Understanding Your Climate Zone for an
Edible Garden or Home Orchard

Most of New Zealand has a temperate climate, with cool winters (often with frosts) and warm, relatively low-humidity summers. This makes it ideal for a wide variety of fruit and nut trees — including stonefruit, pipfruit, feijoas, berries, vines, and more. If you're planning an edible garden or using our home orchard planner, your local climate zone will guide which varieties will thrive in your space.

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In cooler southern regions like Otago, Southland, and inland Canterbury, it's best to focus on later-flowering stonefruit, apples, pears, quinces, and berries. These varieties are more frost-tolerant and suited to shorter growing seasons.

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In warmer areas — including parts of the North Island — you can grow subtropical fruit like citrus, figs, passionfruit, and tamarillos, especially with frost protection and good site placement. However, in the far North's subtropical zones (like 10a), you’ll want to avoid high-chill varieties such as Moorpark apricots or Packham's Triumph pears.

To help you select the right varieties, our fruit tree selector tool uses the USDA Hardiness Zones to match plants to different parts of New Zealand. While the zone map is a helpful guide, keep in mind that microclimates and garden placement (like against a sunny wall) can make a big difference in what you can grow successfully.

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Check the table below to find your city's climate zone and start planning a productive and resilient home orchard or edible garden.