subject: Dealing With Plant Hardiness Zones [print this page] Plant hardiness zones can be a basic guide for selecting plants which could thrive in your region, and those zones are based on seasonal temperature variations. A few vegetables, for instance, have to have prolonged, cool spring evenings to get started, which they won't find in Biloxi. Others call for several months of hot sunshine to mature competently, which they can't get in Detroit.
If you know your plant hardiness zone before you invest in some cucumber plants, you can choose the variety which grows well in your location. A number of decades ago, the United States Department of Agriculture partnered with Harvard University to establish a map of the United States according to minimum and maximum seasonal temperatures.
This is normally labeled the USDA map and is the normal criteria for plant hardiness in specific areas. That map slices The United States into 11 zones. Zone 1 is the coldest while zone 11 is the warmest. Generally speaking, colder zones are found at higher elevations and also in regions more distant to the north.
Hardiness zones just help as a basic guideline for choosing and growing plants, however.
Consider that El Paso Texas, and Savannah, Georgia, are reported to be part of the same hardiness zone, but enjoy dramatically different weather patterns. Any time you're selecting a plant, you must also take into consideration the amount of sun and water it requires, as well as the kind of ground for which it is optimally suited.
Whenever these zones are referred to regarding plants, you could perceive several levels of detail.
For instance, if a plant is merely described as being hardy to zone 6, this implies the plant will endure winters in that zone and will prosper in any hotter zones with higher numbers. Sometimes a selection of zones is identified, as in "zones 4-9". This explains to us that the plants will thrive only in these zones; they will not endure the hotter or cooler temperatures in other zones.
While you know your hardiness zone, it will be useful to seek advice from a local nursery before you plant your garden. You may be in a micro climate which is warmer or cooler than the USDA zone which applies to your vicinity, or your soil type may be detrimental to a plant which ought to do great in your temperature range.Don't forget, these zones are great starting points, yet they need to be handled just as guidelines.
