In my area, we usually have our first frost around the middle of October, then the temperatures drop steadily for a couple of weeks until full-on winter hits. The last two years, we get hit with a single frost in mid-October and then temps hover in the 50s-60s for weeks before winter hits. Makes for about 4-6 weeks of outdoor growing as long as you can survive that single October frost.
We, too, m/l ( as to what's normal). Idk about last year, but this year we're in an El Nino system and going into fall it was being credited with the mild winter predicted for the upper Midwest, & which we are so far experiencing. They said that down south they'd have a worse than usual winter due to it. As far as changes in past several years, we're in a newer solar cycle called the Grand Solar Minimum, and they predicted we'd have cooler springs &/or both shoulder seasons and summers, but generally unusual and more unpredictable weather/temps for the year, compared to the previous many decades.
Yep! Same here in southern Indiana! I used to let the first frost take my plants out, but now I cover the ones that cool weather crops with extra protection for that 1-2 nights...
Hi Luke! Great job explaining a complex and nuanced topic in an approachable way. I live in a mountain area where my weather on the ridge is completely different from my friend down in the canyon. We both garden and grow completely different crops even though we only live 3 miles apart. Everyone's microclimate is different!
Off topic but I bought a bunch of your seeds for my indoor hydroponics recently and I've had really good germination rates, just wanted to say thank you : )
I am in zone 9b (no change) I mostly ignore the map because a few cold days can be dealt with. I wish there was a heat hardiness map. I have to see how to keep it alive when it is 110 degrees. So I have citrus but no Fuji apples.
I totally agree! Im also in zone 9b and were i live we have some of the lowest rainfall in our region. Brutal, long, drought-y summers make it so different to grow the same thigs than say, a 9b in florida where its so humid and rain is abundant
You didn't mention that when they take an "average" year, a single anomaly, like a record cold or warm temperature for that year, whether it be just a single day vs the entire season has warmed or cooled, can skew the year. They look at the single warmest and single coldest day of year to get average, not data from 365 days per year.
I hope you are right ! And it makes the most sense because, as I commented, I have never witnessed in 6 years ever, the extreme temperature they are stating 6A has. I thought it may have been windchill or due to a storm dumping snow. So it has nothing to due with that? I contacted them but have heard nothing as yet.
Also I was told plants such as annuals, some can take cold but a sustained cold they will die..so that would lead me to believe it was not just a one time event.
I agree and if I need something to be cold hardy, I always plant something that is about 2 zones colder. Exception is fruit trees, like apples, that need a certain number of chill hours to produce then I choose the least amount of chill hours for my zone. Gardening can be tricky when picking out perennials. Some can't survive the heat in my area.
We're in zone 7b on the east coast. It was not always this way, as winters used to be colder and bring more snow. Over the past few years though, the winters have been so mild that I barely even had to shovel. We've also gotten Indian summers lasting well into November. The downside is that springtime has gotten colder and wetter, delaying when I can plant out the summer crops. The USDA climate zones have been and are expected to keep moving a half zone, 13 miles north, every 10 years. This means I have to plan accordingly for the future.
I'm up in zone 3. 53 degrees north. Definitely seeing it getting colder. This last year, 2023, i've had my greenhouses all closed up more days than any other year as we continue to cool. Plan is to have most of the garden protected from the cooler temps with greenhouses. Additionally, I'm going to install my own weather monitors to track temps as what is said on the TV is not what I'm experiencing in the yard. TV says it's 28 when it's only 23 for example. I want to track my own temps
Good plan. I’m working on looking for land and next to a small house, greenhouse and cold storage definitely need to go in next. Might get a little bumpy. 🤷🏼♀️🤞
It seems we are actually in a solar minimum. If you want an historic view of one check out the Dalton Minimum of 1790-1830. Besides colder, wetter and unstable weather patterns there was an increase in volcanic/tectonic activity. I'm sure you have seen a large increase of the latter. Japan just had another big one.
Our hardiness zone in the suburbs of DC shifted from 7a to 7b, but I found zip codes in downtown DC that jumped a whole level (I.e., from 7a to 8a). Thanks for the update!
That makes sense to me. They say cities are usually a bit warmer. All the payment and other manmade structures soak up the sun and releases through the night.
I still had some tree and plant damage last winter due to an early frost but I may start taking more chances on cold hardy citrus in the ground using microclimates here in zone 8A. I was 7B before I think. I’m on the edge of 8A and 8B. I almost wish I was a lower zone though since I can’t grow things like rhubarb which requires a colder winter. A lot of apples,cherries and other fruits can’t grow here,either.
I've noticed there are little pockets within hardiness zones that are either colder or warmer, too.. ultimately, I started planting new additions to my gardens in pots, so I can move it to a more desirable location as needed... I have noticed the climate changing, but it's more like temperature swings rather than a climb!!
Those pockets are because of drastically more weather stations being used. Ten years ago it was like 2000 used, now it is over 11,000. This allows the map to catch a lot of microclimates caused by elevation changes because like now there is a weatherstation on top of that hill that is warmer than the valleys around it.
