Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Lamb's Quarters (Chenopodium album)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Fat Hen, White Goosefoot, Pigweed, Melde.

More about lamb's quarters

About Lamb's Quarters

Chenopodium album · also called Fat Hen, White Goosefoot · herb

Lamb's Quarters is a fast-growing edible annual herb and nutritious wild green related to spinach. It thrives in full sun with minimal care and is often foraged or grown for its mineral-rich leaves. Mildly toxic in large quantities due to oxalates, and raw leaves contain saponins — consume in moderation.

Cold limit: USDA 4-11 (grown as annual) · RHS H4 (10-30°C)

What lamb's quarters's hardiness rating actually means

Yes — lamb's quarters is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H4 and USDA 4-11 (grown as annual), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. Its RHS rating of H4 means: Hardy in an average winter across much of the temperate world. On the US scale that maps to USDA 4-11 (grown as annual) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −10 to −5 °C. Lamb's Quarters is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

Concretely, for lamb's quarters as it gets too cold:

It tolerates winter lows to about −10 to −5 °C once established.
Below its rated zone, the visible damage is browned or blackened top growth and, in the worst case, a killed crown or root.
First-year, newly planted, or container-grown specimens are noticeably less hardy than established garden plants — the roots are exposed.

Can lamb's quarters go outside or overwinter — and where?

Plant it out within USDA 4-11 (grown as annual) and it overwinters with little or no help.
It does not want to come indoors — a warm winter room actually weakens a hardy plant by denying it dormancy.
The real risks in its range are waterlogging, wind-rock on young plants, and a late hard frost on new growth — not ordinary winter cold.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when lamb's quarters can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H4 figure above.

Lamb's Quarters hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is lamb's quarters cold hardy?

Yes — lamb's quarters is genuinely cold hardy. Rated RHS H4 and USDA 4-11 (grown as annual), it lives outdoors all year and needs winter cold rather than protection from it. An outdoor plant. Lamb's Quarters is hardy across USDA 4-11 (grown as annual); it belongs in the ground or a frost-proof container, not on a windowsill, and many types actively need a cold winter to perform.

What is the minimum temperature lamb's quarters can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −10 to −5 °C. Lamb's Quarters is built for winter — once established it takes hard frost and snow in its stride.

What hardiness zone is lamb's quarters?

Lamb's Quarters is rated USDA 4-11 (grown as annual) and RHS H4 — Hardy in an average winter across much of the temperate world.

Can lamb's quarters survive winter outside?

Plant it out within USDA 4-11 (grown as annual) and it overwinters with little or no help. It does not want to come indoors — a warm winter room actually weakens a hardy plant by denying it dormancy. The real risks in its range are waterlogging, wind-rock on young plants, and a late hard frost on new growth — not ordinary winter cold.

What happens to lamb's quarters below its minimum temperature?

It tolerates winter lows to about −10 to −5 °C once established. Below its rated zone, the visible damage is browned or blackened top growth and, in the worst case, a killed crown or root. First-year, newly planted, or container-grown specimens are noticeably less hardy than established garden plants — the roots are exposed.