported.
Released under CC BY 4.0 — reuse with attribution to Agripure.
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