I live about 3 miles outside of the nearest town where the weather station is and my temps are pretty consistently 5-10° colder than the weather station reports. My last Frost is supposed to be may 29 ish but we consistently have frost through the first weekend of July usually. I get a season of around 90-95 days here in Northern California but if you look it up, it will say 120 days. It's more important for people to monitor their specific locations I think, I had many a lost plantings the first year I lived here because I went by the reported data.
It is well documented that there are more and more corrupted weather stations that are no longer properly situated. Urbanization and airport tarmacs (where many of these are located) has encroached on many stations, putting them inside the urban heat islands where their data should no longer be used for climatological data, but politicization of the science has prevented their movement to proper locations.
This video shows the exact thing you are talking about. I'm 20 miles south of SC MI & no snow yet. Wow Thanks for showing us the very visible difference a few miles makes.
Great video! Also, they are measuring temperatures above the surface rather than at the surface like they used to. Of course, that will make some areas warmer. I’ve lived in Michigan, my whole life, as much as I would love for us to shift to a warmer zone, (for gardening purpose only) inevitably, we still have a frost right at memorial weekend, and mid-October. That hasn’t changed.
Hadn't heard about this so interested to watch the video. From what I gather the bigger question will be what plants can survive widely fluctuating extremes (drought, heat. Cold).
El Niño and La Niña changes things up about every 10 years. El Niño in the north is drier and wetter in the south. AZ and CA are getting a lot of moisture right now.
I would really appreciate an *overview of the heat unit map.* One of the most frustrating things living where I do, has been trying to grow things that need heat, when we have no real heat here year round. The heat units map I recently discovered is really geared towards risk of stress from high heat on plants, but I think it could be used to map out where you have sufficient heat units to properly ripen things like melons, tomatoes, peppers etc. without any added measures. I would love to hear your thoughts on the heat units map and it’s uses. Also, I am moving to Michigan soon and looking forward to some actual heat in the summer!
Eastern Iowa here and it was 55 on Christmas, only snowed twice, yesterday was 2nd time this winter. I started growing in containers and have more success the last two years
Luke, you’re one of my biggest influences and “advisors” for my tiny market garden. My zone changed from 5a to 6b. Not a huge change but probably enough for the need for covers like shade cloth and frost blankets, which I should already have.
When we bought our land, we were told it was 8A. I was so excited and bought all sorts of 8A stuff. They all died. For the last 7 years I've been tracking the weather and storms. We actually are in a microclimate of 6B to 7A. Supposedly we are now 8B but oddly, my weather hasn't gotten the notification.
In zone 8b I haven't been able to overwinter Rosemary plants anymore. 4 winters in a row have frozen them. So this year I bought an "arp" rosemary. In hopes of it being more cold hardy.
Thank you for the explanation. Believe it or not, this is helpful information even for those of us living in warmer areas. I live in Zone 9A, where we rarely have to worry about the LOW temperatures as much as HIGH temperatures. There are a few things here for which a freeze is a death sentence, including the citrus trees you mentioned. We dip below freezing a few nights almost every year, and have to protect some of our plants then. Unfortunately, 115º-plus temperatures are harder to address.
So best advice.... place a micro weather station in your garden and track your own data.... temps, H & L, rain, and plot it in something like excel. Then you will know EXACTLY what your garden is, just in case there is something special to your garden area that creates a microclimate. [My front yard is a few degrees wider range than back yard.... higher highs, lower lows in the front yard compared to back yard]
I'm all for taking risks with perennials. Even if I can get only 1 year of harvest from a risky move, I am happy. So I am not doing nothing. I'm using this info to push my previous boundaries a little. I don't live and die by my garden production, which is a luxury not everyone has. So I can take that risk on without it being anything serious.
Good advise. I've been keeping a somewhat casual garden journal so I've noticed the changes from year to year. My zone 5 has been changed a couple times but what I've really seen is a LOSS of growing days without taking measures to extend the season. Tomatoes take longer to ripen for example. So I don't pay attention to the map at all. I purchase my seed according to days to maturity. We built removable light weight cages to use over top of the 4' x 4' raised beds. Tulle fabric can be placed over them to keep squash bugs out or plastic for frosts. We built a cattle panel green house and we have containers in it for growing a few tomato, eggplant, pepper plants. Herbs, odds and ends.
7:32 The thing is though, that for those of us who do keep a healthy buffer of a whole zone, we can now grow things we wouldn’t. For instance being in zone 5a but only growing stuff that can survive to zone 4 before, now that our zone is zone 6a, we can feel comfortable trying to grow stuff that is hardy to zone 5, while still having a buffer. The difference between zone 4 and zone 5 is a big one….and we still have a buffer of an entire zone.
