This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

USDA zones (was Re: location)

Chris French wrote:
> I guess it's a good idea, but doesn't help much for people from the UK
> for whom the USDA zones mean very little:-)

It is always good to know how the USDA (United States Department of
Agriculture) determines its zones.  Fortunately, the zones are defined
in a manner that can be applied anywhere in the world.  Your zone is
determined by the coldest your location gets in the winter.

                  Fahrenheit       Centigrade/Celsius
                  ----------       ------------------
     zone 1        below -50°F          below -46°C
     zone 2     -50°F to -40°F       -46°C to -40°C
     zone 3     -40°F to -30°F       -40°C to -34°C
     zone 4     -30°F to -20°F       -34°C to -29°C
     zone 5     -20°F to -10°F       -29°C to -23°C
     zone 6     -10°F to   0°F       -23°C to -18°C
     zone 7       0°F to  10°F       -18°C to -12°C
     zone 8      10°F to  20°F       -12°C to  -7°C
     zone 9      20°F to  30°F        -7°C to  -1°C
     zone 10        above 30°F           above -1°C

We tropics dwellers, feeling slighted, have claimed our own zone as
well, although i haven't confirmed that the USDA recognizes our
existence.  (Yes, there are parts of the US in the tropics.)

     zone 11  above 40°F? 32°F?      above 4°C? 0°C?

Someone has gone through the trouble of mapping out the zones in Europe:

     http://www.clubi.ie/emal/zones.html

All that said, it should be noted that the USDA zone system is not
usually relevant to the square foot method.  It seems to be intended as
a winter survival guide for perennials.  If you want to grow something
such as kale or spinach through the dead of winter, then yes, it is
important to know your USDA zone.  Otherwise, more specific clues about
your climate would be more helpful.
-- 
@->-`-,----------------------------------------------+
|  Cousin Ricky      USDA zone 11, Virgin Islands    |
|  rcallwo@uvi.edu   formerly zone 6, Massachusetts  |
+----------------------------------------------------+
--
To unsubscribe, send a message to: majordomo@lists.umsl.edu
with the single body line: unsubscribe sqft
Contact owner-sqft@lists.umsl.edu with any admin questions.
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index