USDA and Sunset Zone maps - Page 2

huntsman · July 28, 2009

Hey Ami ~

Thanks again!

shlacm · July 27, 2010

Whoa! I'm trying to pick out some tomatoes for my Mom (for next year) and went to look at her zones: USDA 6 and Sunset 1a!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

fatboy · February 25, 2011

Hardiness zone and frost maps zoom to your neighborhood
http://www.plantmaps.com/

ireilly · February 25, 2011

Very useful, thank you.

kevinrs · February 25, 2011

the sunset link currently just takes me to the sunset homepage

ireilly · February 25, 2011

Suze, maybe it should just be:

http://www.sunset.com/garden/climate-zones/

?

Thanks.

Suze · February 25, 2011

Links updated in opening post, more information added.

gardenpaws_VA · February 25, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatboy

Hardiness zone and frost maps zoom to your neighborhood
http://www.plantmaps.com/

I went to look for my zip code (20170, Herndon VA), and it claims I'm in USDA 6b. Yes, we might conceivably get as low as -5 F., but no months with highs above 90F? My first frost in the fall is usually closer to the beginning of November than mid-October, zone 7 plants routinely winter in the open yard, and zone 8 does fine close to the house.

Ruth_10 · January 26, 2012

http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/

2012 USDA Plant Hardiness zone map.

Edit: Cool map. You can zoom in using the interactive map; also type in a zip code to get the zone.

fortyonenorth · January 26, 2012

This is the map they've been working on for like 15 years, isn't it? It apparently incorporates all the new data on climate change and microclimates.

rsg2001 · March 10, 2012

I was just pretty shocked to learn that my zone is now 7B -- after all these years of being a "6". Is there really anything that I need to change about what I've been doing? I've always not planted until Memorial Day or just a little before. I used to use row covers and cloches to try to get a jump on the season, but stopped that a number of years ago since I saw that my production was overall better by being more patient and planting when I do. Any advice would be welcome.

Thanks.

kevinrs · March 10, 2012

I'd say unless there is a problem, keep doing what you are doing. A higher zone number just means it doesn't get quite as cold in the winter.
The map is only based on average annual extreme minimum temperature. Meaning from 1976-2005 what was the absolute coldest it got on the coldest night each year, those 30 temperatures are added up and divided by 30 to get the average, this was done for each weather station they have, assigning colors to temperature ranges, and the map was computed to fill in the space between the stations based on terrain, slope, closed valleys, trees, etc.

It's real purpose is finding what perennial plants and trees should survive the winter in an area. Basing a planting date off the map isn't very good, because some places have the same color on the map, but warm up in the spring at different rates.

feldon30 · March 11, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsg2001

I was just pretty shocked to learn that my zone is now 7B -- after all these years of being a "6". Is there really anything that I need to change about what I've been doing? I've always not planted until Memorial Day or just a little before. I used to use row covers and cloches to try to get a jump on the season, but stopped that a number of years ago since I saw that my production was overall better by being more patient and planting when I do. Any advice would be welcome.

Thanks.

Starting early seems to work well in parts of Texas and the Gulf Coast partly because of soil temperature. I would check your soil temps to see if getting a "head start" will actually do anything.

BLTLOVER · March 11, 2012

Great information....Thanks. I was also looking for average first and last frost dates around the country. Does anyone know where I can find that link?

Thanks again!

CinnamintStick · May 28, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLTLOVER

Great information....Thanks. I was also looking for average first and last frost dates around the country. Does anyone know where I can find that link?

Thanks again!

I found mine by putting first and last frost date with my zip code in google. I came up with three dates for my last frost date. One I know was wrong for me due to my micro climate. A few blocks from me might be correct.

January 26, 2012	#24
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	2012 USDA Plant Hardiness zone map http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/ 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness zone map. Edit: Cool map. You can zoom in using the interactive map; also type in a zip code to get the zone. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be. Last edited by Ruth_10; January 26, 2012 at 11:35 AM.

July 28, 2009	#16
huntsman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Johannesburg, South Africa - GrowZone 9 Posts: 595	Hey Ami ~ Thanks again!

July 27, 2010	#17
shlacm Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Central VA Posts: 436	Whoa! I'm trying to pick out some tomatoes for my Mom (for next year) and went to look at her zones: USDA 6 and Sunset 1a!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

February 25, 2011	#18
fatboy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: MN Posts: 17	Hardiness zone and frost maps zoom to your neighborhood http://www.plantmaps.com/

February 25, 2011	#19
ireilly Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2010 Location: Dallas Posts: 344	Very useful, thank you.

February 25, 2011	#20
kevinrs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Littlerock, CA Posts: 218	the sunset link currently just takes me to the sunset homepage

February 25, 2011	#22
Suze Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 3,027	Links updated in opening post, more information added.

January 26, 2012	#25
fortyonenorth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: NW Indiana Posts: 1,150	This is the map they've been working on for like 15 years, isn't it? It apparently incorporates all the new data on climate change and microclimates.

March 10, 2012	#26
rsg2001 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: New York Zone 6 Posts: 479	I was just pretty shocked to learn that my zone is now 7B -- after all these years of being a "6". Is there really anything that I need to change about what I've been doing? I've always not planted until Memorial Day or just a little before. I used to use row covers and cloches to try to get a jump on the season, but stopped that a number of years ago since I saw that my production was overall better by being more patient and planting when I do. Any advice would be welcome. Thanks.

March 11, 2012	#29
BLTLOVER Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Iowa Posts: 90	Great information....Thanks. I was also looking for average first and last frost dates around the country. Does anyone know where I can find that link? Thanks again!