My zone didn’t change, but the area around me did. I used to be an “island” of zone 6a surrounded by zone 5b. Now everything around me is also 6a. I expect to be in 6b in the next few years! We used to be zone 5a, with occasional zone 4 winters. I’ve always wished to live in a warmer climate, never expecting that I could do that without moving south!
Thank you, Luke! Nobody has explained growing zones as well as you did. I know 'zones' very well, and I wish seed companies would tell us where the seed were grown, Town State so I could evaluate whether they will grow in my area (rain, temperature extremes, length of day). I wish you could teach Baker Creek!
I started growing " cold loving " cool flowers for cutting last year.. so it does matter the zone.. planting transplants out in the fall for earliest Spring harvest for instance. I guess it's experimental. Which can be fun. I have been watching and writing down temps for 4 years, never has it once been 0 to -10* f. Thanks for answering some of my questions I've had. Happy God blessed New year🎉
Thanks Luke, you have added new information to the conversation. The increase in the number of weather stations led to more refined zones, was interesting. This information clarified my perspective. Additionally, the casual graphing of dots along with the average line through them, helped me to understand/visualize how the agency is coming up with what temps/weather may look like. Blessings to you and the fam.😊
Hi 👋🏻 I just moved to Ormond Beach,Fl. 2 years ago from the mountains in NC and our 1st year here we had 2 major hurricanes , then an “unusual “ freeze that winter for 3 days ( lost all my front garden perennials😞) this past summer was absolutely brutal and once again I’m told “ it hasn’t been this hot in a really long time!” Not exactly sure what to expect anymore! I’ve bought a frost cover for the front garden and have planted a lot of things along our lanai in pots that I can cover or take in if need be. It’s been a real learning curve but I’m getting there! Thanks for the info😊🦩🦩🦩
Years ago I lived in 6A with a micro climate of probably 7A. Then we moved to Maine, 5A/5B ...it really is just following the weather In your area ...being aware of your growing space...the right side of my property doesn't get sunlight until the sun is above the trees the left side is the same but gets more afternoon sun
This type of information is very important for perennials. Perennials in home gardens are vastly underutilized. Once established, they require almost no work and are more reliable than most annuals.
Unfortunately when adding weather stations they didn't correct locations where areas were changed a lot. There are stations next to stone structures. One is even right in front of a parking space, so cars come in and part with their hot engine impacting the readings. There's a video out on YT from a guy who visited every weather station in the US and found half of them were in situations that will provide much higher temperatures than what the surrounding area is actually seeing.
I worked in Marysville for almost 25 years and even lived in St Clair for about 10 years. I now live near Flint. Over all the temperature in general has not changed much. I love gardening and tend to be conservative on what I grow.
I found out about the zone change a few weeks ago and have decided to add a few zone 6 hardy perennial flowers to my seed purchase for this coming year.
I'm not quite buying the changing zones as set out. I currently live in Virginia but 2 years ago bought my retirement farm in South East Tennessee. According to the new zoning I now live in 7b and I am moving to 7a which is a flip for both locations. Not a great deal of difference. However, since I bought the property my daily routine has been to check weather at both locations to help me acclimate to the differences. My new location is a little higher in elevation also which was what got me started on checking this. While humidity has consistently been lower at the new location the temperatures have consistently been a little higher at the new location. Sometimes they will drop a couple degrees lower when a storm is passing through however that difference usually flips in 24-36 hours as that storm system travels north east. Looking at just the winter cold temperatures it has consistently been a couple degrees cooler in Virginia and sometimes more. The difference between 7a and 7b isn't that great a difference but why would they indicate a switch when there hasn't been one? Does anyone else question these changes given the government's long history of incompetence? I do believe that climate is slowly changing and in the coming years more of the US will probably shift to subtropical or even tropical weather and we should be shifting our thinking on what to plant (plant more citrus in pots or with additional protection to be removed in future years😊) but I'm not convinced that following the advice of the government is that wise). Just my paranoid opinion.
No. You're explaining it perfectly and it aligns with my own personal experiences. I grew up with good snowy winters so I had a childhood where you had enough snow to make snowforts. Now, I'm lucky if I get one decent snowfall. In addition, seed starting times and planting times have definitely moved towards earlier rather than later. We can also see this with the presence of insects or other animals that should be in different zones. They don't belong in my zone with my winters. But somehow, they're here now.
Since the zones are based on average minimum temperatures, not average daily temperatures it's possible that a place can be colder on average but have less variability and so be put in a "hotter" zone than a warmer place. But you still want to be aware of the zones so that the minimum temps don't kill your plants. It's also possible that one or both places are in a microclimate and so deviate a little from the zone around it. I live in a costal place with a very "hot" zone number like a desert but that's only because the weather stays pretty temperate all year and usually doesn't freeze at all and it also doesn't get that hot in the summer.
@@jenniferhunter4074the snowfort comment really resonates with me as well. I used to build a fort every winter but my kids have had probably 3-4 storms in their entire life that was decent enough snow to build a fort in
@@ryanhessler8966 We had glorious snowball fights. Two forts. Plenty of "snowball ammo". At some point, I think kids will have forgotten the moment in time when we started thinking "snow day?? Is school going to be cancelled????" and then, dialing in for conformation or listening to the radio. I understand now that the adults were inconvenienced but it felt so magical for us kids.
