Any faith in the recent USDA hardiness zones?

[zeroma]

How have the changes in the USDA hardiness zones made you start your garden?

I was just setting up my seed planting plans for our group garden and really am not trusting our recent 6a from 5b.



zeroma

[Worth1]

I have looked on certain places and they say I am in 9A now not 8B.

I just have to go from year to year.
I am not going to fool myself into thinking I can start an avocado farm anytime soon.
This winter none of my tenderest plants froze back and I still have a volunteer pinto bean plant growing in the yard so I keep it watered.

Worth

[Ricky Shaw]

We were 5b, now 6a. The line for 5b is at the top of the hill from our house, half a mile away. On some levels it works comparatively, but with other things I have my doubts. Moscow, Russia and Kansas City are 5b, that just doesn't seem right.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure the maps correctly portray averages and wild swings are normal.

[gssgarden]

8a now?? yeesh

Greg

[Cole_Robbie]

I seem to be the same. I'm looking at the interactive map on the usda site, and my area looks the same.

[Gerardo]

10a and 10b. I guess that means I can keep on truckin'.

[AlittleSalt]

I personally don't trust the zone map as much as I used to. The southern half of the county where I live in is Zone 8A - the northern half is in zone 7B.

[Father'sDaughter]

I just looked at the interactive map and it says I'm in 5b. However, if I go one mile north, east or south, I'd be in 6a.

Still going with May 8th as the day my chances of frost drop below 50%, and a plant out date for tomatoes, peppers and eggplants the first weekend of June--one week later than usual since I'm starting them a week later. Last few years they've gotten way too big indoors sitting under lights waiting for it to warm up enough, and then they had to stay in my mini greenhouses a bit too long. This year I hope to get the hardening process started when they are still a bit smaller and reduce the time under lights in the basement.

[KarenO]

I thinks it's fine as long as you remember that first and last frost dates are given as averages with easily at least 2 weeks leeway on either end. It's just a number. Microclimates are also not accounted for in the averages given for temperatures.
KO

[Gardeneer]

Hardiness zone is only for winter conditions and how sever or light they are , what plants can overwinter , etc.
When it comes summer gardening it has no significance or meaning other than duration of frost free season, that is from LF to FF.
Let me give you an example :
Parts of GA in Atlanta area, parts of Texas in Dallas area, Parts of Washington State in Seattle area are in the same USDA zone 7b / 8a. Having gardened in GA and WA I know the two have totally different summer gardening conditions. The only similarity is in the LFD and FFD ( Early April , Mid November).
Unless you are concerned about planting certain trees, shrubs, perennials , USDA zone has no use for. Juts go and find out your LFD and historical weather data around that date. Along with that check the extended 15 days forecast, to be sure. That is exactly what I do.

Gardeneer

[wildcat62]

6b for me

[zeroma]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

Hardiness zone is only for winter conditions and how sever or light they are , what plants can overwinter , etc.
When it comes summer gardening it has no significance or meaning other than duration of frost free season, that is from LF to FF.
Let me give you an example :
Parts of GA in Atlanta area, parts of Texas in Dallas area, Parts of Washington State in Seattle area are in the same USDA zone 7b / 8a. Having gardened in GA and WA I know the two have totally different summer gardening conditions. The only similarity is in the LFD and FFD ( Early April , Mid November).
Unless you are concerned about planting certain trees, shrubs, perennials , USDA zone has no use for. Juts go and find out your LFD and historical weather data around that date. Along with that check the extended 15 days forecast, to be sure. That is exactly what I do.

Gardeneer

There is a summer or HEAT ZONE also,

the hardiness zone is for average low temperatures or rather when your area is likely to have a frost after a particular date, so has nothing to do with the heat in summer. I believe that the heat zone has to do with how many days your area is over 90 degrees

Where my son lived out in AZ their winter hardiness zone was same as mine, 5 but the heat zone was something like 7 if I recall correctly. So the zone numbers are different for heat and cold.

[zeroma]

Thanks gardeners!

I know the hardiness zone is just a guide, but was shocked to look up the recommended time to plant sweet potatoes, the entire month of May. I don't think I'll be suggesting zone 6 but rather go back to when we were considered to be zone 5.

Plus raised beds heat up faster/sooner than field planting, and soil temps need to be considered too. Micro climates, etc. It sure is good to have this forum and others like it so that experience is shared.

Zeroma

[Worth1]

Another thing that is very important is average hours of sunlight in an area.
Not sun up and sun down but actual sunshine without clouds.
Without this energy many plants just dont do well.

Worth

[Ricky Shaw]

Spring weather is so unstable here, I need to focus more on capturing growing days at the end of the season as opposed to the start. Indian Summer can now go into the first week of November, but my plants are pooped out by the middle of September.

I'm thinking a second planting, say the second week of July, a determinate canner/slicer that ripens late September and early October. I think this is possible for my latitude and climate, gonna see.