Location almanac
Chill hours in R3C
The short answer
R3C averages 875 chill hours per winter (579–1,211 across 10 years) in USDA zone 4a.
Climate profile
| Average chill hours | 875 (579–1,211 across 10 winters) |
|---|---|
| USDA hardiness zone | 4a (NRCan zone 3b) |
| Last spring frost | typically May 1 – May 22 |
| First fall frost | typically October 3 – October 16 |
Computed from 10 winters of ERA5 hourly temperature (Open-Meteo, 2015–2025); zones from USDA PHZM 2023 / NRCan 1981–2010. Data updated July 3, 2026. See methodology.
What grows here
Every variety in our database, checked against R3C’s chill hours and zone:
Good fit (64)
Chill and zone requirements are comfortably met in R3C.
| Variety | Fruit |
|---|---|
| Acey Mac | Apple |
| Akane | Apple |
| Arkansas Black | Apple |
| Chestnut Crab | Apple |
| Cortland | Apple |
| Cox's Orange Pippin | Apple |
| CrimsonCrisp | Apple |
| Earligold | Apple |
| Empire | Apple |
| First Kiss | Apple |
| Frostbite | Apple |
| Fuji | Apple |
| Gala | Apple |
| Ginger Gold | Apple |
| GoldRush | Apple |
| Golden Delicious | Apple |
| Golden Supreme | Apple |
| Gravenstein | Apple |
| Haralson | Apple |
| Honeycrisp | Apple |
| Honeygold | Apple |
| Idared | Apple |
| Jonagold | Apple |
| Jonamac | Apple |
| Jonathan | Apple |
| Liberty | Apple |
| Lodi | Apple |
| Northern Spy | Apple |
| Paula Red | Apple |
| Prima | Apple |
Show 34 more good fit varieties
- Red Delicious
- SnowSweet
- Spartan
- Suncrisp
- Sweet Sixteen
- Topaz
- Wealthy
- Yellow Transparent
- Zestar
- Goldcot
- Harcot
- Moongold
- Sungold
- Tomcot
- Fantasia
- Harko
- Harrow Delight
- Luscious
- Parker
- Patten
- Summercrisp
- Alderman
- Italian Prune
- Stanley
- Superior
- Craig's Crimson
- Van
- Balaton
- Early Richmond
- English Morello
- Evans Bali
- Meteor
- Montmorency
- North Star
Marginal (18)
Possible in a good year or a favorable microclimate — click through for the caveats.
| Variety | Fruit |
|---|---|
| TropicSweet | Apple |
| Contender | Peach |
| Flameprince | Peach |
| Flordacrest | Peach |
| Gulfprince | Peach |
| Junegold | Peach |
| Loring | Peach |
| Redglobe | Peach |
| Redskin | Peach |
| Reliance | Peach |
| TropicBeauty | Peach |
| UFGold | Peach |
| UFOne | Peach |
| UFSun | Peach |
| Moonglow | Pear |
| Green Gage | Plum |
| Brooks | Sweet Cherry |
| Sunburst | Sweet Cherry |
Plan the year in zone 4
Questions
- How many chill hours does R3C get?
- R3C averages 875 chill hours per winter, ranging from 579 to 1211 across the last 10 years.
- What hardiness zone is R3C?
- R3C is in USDA hardiness zone 4a.
Growing fruit trees in R3C? Save your first tree free and see this month’s care tasks for this climate.
Save your first tree freePreparing to plant? Check your soil first
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Sources
- [1] Open-Meteo / Copernicus ERA5. Historical Weather API (hourly 2m temperature) — accessed July 2026
- [2] Natural Resources Canada. Plant Hardiness Zones of Canada — accessed July 2026