I am loving the mild winters , and waiting for the time when I can get palm trees year round in Illinois 🌴🌴🌴 it's bad for the planet but reminds me of childhood in South florida
Thanks so much Luke...I live in southern Utah and we had pretty cold snaps in the nights recently but I didn't think too much about a change....gives me something to look out for. Thanks
Surprisingly the Asian pears have been doing great these last four years.I was hesitant to try them this far north ,between Cadillac and Traverse City.
I have a fence around my yard and live on a very busy road. The heat of the road and the warmth from the sun on the fence during the day, keep my temps a little warmer than some of my neighbors.
I grow almost entirely in root pouches here in lower Michigan. 5b. I plant early, watch the weather for frost, cover or haul them back into the garage overnight. If too chilly, they are garage bound. I don't pay much attention to over zone because of micro climates in my own yard. I trust my instincts and keep constant ck on weather and also past history in past years which i document in my garden journals.
You did such a great job explaining this! I thought abouy doing a video to explain this to new gardeners, but I'm just going to point them to this video!
Wow I had no idea! I usually look at the almanac each winter to start thinking about the spring. Makes sense, the frost dates have been way off here for awhile. I changed from 6 to 5 on the top of pa/upstate ny border!
We're 4 miles from town (where the zip code pinpoints the USDA info). Our weather is a lot different from the weather in town. The river, trees, hills, etc make a crazy difference. We're the same elevation as town but have more land features. Things bloom weeks later here.
Yeaaa, it snowed for a week and then it's just been rain here. Planted my garlic indoors because it arrived too late and now I'm debating just throwing it out there for the rest of the winter
I did notice we got a lot more rain. I looked it up and there was a news article about having 25 % more rain than usual in Wisconsin and winters have neen warmer. I'm in 6a. As a gardener I'm enjoying it, but to me it seems like we're turning tropical because I'm used to it being real cold in winter. Lol. I do need those pillows you have behind you. Where did you get them? I never used covers before to extend my season. Can you make a video on turning gardening beds into greenhouse. What types of plastic to use to extend growing. Thank you.
We are new to growing in Jacksonville, Fl, but I am growing things later/earlier than recommended. I don't have any rules right now, trying things out!
As someone in southwestern Ontario Canada who doesn’t have snow as of December 29th and our lowest temp overnight being -10C one night not multiple. Its weird.
In my area, we usually have our first frost around the middle of October, then the temperatures drop steadily for a couple of weeks until full-on winter hits. The last two years, we get hit with a single frost in mid-October and then temps hover in the 50s-60s for weeks before winter hits. Makes for about 4-6 weeks of outdoor growing as long as you can survive that single October frost.
I'm in north middle Tennessee & I'm still growing my cabbage, Broccoli & Brussel sprouts. Frost covers & patience for the slow growth.
Northern MN here..instead of snow plowing like normal it's been raining and we've still got our winter stuff in the closets
We, too, m/l ( as to what's normal). Idk about last year, but this year we're in an El Nino system and going into fall it was being credited with the mild winter predicted for the upper Midwest, & which we are so far experiencing. They said that down south they'd have a worse than usual winter due to it. As far as changes in past several years, we're in a newer solar cycle called the Grand Solar Minimum, and they predicted we'd have cooler springs &/or both shoulder seasons and summers, but generally unusual and more unpredictable weather/temps for the year, compared to the previous many decades.
Yep! Same here in southern Indiana! I used to let the first frost take my plants out, but now I cover the ones that cool weather crops with extra protection for that 1-2 nights...
yes true for nj
Hi Luke! Great job explaining a complex and nuanced topic in an approachable way.
I live in a mountain area where my weather on the ridge is completely different from my friend down in the canyon. We both garden and grow completely different crops even though we only live 3 miles apart. Everyone's microclimate is different!
Off topic but I bought a bunch of your seeds for my indoor hydroponics recently and I've had really good germination rates, just wanted to say thank you : )
I am in zone 9b (no change) I mostly ignore the map because a few cold days can be dealt with. I wish there was a heat hardiness map. I have to see how to keep it alive when it is 110 degrees. So I have citrus but no Fuji apples.
I totally agree! Im also in zone 9b and were i live we have some of the lowest rainfall in our region. Brutal, long, drought-y summers make it so different to grow the same thigs than say, a 9b in florida where its so humid and rain is abundant
We're zone 8 and had 110 last MAY! Super weird. Usually we have a couple weeks of 100 in August
You didn't mention that when they take an "average" year, a single anomaly, like a record cold or warm temperature for that year, whether it be just a single day vs the entire season has warmed or cooled, can skew the year. They look at the single warmest and single coldest day of year to get average, not data from 365 days per year.
