HEAT Zone Maps

jwr6404 · February 5, 2007

According to this Map I am in Zone 3. Heat Zone Maps reflects the days that the temperature is above 80 degrees. Does anyone use this map to determine varieties.

Jim

Ruth_10 · February 5, 2007

Maybe I missed it--is there a link to the Heat Zone map? (Heat??? What's that?

)

jwr6404 · February 5, 2007

Ruth
Look ,this forum,USDA and Sunset Zone Maps.
Jim

Ruth_10 · February 5, 2007

Thanks, Jim. I don't use it as a guide for choosing varities, but it seems to make more sense than the hardiness zones. I think we continue to use the hardiness zones because that's what we're calibrated to.

feldon30 · February 5, 2007

USDA Hardiness Map (sometimes called Frost Zone Map) is for finding out the first and last likely (10% chance) frost dates. Different veggies are planted before, right on, or after the first frost date in the spring, and the same thing in the fall.

Sunset Zones are more fine-detailed growing maps that were created for California that instead of 9 zones have nearly 30.

Finally the AHS Heat Zone Map is something relatively new which is helpful when explaining that although Portland, OR and Conroe, TX are both Zone 8, they have completely different growing seasons because of average temperatures per day, week, and month during the growing season. "Sunlight Hours" is another term that has been coined to describe the phenomenon of tomatoes growing slowly and producing smaller fruit when the number of full sun hours is reduced, as it would be in a foggy, rainy, or cooler climate. A tomato plant might take 6 months in the Pacific Northwest to produce large, ripe tomatoes. The same plant might produce (and then burn out) in 4 months in Houston.

natural · February 5, 2007

My front yard is a frost zone 7a and my backyard must be 2 zones colder, due to the downward slope from front to back. There was an 8 degree difference in the low temp last night in beds less than 100 feet apart.

Oh, the challenge of microclimates!

February 5, 2007	#1
jwr6404 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: University Place, WA Posts: 481	HEAT Zone Maps According to this Map I am in Zone 3. Heat Zone Maps reflects the days that the temperature is above 80 degrees. Does anyone use this map to determine varieties. Jim __________________ Jim

February 5, 2007	#2
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	Maybe I missed it--is there a link to the Heat Zone map? (Heat??? What's that? ) __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

February 5, 2007	#3
jwr6404 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: University Place, WA Posts: 481	Ruth Look ,this forum,USDA and Sunset Zone Maps. Jim __________________ Jim

February 5, 2007	#4
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	Thanks, Jim. I don't use it as a guide for choosing varities, but it seems to make more sense than the hardiness zones. I think we continue to use the hardiness zones because that's what we're calibrated to. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

February 5, 2007	#5
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	USDA Hardiness Map (sometimes called Frost Zone Map) is for finding out the first and last likely (10% chance) frost dates. Different veggies are planted before, right on, or after the first frost date in the spring, and the same thing in the fall. Sunset Zones are more fine-detailed growing maps that were created for California that instead of 9 zones have nearly 30. Finally the AHS Heat Zone Map is something relatively new which is helpful when explaining that although Portland, OR and Conroe, TX are both Zone 8, they have completely different growing seasons because of average temperatures per day, week, and month during the growing season. "Sunlight Hours" is another term that has been coined to describe the phenomenon of tomatoes growing slowly and producing smaller fruit when the number of full sun hours is reduced, as it would be in a foggy, rainy, or cooler climate. A tomato plant might take 6 months in the Pacific Northwest to produce large, ripe tomatoes. The same plant might produce (and then burn out) in 4 months in Houston. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

February 5, 2007	#6
natural Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: North GA Posts: 530	My front yard is a frost zone 7a and my backyard must be 2 zones colder, due to the downward slope from front to back. There was an 8 degree difference in the low temp last night in beds less than 100 feet apart. Oh, the challenge of microclimates!