USDA Hardiness Zones Shifting North

[Poiuyt]

The last time the USDA Hardiness Zones were updated was 1990. The latest data gathered, however, suggests that the zones are moving north, which is to be expected as the United States as a whole grows warmer. The Arbor Day Foundation's website provides the following interactive map, which allows you to see what changes have been happening:

http://anthropik.com/2007/01/usda-hardiness-zones-shifting-north/

[ThingsGottaChange]

1. I just noticed this on a zone map yesterday

Just browsing the gardening sites and saw that I have gone from zone 4 to zone 5! Now I'm even more confused about gardening - being the novice that I am. I wonder how long before Northeast Iowa is a Tropical zone.

[cmd]

2. I'm still on the 5-6 border

Sure would be nice to be in one zone or the other.

[susanna]

4. I am too. I hear you!

I'm on the Detroit River, just south of Detroit. Same situation here. It is kind of liberating, though; I disregard both 5/6 texts and do my own thing! So no great loss without some small gain, or so says me. :-)

[susanna]

3. I live in Detroit (zone 5b - 6, depending on chart)

and I picked rosemary from my herb garden for a lamb roast on New Years Eve, which is unheard of. Rosemary usually kicks it 'round about early December in my historical records. Last year, too, my last planting of broccoli grew through early January and produced. Something is afoot, that's for sure.

[Kolesar]

5. I picked a cup of broccoli on January 1, 2007, also

We had some snow, but the real winter did not start until mid January. I had put chlorox bottles full of water out around my six broccoli plants. They buffer the temperatures. They also keep the area warmer by starting to freeze before the plants do.

[susanna]

7. That's a good idea.

I never came across that one. Thanks, BorealAvenger! New tidbit for my garden journal, for sure. I love finding any way to extend the season.

[Shoelace]

8. milk, pop bottles work too

I just read about that trick several days ago and thought it was a splendid idea. They say to take them together in a circle around the plants with duct tape - yet another idea for duct tape!lol.
Actually, I'm going to try that on our tomato plants now as our nights are still chilly in Oregon - see it it give them a jump start. They are really slow to grow this year. It appears that the NW is cooling down whilst the rest of the country warms (?).

[tigereye]

6. that's fascinating!

and worrying, I suppose.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

9. Hmm. I was in 8 (humid subtropical) and now i'm in 9.

Still in the Fungal Jungle.

[LWolf]

10. I don't see a change for me.

I don't find usda hardiness zones to be accurate for my area, anyway. It doesn't factor in the huge range between highs and lows on any given day in the desert, and the fact that we can have a frost on any day of the year.

We were in the 60s today and are expecting a low of 24 tonight. It's almost June. We hit 80 yesterday, with a low in the low 30s.

[hedgehog]

11. There are a lot of subtleties that the zonal map doesn't catch.

I'm thinking length of growing season and number of days over 80, over 70, over 60 etc. We had a relativley cool May this year with late frosts, but we didn't have the swing in extrremes I've seen other years. it hung at 50-60 during the day, 40-30 at night instead of some 30 degree days mixed with 90 degree days.