I hope you are right ! And it makes the most sense because, as I commented, I have never witnessed in 6 years ever, the extreme temperature they are stating 6A has. I thought it may have been windchill or due to a storm dumping snow. So it has nothing to due with that? I contacted them but have heard nothing as yet.
Also I was told plants such as annuals, some can take cold but a sustained cold they will die..so that would lead me to believe it was not just a one time event.
@@cbak1819 It's how they describe it on the USDA website, so I'm sure its accurate. And its calculated over a 30 year period.
I agree and if I need something to be cold hardy, I always plant something that is about 2 zones colder. Exception is fruit trees, like apples, that need a certain number of chill hours to produce then I choose the least amount of chill hours for my zone. Gardening can be tricky when picking out perennials. Some can't survive the heat in my area.
And don't forget the spring frost killing the fruit potential of some early blooming varieties.
We're in zone 7b on the east coast. It was not always this way, as winters used to be colder and bring more snow. Over the past few years though, the winters have been so mild that I barely even had to shovel. We've also gotten Indian summers lasting well into November. The downside is that springtime has gotten colder and wetter, delaying when I can plant out the summer crops.
The USDA climate zones have been and are expected to keep moving a half zone, 13 miles north, every 10 years. This means I have to plan accordingly for the future.
I was 7A until the new map, now I’m 7B. Just like you I’m on the east coast and now we can plant as early as 4/1 when it was 5/15.
Yup. I have same in Wisconsin and so wet. In 6a now
I was a zone 5b, but I've been growing mostly lower zone stuff, like 3 or 4, to eliminate any freak accidents.
I'm up in zone 3. 53 degrees north. Definitely seeing it getting colder. This last year, 2023, i've had my greenhouses all closed up more days than any other year as we continue to cool. Plan is to have most of the garden protected from the cooler temps with greenhouses. Additionally, I'm going to install my own weather monitors to track temps as what is said on the TV is not what I'm experiencing in the yard. TV says it's 28 when it's only 23 for example. I want to track my own temps
Good plan. I’m working on looking for land and next to a small house, greenhouse and cold storage definitely need to go in next. Might get a little bumpy. 🤷🏼♀️🤞
It seems we are actually in a solar minimum. If you want an historic view of one check out the Dalton Minimum of 1790-1830. Besides colder, wetter and unstable weather patterns there was an increase in volcanic/tectonic activity. I'm sure you have seen a large increase of the latter. Japan just had another big one.
Our hardiness zone in the suburbs of DC shifted from 7a to 7b, but I found zip codes in downtown DC that jumped a whole level (I.e., from 7a to 8a). Thanks for the update!
That makes sense to me. They say cities are usually a bit warmer. All the payment and other manmade structures soak up the sun and releases through the night.
I still had some tree and plant damage last winter due to an early frost but I may start taking more chances on cold hardy citrus in the ground using microclimates here in zone 8A. I was 7B before I think. I’m on the edge of 8A and 8B.
I almost wish I was a lower zone though since I can’t grow things like rhubarb which requires a colder winter. A lot of apples,cherries and other fruits can’t grow here,either.
Plus heat from vehicles
I've noticed there are little pockets within hardiness zones that are either colder or warmer, too.. ultimately, I started planting new additions to my gardens in pots, so I can move it to a more desirable location as needed... I have noticed the climate changing, but it's more like temperature swings rather than a climb!!
Those pockets are because of drastically more weather stations being used. Ten years ago it was like 2000 used, now it is over 11,000. This allows the map to catch a lot of microclimates caused by elevation changes because like now there is a weatherstation on top of that hill that is warmer than the valleys around it.
@PeterSedesse , so it's not the extra batteries in the weather stations making the area warmer?
I live about 3 miles outside of the nearest town where the weather station is and my temps are pretty consistently 5-10° colder than the weather station reports. My last Frost is supposed to be may 29 ish but we consistently have frost through the first weekend of July usually. I get a season of around 90-95 days here in Northern California but if you look it up, it will say 120 days. It's more important for people to monitor their specific locations I think, I had many a lost plantings the first year I lived here because I went by the reported data.
It is well documented that there are more and more corrupted weather stations that are no longer properly situated. Urbanization and airport tarmacs (where many of these are located) has encroached on many stations, putting them inside the urban heat islands where their data should no longer be used for climatological data, but politicization of the science has prevented their movement to proper locations.
This video shows the exact thing you are talking about. I'm 20 miles south of SC MI & no snow yet. Wow Thanks for showing us the very visible difference a few miles makes.
Great video! Also, they are measuring temperatures above the surface rather than at the surface like they used to. Of course, that will make some areas warmer. I’ve lived in Michigan, my whole life, as much as I would love for us to shift to a warmer zone, (for gardening purpose only) inevitably, we still have a frost right at memorial weekend, and mid-October. That hasn’t changed.
Hadn't heard about this so interested to watch the video. From what I gather the bigger question will be what plants can survive widely fluctuating extremes (drought, heat. Cold).
