Updated USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

1704 Views 6 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Buckeye Hunter, Jan 31, 2012

Mark / Ohio

Discussion Starter · Jan 29, 2012

"WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2012--The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released the new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM), updating a useful tool for gardeners and researchers for the first time since 1990 with greater accuracy and detail. The new map—jointly developed by USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Oregon State University's (OSU) PRISM Climate Group—is available online at www.planthardiness.ars.usda.gov. ARS is the chief intramural scientific research agency of USDA." ....

"Compared to the 1990 version, zone boundaries in this edition of the map have shifted in many areas. The new map is generally one 5-degree Fahrenheit half-zone warmer than the previous map throughout much of the United States. This is mostly a result of using temperature data from a longer and more recent time period; the new map uses data measured at weather stations during the 30-year period 1976-2005. In contrast, the 1990 map was based on temperature data from only a 13-year period of 1974-1986."

Press Release Full Text:
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2012/01/0022.xml&contentidonly=true

New Map:
http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/

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MowHoward2210

· #2 · Jan 29, 2012

Good info! Thanks for the link, Mark.

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jbrumberg

· #3 · Jan 29, 2012

We still reside in the 5b zone.

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Mark / Ohio

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jan 30, 2012

Before I was on the border of 5 and 6. Now zone 6 was extended a good bit farther North of me with only a few patches of zone 5 remaining. When planting I always error more to the cooler zone dates. (Mainly because I'm always late getting things planted every year due to my crappy clay soil being too wet to cultivate.)

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fwinters

· #5 · Jan 30, 2012

East Texas, zone 8b

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slkpk

· #6 · Jan 30, 2012

Thanks for sharing. slkpk

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Buckeye Hunter

· #7 · Jan 31, 2012

I so thought this was going to be a joke about how mild of a winter we were having.

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