Know Your Growing Zone

The growing zone that your vegetable garden is in is important information for you to know in order to reap the greatest success out of the plants you choose to grow. The planting zones that guide each vegetable type will assist in guaranteeing that your crops, no matter how large or small, will be planted with the proper timing, fertilizer, and harvesting designations planned for in the growing season. Zones are designated by numbers according to regions of the country.

Each zone for growing will indicate the ideal conditions in which plants that are planted there can be expected to grow. The seed identification guides on garden seed packets will give you the zone information for that plant. Such information as proper soil conditions and fertilizer usage is learned from knowing your zone for growing.

Zones of Distinction

Depending on the zoning, the plant hardiness is determined. The main factor measured in zones for growing recommendations is the temperatures. There are eleven plant hardiness zones based on average minimum temperatures.

• Zone eleven is a minimum temperature of above 40¡ Fahrenheit. This is the tropical region of the Florida Keys.
• South Florida and parts of Southern California are zone ten, with the lowest temperatures that plants will endure is about 30¡ -40¡.
• Zone nine is 20¡ -30¡ for summer temperatures.
• Where so much agriculture is prevalent, in the southern states of Georgia, Texas, South Carolina and Alabama, the zone 8 temperatures are 18¡ -20¡ degrees Fahrenheit as minimums.
• Where the seasons affect growing times for gardeners, in zone seven, minimums are 0¡ -10¡.
• The winter zones follow. Zone 6 to Zone 3 where zone three plants are at a minimum of -30¡ to -40¡ degrees Fahrenheit as the hardiness scale. Zone hardiness growing standards are held to fast by catalogue companies, who declare that if you buy seeds to be grown in Alaska buys at their own risk.
• The Alaska region is zone 2, -50¡ to -40¡, and the seeds they are supplying have not been grown with resistance or adaptability to withstand the environment there. Any gardener who has spent time in Alaska will know not to worry about the prolific amount of flowers that grow there.

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