New Hardiness Zones
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12 years ago
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derbyka
12 years agoRelated Discussions
new usda hardiness zones
Comments (6)I always considered the usda hardiness zones as sort of an average guideline that wasn't micro-climate sensitive. Living in the west I have relied on the Sunset Western Garden book for specific detailing of the very many micro-climates in the West. When I was living on the east coast I depended on the local university and or the ag extension for specific hardiness zones. I think my usda zone is now 9b. which sounds about right. Prior I think my Northern California zone was just plain 9. The coldest it has been so far this year is 27 degrees F. We usually get one or two of those a winter . On the average it is high 30's, low 40's during the coldest months of late Dec, Jan and early Feb. Though last night it was a balmy 50 F and today it reached 69F....See Morealert alert new hardiness zones
Comments (3)Areas that have Dec-Feb lows in the 20s-30s and 50s for highs are lumped in with areas that have 40s for lows and 60s+ for highs. It can get pretty sub-tropical for 4-5 months out of the year in central NC, but we're not in the same boat as central TX (yet). It is getting warmer here, though. Bromeliads are becoming more popular and we're seeing outdoors earlier...more variety of trees and annuals can be grown here. It's hard to keep up with what's just expanded selection by industry for the marketplace and what's "new" to the area thanks to the increased warmth. We've had 2-3 unusually warm winters the past many years, but we still get our "apple chill" temperatures. The hardiness zones are just general guides and all that, but you still get a headstart by almost a month on summer/spring crops in mid-TX and your winter greens don't need as much constant care in the winter....See MoreNew USDA Hardiness Zone Map
Comments (32)That looks like a great weather station! It will be interesting to see how much variability there is just across a few city blocks. A higher elevation will probably suggest that you'll see warmer nighttime temperatures on average for sure. As far as rainfall goes, I've read studies that put up to 15 research quality rain gauges right next to each other and they still had wildly different measurements. The deviations you see from your neighbors should probably be random with zero bias. If there is always a bias in one direction (higher or lower), then it might be related to what type of rain gauge you have. Automatic rain gauges, even calibrated ones, tend to underestimate rainfall accumulations particularly for heavy rain. Even with our Davis station, my husband has to increase the rainfall anywhere from 10-25% to match what we get in our manual gauges. I'm not sure what corrections the Oklahoma Mesonet folks make to their stations' rainfall totals. Anyway, the underestimation is a typical problem related to how most automated gauges are designed and is easy enough to account for when you're comparing your data to other stations. If they always seem to have higher amounts, then they either have a different type of gauge or have a COCORAHS or other manual gauge that they're adjusting to. With as many weather weenies that we have in Norman, that wouldn't surprise me at all. :p Heather...See MoreNew USDA Hardiness Zone Map
Comments (7)Typical extremes might be the best way to put it, Steve . . . On their "about" page, the USDA says: "Hardiness zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum temperature during a 30-year period in the past, not the lowest temperature that has ever occurred in the past or might occur in the future. Gardeners should keep that in mind when selecting plants. . ." (my emphasis). Yes, it seems like I should have to go back more than 2 years to find a winter when the zone map would have proven to be totally bonkers! I guess age & experience might or might not count for something. It seems like this, like so many things the gov'ment does, is mostly to benefit industry. This industry being the plant trade . . . push your luck too much and you get to buy new plants! Good for the economy & raises the GDP. (Good thing, I don't mind seeing dirt in the winter and enjoy growing mostly annuals. ;o) Steve trapped in February - the 2 a.m. of the year....See Moremarcia_m
12 years agoCarol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
12 years agoBob1016
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12 years agoBob1016
12 years agosultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
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12 years ago
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