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Re: climatic zones

Sheila's analysis is correct.  USDA zones are primarily helpful when
determining survival chances for a tender perennial, since they
categorize minimum winter temps.  Of much more importance to the
vegetable gardener is general climate characteristics such as first and
last frost dates, summer nighttime low temperatures, humidity and day
length.

Your climate, like mine, is characterized (characterised ;-)) by cool,
wet, winters and cool, relatively dry summers, long summer days and
short days in the winter.  Thus we can grow all the cabbages, beets,
broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower, radishes, turnips, potatoes and peas we
can eat.  But we have difficulty maturing tomatoes, maize, peppers,
winter squash and aubergine because of the relatively cool summer
temps.  It's called a maritime climate because of the influence of
onshore marine airflow.  In your case from the Atlantic and my case from
the Pacific.

I used to use a sig line that said "Maritime climate... USDA Zone
irrelevant" but that irritated too many people so I shortened it to it's
current form.

Steve  (Maritime...)


Michael D. Cook wrote:
> 
> At 05:26 AM 3/25/98 +0000, you wrote:
> >I read with interest all your messages. Could someone please define the
> U.S.climatic zones or tell me where to find such a listing so that I can
> understand what is relevant to my situation (Wales,uk)
> 
> I read on another robin where people brought altitude, proximity to bodies
> of water, humidity, etc. into the discussion about what differentiates the
> various zones.  There is only one factor in the USDA equation - and that is
> whose zone map we are using - and that is the lowest average winter
> temperature.  That is why, for instance, the zone in my area, at a low
> altitude next to Lake Michigan, is the same as inland, mountainous areas of
> Kentucky, and dry areas out West (US) that never have a single day where
> the humidity is anywhere near what we here suffer for months on end every
> summer.
> 
> Proximity to water, altitude, etc. have an effect on the temperature range,
> but they do not directly determine why the USDA calls a particular area by
> a certain zone number.  Only the average minimum winter temperature.
> 
> Sheila Smith
> mikecook@pipeline.com
> Z 5/6
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