Monday, April 30, 2012

Knowing Your Hardiness Zone: Garden Planting Zones / Frost Zones & Dates

One of the essential first steps in planting a successful garden is to know your area’s hardiness zone, also sometimes called a garden planting zone or frost zone. A hardiness zone gives key information about the lowest temperatures plants in your area will need to withstand. You will need to match this hardiness zone number with plant varieties to find out when to plant in the spring. This will also help you determine how long the growing season is in your area to determine which plants will grow most successfully.


Just type in your zip code to find your hardiness zone number and then match it against the map. Is your area centered on the zone or is your garden on a border of the zones? It’s important to interpret the information for best results. A hardiness zone indicator is an approximation. Yearly weather patterns may vary, but as a general guide it can be very helpful.

Average Minimum Winter Temperature of USA

Once you have your hardiness zone number, you can also look at these estimates of last expected frost dates. Of course, since it is only an estimate you should also consider recent temperature trends and weather forecasts.


Last Expected Spring Frost Dates by Zone
Zone 1: June1 – June 30
Zone 2: May 1 – May 31
Zone 3: May 1 – May31
Zone 4: May 1 – May31
Zone 5: March 30 – April30
Zone 6: March 30 – April30
Zone 7: March 30 – April30
Zone 8: February 28 – March 30
• Zone 9: January 30 – February 28
• Zone 10: January 1 – January 31
• Zone 11 Frost Free Year Round

After your seedlings are planted, you need to watch the weather. If there is a frost warning in your area, you need to cover each of your seedlings with a 2 liter plastic bottle with the bottom cut out.

This beginning stage of planting takes some work, but when you are enjoy fresh-from-the-garden vegetables and flowers later in the year, it will be well with the initial effort in educating yourself about your hardiness zone so you can properly care for your seedlings.

4 comments:

  1. Hardiness zones are also known to us less sophisticated garden types as "Planting Zones" or ome other thing like"will this plant survive here"? New York Plantings Garden Designers owner Todd Nappi is like a walking...breathing talking...F%$3*ing plant encyclopedia.
    He has read hundreds of garden books and papers (mostly on the bowl) and spent hours deaming of having his favorite trees, plants and flowers in his garden.
    chck out www.newyorkplantings.com for the business website where todd make his living.
    Doing what he loves.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good information about weather time zone. It's really helpful. Thanks New York Plantings for such posts.

    ReplyDelete
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  4. hello,

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