What Plant Hardiness Zones DON'T Tell You…
What Plant Hardiness Zones DON'T Tell You…
Hardiness zones are helpful, but for beginner gardeners, they can often confuse you more than they clarify. They’re based on the average annual minimum temperature, which gives you SOME info but not ALL the info you need to know what to plant and when to plant it in your garden.
Click here to find your zone: https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/
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Anyone els think he looks like the property brothers ?
I thought that the Hardiness Zones applied more to trees and shrubs and some perennial flowers, *not* to annual flowers or vegetables. That is, the zone was designed to tell you whether your permanent plant will survive the winters. It doesn’t tell you WHEN to plant anything.
The hardiness zones always confused me. I look at the record highs and lows as well as the average temps for each month for the past few years. I’ll compare that to what the farmer’s almanac tells me for my zip code as well as Weather Underground’s 7 day forecast (they predict polar vortexes very well). My goal is to predict when the lows are going to be 46f+ and when highs get over 98f. Until the lows reach 46f, I’ll take my seedlings outside everyday and bring them inside every night. Once I’m positive the lows are above 46f, I’ll transplant the seedlings outside. The plants that don’t like extreme heat and sunlight get put into potting bags so I can move them into the shade of the porch on those days when the highs hit 98f.
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Is altitude a factor?
I have sapodilla or Chico like what you have in your table hehe.
I’m in a Zone 4 (Alaska)- and I can say that our climate and seasons have changed a lot over the past 20 years. And even year to year. This year we still have snow several weeks later than we did last year. We also have such a short growing season but very long daylight hours. So we have the capacity to grow certain crops that a shorter day Zone 4 cannot. Zone 4 is a challenge. But it’s not hopeless. You just have to work with what you’ve got. Root vegetables/potatoes, pumpkins and most squash, leafy greens, cabbage and berries do exceptionally well without a greenhouse. Most things that are slow to mature, not so much. We grow record breaking pumpkins and cabbage in Alaska…it’s a whole thing. Haha
Thanks for the informational video. Wondering if there are any micro-climate apps out there than can help me calculate how often and much I should water.
The most important imo it doesnt tell you is the prolonged cold. I live en zone 8b ish, but we can get prologned cold for weeks where the temperature doesnt get above freezing during day or night. Some plants doesnt like to be in sub zero for weeks even if its only minus 5 degrees celsius. Plants might be rated to zone 7a but dies in 8b. Second thing it doesnt tell you is the amount of light during winter which could also mean a huge difference as well
Kevin, an additional consideration considering how different the latitudes in the USA are is sunlight hours. Anything less then 10 hours of sunlight in general direct or indirect you are not really growing no matter the temperature. Eliot Coleman has many references on this.
YouTube recommended this, new subscriber. Keep doing what your doing man
there is a soil map also that tells you what soil you have ….
Old gardener needs zone help?? i’m 4b so can some 5a/5b plants I can use?? ty
I just wanted to take a moment and tell you how much i appreciate your content. I usually struggle on here with all the paid ads and channels struggling to make jokes or fake laughs. This channel is great and I appreciate it
👍
Thank you for this video. We live in Northern California Zone 9b and planted our lime tree 5 years ago, and this year is the first year we’re getting limes. BUT we’re planning to move to Washington which is zone 8a-b. I want to seed save from that lime and plant in pots. I’ve already done this with my dwarf lemon tree. I’m determined to grow these citrus plants in Washington, so I’m trying to gather as much information as I can to make it a successful grow.
Coast of Spain 😎 no frost only issue is not a lot of sun in the winter
5B
I like your channel. Now get a real mic. Over a million subs? Get it and some sound dampeners for your walls.
I’m in a zone 10 microclimate pocket caused by our city being at the edge of the Sierra foothills (cold air rolls down into the valley), surround by zone 9. My yard has never had frost in the 6 years I’ve lived here, and my neighbors grow avocados, but my parents across town get black ice on their street if it rains in January.
Thing is, because it still does get cold, just not *quite* freezing, at the same time as the rest of the valley, I still get about 700 chill hours.
End result: I can grow both a mango tree and a cherry tree in my yard. 😁
Thank You! For the easy explanation on this. It’s very confusing for me living in the Pacific Northwest, just south of Seattle our weather is pretty mild, with a cool temperate climate. Lot’s of overcast, rainy or sprinkly days in Spring, and fall. July – Thru Sept…even Oct. pretty nice 70’s maybe 80’s…..And yet according to the Grow Zone we are the same zone as FLORIDA….Not even close. I remember watching a video on someone in my same zone HARVESTING Zucchini in MAY as I was just planting them!!! I tend to think my grow zone is more like Gary’s from ‘The rusted Garden’ 7, Which he mentioned that YOU are doing the tomato contest with him this year. Good luck!
