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View Full Version : New USDA Hardiness Zone Map.


john_ny
03-05-2012, 09:41 PM
One of my (nursery) trade magazines had an article about the new Plant Hardiness Map, recently released by USDA.
A couple of neat features are; you can click on your state, and see all of the zones in your state, and you can type in your zip code, and find your specific zone.USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/)
I'm not sure, though, how accurate this last is. For New York, they show the highest zone is 7b. I'm on the southern end of the south shore of the southern-most county in the state, but when I type in my zip, I get 7a. When I really enlarge the map, (to the point wher it gets a little blurry) the color shows we are 7b.
On the old map (from years ago) they said we were zone 6, with a first average frost date of Oct, 20. For the last several years, I got by until about election day. (varies from Nov.2 to 8) This year, we didn't get it until Dec. 12. It also states that, for zone 7a, the average low temperature is between +5 & +10F. Our low this year was, one night, at +13F.

saltydad
03-05-2012, 10:19 PM
It's official, I am indeed in 7a!

barnetmill
03-05-2012, 11:45 PM
I look at these maps and really wonder. They show areas to south on the coast and those to the north of me all being the same and I know they are different as to what can be grown in these regions and they are not all 8b.

caliboy1994
03-06-2012, 12:18 PM
They downgraded me to 9b :(

Funny thing is, we haven't had freezing temps for years.

sunfish
03-06-2012, 01:33 PM
They downgraded me to 9b :(

Funny thing is, we haven't had freezing temps for years.

Average Weather for Granada Hills, CA - Temperature and Precipitation (http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/91344)

The lowest recorded temperature was 18°F in 1989.

saltydad
03-06-2012, 05:02 PM
It shows my state, Maryland, as having 6a up to 8a at the mouth of the Chesapeake on the Eastern shore. 5 zones is a lot for a relatively small state!

jjjankovsky
03-06-2012, 07:16 PM
there's no argument here below the tropic of cancer...pure zone 10-11...

currently finishing the lemon and grapefruit crop, limes and oranges...guanaba and guayaba,...mangos starting, and the bananas...quite nice...

when one lives in the tropics, there's never a zone issue!

i'm most enjoying your efforts to grow these giant plants in your northern garages and basements...the tricks and turns are quite inventive!