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TIL that the USDA hardiness zones are each a ten-degree band of average minimum temperature in the fahrenheit scale, and the “a” and “b” suffixes break each zone down further into 5 degree ranges. (en.m.wikipedia.org)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by scarabic to c/gardening

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I guess I thought they were more like distinct biomes but it really is just uniform chunks of temperature range. I also didn’t know that they were defined by the US Department of Agriculture, who created the first such system to help gardeners. There are similar maps for Australia, Canada, and parts of Europe, but no single global system. What’s your zone?

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[–] lilbirddog 4 points 1 year ago (4 children)

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.

[–] scarabic 4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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!

[–] lilbirddog 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] scarabic 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] lilbirddog 2 points 1 year ago

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.

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