Yes. Helpful. I didn't know the maps were updated on 10 year cycles.
It hasn't snowed enough to shovel here in MA.. its pretty alarming
I agree with what you said. I will be doing nothing different. Thanks for the info.
Glad to find a gardening channel that is close to my location! 🎉
North Eastern Michigan here. Thank you so much for this awesome info 😊
This topic has been simmering in the back of my mind since the new map came out! I haven’t had the time to look into it so thanks for the info!
El Niño and La Niña changes things up about every 10 years. El Niño in the north is drier and wetter in the south. AZ and CA are getting a lot of moisture right now.
This is the mildest winter I've seen in at least three decades. We haven't dropped below freezing in Battle Creek since 12/20.
It's coming in the second week of January.
I must be living under a rock, because I hadn't heard anything about this yet. Really appreciate the video explaining what's going on!
I would really appreciate an *overview of the heat unit map.* One of the most frustrating things living where I do, has been trying to grow things that need heat, when we have no real heat here year round. The heat units map I recently discovered is really geared towards risk of stress from high heat on plants, but I think it could be used to map out where you have sufficient heat units to properly ripen things like melons, tomatoes, peppers etc. without any added measures. I would love to hear your thoughts on the heat units map and it’s uses. Also, I am moving to Michigan soon and looking forward to some actual heat in the summer!
Eastern Iowa here and it was 55 on Christmas, only snowed twice, yesterday was 2nd time this winter. I started growing in containers and have more success the last two years
Luke, you’re one of my biggest influences and “advisors” for my tiny market garden. My zone changed from 5a to 6b. Not a huge change but probably enough for the need for covers like shade cloth and frost blankets, which I should already have.
Thank you for an excellent explanation! This confuses so many new gardeners and you have made it easy to understand.
When we bought our land, we were told it was 8A. I was so excited and bought all sorts of 8A stuff. They all died. For the last 7 years I've been tracking the weather and storms. We actually are in a microclimate of 6B to 7A. Supposedly we are now 8B but oddly, my weather hasn't gotten the notification.
I haven't heard. Thank you for making me aware.
I love the throw pillows in the background
In zone 8b I haven't been able to overwinter Rosemary plants anymore. 4 winters in a row have frozen them. So this year I bought an "arp" rosemary. In hopes of it being more cold hardy.
I agree with the previous comments, this is a great video. Somehow I’m still in zone 10b, but your video helps me understand the material better.
Thank you for the explanation.
Believe it or not, this is helpful information even for those of us living in warmer areas. I live in Zone 9A, where we rarely have to worry about the LOW temperatures as much as HIGH temperatures. There are a few things here for which a freeze is a death sentence, including the citrus trees you mentioned. We dip below freezing a few nights almost every year, and have to protect some of our plants then. Unfortunately, 115º-plus temperatures are harder to address.
So best advice.... place a micro weather station in your garden and track your own data.... temps, H & L, rain, and plot it in something like excel.
Then you will know EXACTLY what your garden is, just in case there is something special to your garden area that creates a microclimate.
[My front yard is a few degrees wider range than back yard.... higher highs, lower lows in the front yard compared to back yard]
I'm all for taking risks with perennials. Even if I can get only 1 year of harvest from a risky move, I am happy. So I am not doing nothing. I'm using this info to push my previous boundaries a little.
I don't live and die by my garden production, which is a luxury not everyone has. So I can take that risk on without it being anything serious.
Good advise. I've been keeping a somewhat casual garden journal so I've noticed the changes from year to year. My zone 5 has been changed a couple times but what I've really seen is a LOSS of growing days without taking measures to extend the season. Tomatoes take longer to ripen for example. So I don't pay attention to the map at all. I purchase my seed according to days to maturity. We built removable light weight cages to use over top of the 4' x 4' raised beds. Tulle fabric can be placed over them to keep squash bugs out or plastic for frosts.
We built a cattle panel green house and we have containers in it for growing a few tomato, eggplant, pepper plants. Herbs, odds and ends.
7:32 The thing is though, that for those of us who do keep a healthy buffer of a whole zone, we can now grow things we wouldn’t. For instance being in zone 5a but only growing stuff that can survive to zone 4 before, now that our zone is zone 6a, we can feel comfortable trying to grow stuff that is hardy to zone 5, while still having a buffer. The difference between zone 4 and zone 5 is a big one….and we still have a buffer of an entire zone.
Found that out last year…zone 5a is sketchy for a lot of plants as the much warmer weather is affecting them. Thanx and good luck with growing
That's what I do as well.
My zone didn’t change, but the area around me did. I used to be an “island” of zone 6a surrounded by zone 5b. Now everything around me is also 6a. I expect to be in 6b in the next few years! We used to be zone 5a, with occasional zone 4 winters. I’ve always wished to live in a warmer climate, never expecting that I could do that without moving south!
