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I prefer the Sunset Gardener Zones. They consider more factors than just temperature including rainfall, length of growing season, etc. Although I think they are only available in the western US.
Yeah I like the sound of that. My biggest thought about the USDA zones was “wow that’s a little arbitrary.” I guess temperate ranges probably correlate well to different biomes but there’s got to be more to it.
Sunset is also a trusted source for me out here in California. Have been a follower for decades. A friend of mine worked for them for a time and said their office gardens were pretty crazy, which I don’t doubt!
The USDA zones are helpful if you have plants that are sensitive to cold and can’t go below certain temperatures like certain desert plants. Otherwise I don’t find much use from them.
Yeah that seems to be their main design. Cold and frost timing seems to be the top concern, though where I am, heat extremes are also a consideration.
The other way I find these zones really useful is for planting calendars. You can look up “what should I be planting in zone 7 right now” and get an easy list. Seed timing is probably my biggest mistake early on.
That’s great to know. I actually didn’t know that before.
It really does depend on where you live. I lived in Coachella valley at one point and the heat was much more of a concern than the cold.
I'm in USDA zone 5a, and zone 5b is mere miles south of me. While it's not a perfect system, I have been using it, along with reading from the horticultural societies at the local universities, as a guide for what plants will most likely survive the winters here.
Yeah my zoning is somewhat borderline too. I try to think of it as a high level guideline. And then for fine tuning I pay attention to what I see in other people’s yards, and try to talk locally about what works/ doesn’t. Our local buy nothing group is pretty good about donating extra starts or even extra yield.
this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2023
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