I’m so glad this video popped back up in my feed. I was just thinking about this! Excellent explanation of the zones that was super helpful complement to the book!
Thank you so much!!!
BOO BOO BOO!!!
Just found this April 2021. Very good video Mahalo. Long time zone 5 Gardner NE Rural Illinois, Moved to Maui, HI just restarting, You talk about micro climates this place is the king of them. Just go up 100 ft. vertical and the game changes. Wind direction can make the temp swing 20 degF on the high side. Then you take into the account of the length of day changes all sorts of new challenges. Old went from 11 hr. to 17 hr. daylight and new goes from 12 to 13 hr. daylight length. I’m an old dog (69) trying to learn new tricks.
Try living in the desert where it rains 1.5 inches a year. It stinks.
"I know we got pretty nerdy." Spot on 😂🤘
The More facebook ads I get . The less I want facebook.
And I really hate facebook because of the stupid adds
Very interesting. thank you
A lot of the things you will learn by trial and error. Which can be frustrating but ultimately is a good thing.
10b Climate is just Like Philippine Climate.
I want to know it this zone thing would work in the north of Brazil. I am right under the equator line, east of the amazon region and we onlu have summer with and without rains.
I don’t know if we’re just lucky in the plains states, but we have extension offices from the local colleges that give advice on just about anything horticultural. My state also has one of the longest running public television shows. Maybe checkout the backyard farmer.
I always buy seeds from places in the same zone as me. They will sell varities that work for their zone.
One thing I never see in my homestead groups are the discussions about personal micro climate. My family and friends wonder why I have frogs and lizards, rabbits and hares living on my property when the neighbor can barely grow wheat on his acreage
So what happens when you are lucky and have two grow zones?
It also doesn’t tell you how to account for sudden days of nightfrost and snow in April in a country that barely gets any snow. I’m in the Netherlands in 8b, this year has been the first year I used the hardiness callander. But I am so glad my seedlings were a little late and I kept them in a few days longer because I fear the sudden nightfrost and snow would have killed them.
just found your channel bc ive got a sudden interest in growing plants + food, and as a hard of hearing individual i super appreciate you taking the time to caption your videos. it’s not something a lot of content creators think to do so it’s always a delightful surprise to see channels where people put in that extra effort for accessibility 🧡
I LIVE IN THE 92139 AREA, THAT i THINK THAT IS 10A NOT SURE. I WANTED BEAUTIFUL, FRAGRANT, COOL TONE PLANTS, LIKE THE MAUVES, PINKS, LAVENDERS, BLUES, PURPLE, PINKS THAT HOPEFULLY ARE PERRENIALS. PLUS, SOME BEAUTIFUL ANNUALS LIKE STOCKS, I WAS ALSO TRYING TO FIND A GARDEN AND FLOWER CATALOG FOR THE 92139 AREA, BUT I DIDN’T FIND ONE. I AM LOST IN KNOWING WHAT I CAN PLANT, WHERE TO PLANT AND WHAT SOIL BAGS THAT I NEED FOR THAT PLANT. I NEED SOME ADVICE.
100% A+ video.
Stop handsplaining ,your traumatizing people with your racist hand gesturing.
The Western Garden book is not perfect. But it’s really good at addressing smaller zones. I worked for a large California Nursery that specialized in deciduous Fruit and shade trees outside Visalia California. I set up a program for selling deciduous fruit trees by microclimate. Because stone fruits, apples, Cherries, Pears and Nut Trees and other deciduous fruit trees rely on “Chilling Hours” (hours under 45 degrees Fahrenheit).
I put a TON of work into that. Basically informing each Nursery by Microclimate. So people wouldn’t buy the inappropriate variety. VERY complex. And my boss just let it die. Didn’t want to pay for Graphics the consumer could understand. Oh well, I did get paid to do the research.
Awesome video! That is great information. I’m in 7b, and this is spot on that there are so many other factors to consider. I would say that our heat and humidity is almost more important to consider in planting that the low temps. Micro-climates is an important concept too. Thank you for posting this! A lot to think about as I redo my garden.
If you are on the west coast use the Sunset Magazine zones.
They are a very accurate and location specific.
My town has two zones depending on where you live!
the compass is your friend.
I’m growing Microgreens in my uninsulated garage in a 7a zone during the summer months (60-90F). Lately, it’s been in the 70’s and 80s, but everything I sow (Sunflower, Peas, Beans, Corn, Broccoli, Clover) seems to take twice as long to germinate as what people prescribe. Wondering if this is due to the heat / humidity.
I live in USDA Zone 10/b I’m from India however during summer temperatures can reach to 40°C (104°F) so 😑
Excellent info and tips, thanks!
Good poop.
A good source of regional planting information is a Farmer’s Almanac.
The Ag Zones have been moving north due to Climate Change. In the S.E. U.S. moved about an hour northward.