Gardening Zones

Gardening Zones - How to Identify the Plants That Grow Well in Your Area

Executive summary about Gardening Zones by Tim R Warren

In order to grow plants successfully, gardeners must choose plants that belong to their gardening zone. The majority of plants found in local nurseries are often compatible with the gardening zone they are sold in. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) gardening zone map is based on the lowest temperature experienced throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. There are 11 gardening zones with zone 1 being the coldest and zone 11, the warmest. In the map, zones 2 to 9 are subdivided into two sections (a and b) represented by lighter (a) and darker (b) shades. Each section represents a 5 degree Fahrenheit difference in each zone with the lighter shade being colder.

A state can fall into multiple zones. Alaska, for example, is divided between zones 1, 2a, 2b, and 3a. Florida is another state that has multiple zones. The state starts at zone 8b and ends at 10b. The warmest regions in the United States fall under zone 11. Hawaii falls into this zone. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) was the first to develop hardiness zones, but they have since been adapted elsewhere.

Understanding Garden Zones Colors Your Thumb Green

Executive summary about Gardening Zones by Shirley Buller

Knowing the length of the growing season by using information gleaned from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map and the AHS Plant Heat Zone Map is very important to successful gardening. It is knowing the average number of days between last frost in the spring and the first frost in the fall that allows gardeners to choose vegetables that will mature in their zone before a killing frost in the fall puts the garden to bed for the winter. Growing conditions vary from year to year. While it is smart to choose plants labeled for your growing area, there are ways to outwit Mother Nature. The use of hot caps, plant protectors filled with water and floating row covers extend the growing season at both ends. Cold isn't the only factor to limit success in the landscape. The American Horticultural Society has created another map, the Heat-Zone Map available at their website, just as helpful and valuable to the gardener as the hardiness map. Physiological damage from heat begins at that point. The AHS Heat-Zone ratings assume the plant has adequate water at all times. Failure to water a plant according to it's specific cultural requirements means a dead plant, regardless of the zone number. Some plants can tolerate a drought more than others, but no plant can survive complete desiccation.