Hi im new to all of this and have recieve a lot of great information. I have a question, I notice you all talk about zones , how can i tell what zone is what area ? Im in Washington, what zone is that ?
Thanks Ed
Hey Ed:
This is a "general" guide.
Happy Gardening!
John!
Ed wrote:
A little more zoomed in:
I was not sure WA or DC...
John!
The problem with the USDA zones is that they are based entirely on the amount of frost free days and not other climate factors. Thus, most of Seattle is in a USDA zone that corresponds to Atlanta, I believe, even though I think our climates are very different.
For gardeners in the Western US, I think Sunset zones are more useful. If you're in Puget Sound, you're probably in Zone 4 or 5 in the Sunset system. From their website (which I don't think you can get into unless you're a subscriber, so I will reproduce rather than hyperlink):
The USDA zones are based on the average annual minimum temperatures, not on the number of frost-free days. It is helpful if used as intended, but useless in any other application. There are also other problems with this system. The latest revision was based on data accumulated from some of the warmest winters on record, and the previous map was based on data from some of the coldest winters we've had. Statistical adjustments would help somewhat, but that appears to be out of the reach of the USDA bureaucrats.
Very true. Sunset began their system with detailed information on southern California, and expanded it to include the rest of the west coast. They've also published a national guide, but it is less detailed, less accurate, and much less useful.
There is at least one other 'zone' system. The American Horticultural Society has published a Heat Zone guide. It is based on the fact that most common garden plants suffer cellular protein damage at 86 degrees F. The zones are determined by how many days (on average) the highs reach or exceed 86F. Coastal Washington state is in zones 2 and 3 and has between 1 and 14 days at or above 86F. 'Hotlanta' is in zone 8 or 9 (the map in the book is too small for me to be more certain), with between 90 and 150 days at or above 86F. Both areas are in USDA Zone 8 because their average annual minimum temps are between 10F and 20F. The difference in heat accounts for much of the difference between the two areas. But neither the USDA nor the AHS consider other important factors, such as amount and timing of rainfall, potential for drought, intensity and timing and duration of winds, amount of sunshine, chilling hours, etc. There was an announcement a year or two ago that labels on plants in most of the country would have zone information from both the USDA and the AHS maps, but I haven't seen that yet. I'd really like it if Sunset would do as thorough a job on the whole country as they have on the west coast states, but I do appreciate that it would be an enormous undertaking and might not be as popular nor as profitable, at least not initially.
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