Right? 😮
if it's not warm enough for you yet then don't move. it should get even warmer
Thank you, Luke! Nobody has explained growing zones as well as you did. I know 'zones' very well, and I wish seed companies would tell us where the seed were grown, Town State so I could evaluate whether they will grow in my area (rain, temperature extremes, length of day). I wish you could teach Baker Creek!
I started growing " cold loving " cool flowers for cutting last year.. so it does matter the zone.. planting transplants out in the fall for earliest Spring harvest for instance. I guess it's experimental. Which can be fun.
I have been watching and writing down temps for 4 years, never has it once been 0 to -10* f.
Thanks for answering some of my questions I've had. Happy God blessed New year🎉
Thanks Luke, you have added new information to the conversation. The increase in the number of weather stations led to more refined zones, was interesting. This information clarified my perspective. Additionally, the casual graphing of dots along with the average line through them, helped me to understand/visualize how the agency is coming up with what temps/weather may look like. Blessings to you and the fam.😊
My zone didn't change but where my home is situated we are in a colder pocket so instead of following the 6b recommendations, I garden for a 5a zone.
Hi 👋🏻 I just moved to Ormond Beach,Fl. 2 years ago from the mountains in NC and our 1st year here we had 2 major hurricanes , then an “unusual “ freeze that winter for 3 days ( lost all my front garden perennials😞) this past summer was absolutely brutal and once again I’m told “ it hasn’t been this hot in a really long time!” Not exactly sure what to expect anymore! I’ve bought a frost cover for the front garden and have planted a lot of things along our lanai in pots that I can cover or take in if need be. It’s been a real learning curve but I’m getting there! Thanks for the info😊🦩🦩🦩
I am so glad I watched this! I’ve watched several other videos, but this one is the best
Awesome, thanks Luke!
If anything, the seasons have ben shifting. And surprise freezes and warming early and late in season have been an issue.
Thanks for the information Luke. We moved out of 5b SE AK 3 years ago to 7a E TN. Still the same since we moved here. Great to know!
Our frosts are much later and we get very little snow, as compared to 40 yrs ago. What a blessing. South of Richmond, VA.
Years ago I lived in 6A with a micro climate of probably 7A. Then we moved to Maine, 5A/5B ...it really is just following the weather In your area ...being aware of your growing space...the right side of my property doesn't get sunlight until the sun is above the trees the left side is the same but gets more afternoon sun
Thanks Luke and Happy New Year!🕛🎉
I wanna put in a Geo-thermal greenhouse, that way I cover all the Zones babaaay!!
This type of information is very important for perennials. Perennials in home gardens are vastly underutilized. Once established, they require almost no work and are more reliable than most annuals.
Yes , showing the hand drawn chart was helpful.
Great information! Very interesting! Thanks!!
Unfortunately when adding weather stations they didn't correct locations where areas were changed a lot. There are stations next to stone structures. One is even right in front of a parking space, so cars come in and part with their hot engine impacting the readings. There's a video out on YT from a guy who visited every weather station in the US and found half of them were in situations that will provide much higher temperatures than what the surrounding area is actually seeing.
I worked in Marysville for almost 25 years and even lived in St Clair for about 10 years. I now live near Flint. Over all the temperature in general has not changed much. I love gardening and tend to be conservative on what I grow.
Enjoyed this and found it very helpful. Thank you, Luke.
I found out about the zone change a few weeks ago and have decided to add a few zone 6 hardy perennial flowers to my seed purchase for this coming year.
Thank you for input. Just learning and you make it all understandable.
I'm not quite buying the changing zones as set out. I currently live in Virginia but 2 years ago bought my retirement farm in South East Tennessee. According to the new zoning I now live in 7b and I am moving to 7a which is a flip for both locations.
Not a great deal of difference. However, since I bought the property my daily routine has been to check weather at both locations to help me acclimate to the differences. My new location is a little higher in elevation also which was what got me started on checking this.
While humidity has consistently been lower at the new location the temperatures have consistently been a little higher at the new location. Sometimes they will drop a couple degrees lower when a storm is passing through however that difference usually flips in 24-36 hours as that storm system travels north east.
Looking at just the winter cold temperatures it has consistently been a couple degrees cooler in Virginia and sometimes more.
The difference between 7a and 7b isn't that great a difference but why would they indicate a switch when there hasn't been one? Does anyone else question these changes given the government's long history of incompetence?
I do believe that climate is slowly changing and in the coming years more of the US will probably shift to subtropical or even tropical weather and we should be shifting our thinking on what to plant (plant more citrus in pots or with additional protection to be removed in future years😊) but I'm not convinced that following the advice of the government is that wise).
Just my paranoid opinion.
No. You're explaining it perfectly and it aligns with my own personal experiences. I grew up with good snowy winters so I had a childhood where you had enough snow to make snowforts. Now, I'm lucky if I get one decent snowfall. In addition, seed starting times and planting times have definitely moved towards earlier rather than later.
We can also see this with the presence of insects or other animals that should be in different zones. They don't belong in my zone with my winters. But somehow, they're here now.
