Zone hardiness and vegetable gardens
Did you know that your “growing zone” or “zone hardiness” does not tell you anything about your vegetable garden possibilities? It applies to your fruit trees and berry plants for sure, but your tomatoes? Nope! Your peppers? Nada! Your lettuce? Spinach? Broccoli? Also no.
Your hardiness zone has zip, zero, zilch to do with annual plants of any kind. If you typically plant it and remove it in the same growing season, zone hardiness is not a factor. Many new gardeners have been led to believe that zone hardiness is the “be all and end all” in determining what to grow in their gardens. This is not true when it comes to vegetable gardens and containers.
Zone hardiness is calculated by the USDA and based on a 10-year average of winter low temperatures. This is the number to be concerned with when purchasing perennials and trees, including fruit trees and berry plants . . . not your vegetable garden.
These 3 things are crucial to a successful vegetable garden:
The average last frost date in spring.
2. The first average frost date in fall.
3. The number of days in between the two.
When we know that number, we can then determine what you can grow in your garden.
In order to have the best varieties for your growing season (days between the frost dates) you want to look at the “days to maturity” information on the seed packet. It is part of the large amount of information given on that little packet of seeds. The best information you will find for varieties is right on the seed packet: spacing, how deep to plant, when to plant, and whether to start indoors or sow directly into the garden.
This is where I come in to help with planning, timing and coaching to get the longest harvest season possible. When you hire a garden coach you are bypassing years of your own “garden experiments” by utilizing their knowledge and experience gained through a lifetime of gardening.
The quantity of information available on the internet about gardening can be daunting to sift through, and the misinformation there is another consideration in itself. Start your garden journey off right with guidance from a garden coach to keep you from becoming overwhelmed, stressed out, or discouraged, before you even get your garden growing.
Contact us for more information, or with questions about growing your green thumb!