It is to hard for me to quit planting, I am sooo addicted when it comes to planting perennials and annuals! Here in my zone five it stays very warm till October, sometimes November, our weather pattern is so goofed up the last couple years, makes me wonder if we are going to be a different zone in a few more years! I am going to plant marigold & summer-sun sunflower seeds today, time will tell if they have time to bloom..sure hope so. Good luck! Marsha

One way to know if a site is relatively warm (has a longer growing season with fewer killing frosts) is to look for land in mid-fall when you can compare how far along native trees are towards dormancy. Best fruit growing areas are often known in the East and will already have established orchards. People have been growing fruit here for 300 years but you might luck out, I guess, and discover your own tiny "banana belt". As far as productivity- of course you will be able to grow a wider range of varieties in a 6 than a 5 and some would yield more with a longer season- at least over time. But your question really seems to be can you find a Z6 in regions that are predominantly 5. I think it's the leeward (southeast) side of large bodies of water that have moderated temps as in far upstate NY, not far from Buffalo and areas like Lake Geneva. Also along rivers such as the Hudson Valley and running up the Housatonic in CT. Some of the fruit you listed, like cold-hardy figs and Jap persimmons aren't going to work for you, even in a Z6 without protection.

Garlics are frost hardy. In GA, I used to plant them in October and they would grow about 4" tall before frost. The winter lows sometimes dropped to mid teens but it won't bother garlics. But Up North, it can get down to ZERO and lower, Then maybe you wouldn't want you garlics to sprout in the fall. If they do sprout then you have to mulch them real heavy. Not to protect from cold but prevent temperature swing in the soil. My garlics: Feb. 10, 2010.

Mine changed, too -- also from 6b, though the zip just a few miles away did not change. The difference from 6 to 7, at least up here, is negligible, and it hasn't really changed how I do things.