Since the zones are based on average minimum temperatures, not average daily temperatures it's possible that a place can be colder on average but have less variability and so be put in a "hotter" zone than a warmer place. But you still want to be aware of the zones so that the minimum temps don't kill your plants.
It's also possible that one or both places are in a microclimate and so deviate a little from the zone around it.
I live in a costal place with a very "hot" zone number like a desert but that's only because the weather stays pretty temperate all year and usually doesn't freeze at all and it also doesn't get that hot in the summer.
@@jenniferhunter4074the snowfort comment really resonates with me as well. I used to build a fort every winter but my kids have had probably 3-4 storms in their entire life that was decent enough snow to build a fort in
@@ryanhessler8966 We had glorious snowball fights. Two forts. Plenty of "snowball ammo".
At some point, I think kids will have forgotten the moment in time when we started thinking "snow day?? Is school going to be cancelled????" and then, dialing in for conformation or listening to the radio. I understand now that the adults were inconvenienced but it felt so magical for us kids.
I am loving the mild winters , and waiting for the time when I can get palm trees year round in Illinois 🌴🌴🌴 it's bad for the planet but reminds me of childhood in South florida
Thank you for the explanation. I was wondering why my zone flipped.
Thank you.
Here in Tucson I’m still picking tomatoes, peas , lettuce and mustard greens! Also growing cabbage!
Thanks so much Luke...I live in southern Utah and we had pretty cold snaps in the nights recently but I didn't think too much about a change....gives me something to look out for. Thanks
Is this zone change also preemptive? Anticipating not just the temperature differences now but also trends and forecasts for the immediate future?
I don't believe so. They are just using the hard data they have accumulated over the years.
Where can i buy those harvest time pillows!?!?
Surprisingly the Asian pears have been doing great these last four years.I was hesitant to try them this far north ,between Cadillac and Traverse City.
Yes! It means I need to move north if I want to be successful at gardening or actually enjoy summer.
good video. I am in 6b and tend to plant hardy to zone 5 because of random harsher winters.
Thank you
Excellent education.
I have a fence around my yard and live on a very busy road. The heat of the road and the warmth from the sun on the fence during the day, keep my temps a little warmer than some of my neighbors.
Thanks. I needed an update. That. Was a nice explanation.
Great explanation! Thank you!
Sad to ask: can you trust the map maker any longer?
We don't get very much snow anymore it really has not snowed much the last 6 years or so we get some.
Nice video Luke. You rock.
I grow almost entirely in root pouches here in lower Michigan. 5b. I plant early, watch the weather for frost, cover or haul them back into the garage overnight. If too chilly, they are garage bound. I don't pay much attention to over zone because of micro climates in my own yard. I trust my instincts and keep constant ck on weather and also past history in past years which i document in my garden journals.
You did such a great job explaining this! I thought abouy doing a video to explain this to new gardeners, but I'm just going to point them to this video!
Glad it was helpful! Happy gardening!
I love those harvest time pillows!
Loved the format of this video!! So informative!
Wow I had no idea! I usually look at the almanac each winter to start thinking about the spring. Makes sense, the frost dates have been way off here for awhile. I changed from 6 to 5 on the top of pa/upstate ny border!
Yes, it helps me.
I didn't know. Thank you.
Happy New Year!
Very nice explanation, Luke!
Appreciate the information. Good job
Thank you. This was very helpful information.
We're 4 miles from town (where the zip code pinpoints the USDA info). Our weather is a lot different from the weather in town. The river, trees, hills, etc make a crazy difference. We're the same elevation as town but have more land features. Things bloom weeks later here.
This is a gardeners dream in almost every case.
We have gone from zone 4 to zone 5 here in NW Iowa.
Yeaaa, it snowed for a week and then it's just been rain here. Planted my garlic indoors because it arrived too late and now I'm debating just throwing it out there for the rest of the winter
I'm in SW Florida and my okra is still producing in early January. I'm planting things now that I would usually plant in early March.
I did notice we got a lot more rain. I looked it up and there was a news article about having 25 % more rain than usual in Wisconsin and winters have neen warmer. I'm in 6a. As a gardener I'm enjoying it, but to me it seems like we're turning tropical because I'm used to it being real cold in winter. Lol. I do need those pillows you have behind you. Where did you get them? I never used covers before to extend my season. Can you make a video on turning gardening beds into greenhouse. What types of plastic to use to extend growing. Thank you.
We are new to growing in Jacksonville, Fl, but I am growing things later/earlier than recommended. I don't have any rules right now, trying things out!
As someone in southwestern Ontario Canada who doesn’t have snow as of December 29th and our lowest temp overnight being -10C one night not multiple. Its weird.
Check out my comment I am in Ontario too
AWESOME LESSON
SO MUCH INFO
PERFECTION...
I had no idea about this! Thank you.
We have microclimates within our 1/3 acre yard in an HOA. Observation over time has shown me where to plant what, within zone 5b/6a now known as 6a!
Fantastic!