Healthy plants rely on many factors including light,
water, temperature and nutrients. Today I will be sharing some information
about USDA hardiness zones and frost dates so you can plan for the conditions where you live.
Stay in your zone
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is a free tool that
gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a
particular location. The
map, found online here, is based on the average annual minimum winter
temperature. Enter your zip code and it will tell you your zone.
But what do you do with that information? You may have
noticed on the tags on the plants you buy, and also shrubs and bushes, will
list a range of zones that indicate where the plant will survive.
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| Purple cone flowers |
There is a lot of flexibility, though. Some plants will
grow quite nicely during the warm weather in your area but will die off
completely when it turns cold. Elephant ears, a tropical plant that is suited
for zones 9 to 11, is an example of
this. My neighbor has a beautiful plant in their yard every summer (we live in
zone 7A) that dies in the cold fall here in Washington, D.C. As long as you
realize there will be ramifications for growing a plant that thrives in a
climate different from yours, you can manage your expectations.
Another example
of this is a house nearby to where I live that I drive by periodically and they
have cactus in their front yard, in the humid swamp of the mid-Atlantic region.
They have chosen to grow plants that are not normally grown in the
mid-Atlantic, and they have probably changed the soil to something more
suitable for cactus. It’s a little more effort on your part to give the plant
the care they need to survive and look great in your garden.
I would not advise using the USDA hardiness zones as a
strict rule but more of a guideline. Climate change plays a role that I do not
think is reflected in the USDA’s calculation, but you will start to notice
small changes in temperature, rainfall and other conditions in your yard and
make adjustments.
Frost dates
I look at frost dates for flowers and vegetables more
closely than the hardiness zones described above. Here is my result:
The Farmer’s
Almanac website provides a tool for you to determine the first and last
frost dates for your region of the country by entering your city, state, or
zipcode. This will give you an idea of when it’s safe to put your seedlings in
the ground in the spring and to time your fall plants for the hard frost that
will most likely kill your summer flowers and vegetables.
A few years ago I found this great downloadable
Excel spreadsheet called “The Lazy Gardener’s Automatic Seed Starting Chart.”
This spreadsheet calculates the seed sowing and planting dates based on your
location. Very helpful tool! Play around with it now as you start planning your
beds this year.
Use these pieces of information as guides, not hard and
fast rules, in your planning. They will help you determine what types of plants
will be easier to grow where you live.
Garden Planning
Series
You can read Part 1 here where I explain all of the places I find my garden inspiration.
Read Part 2 here where I help you determine
the sunny and shady areas of your urban garden and how to make the best of
those conditions.
Part 3 covers soil health and the simple ways gardeners can improve the soil that they
are working with to give plants the best chance for success.
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