Growing Zones and Frost Dates
Published 3 months ago • 1 min read
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Why Should I Care About My Growing Zones and Frost Dates?
How to figure out your growing zone and frost dates, what it means, and why it's important.
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When I was younger, I thought I had a black thumb. I was always killing plants. My grandma and I would joke I inherited it from her because we both could kill a succulent or a bamboo in just a few days. Since then, I have done a lot of reading, learning, and planting-so let's chat about Growing Zones.
Growing Zone
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Local Readers
For my local readers and subscribers, I have saved you the leg work. In the Lebanon/Sweet Home area we are in growing zone 8a or 8b depending on your microclimate. This means our average lowest temperature is around 15 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Growing Zones
Knowing your growing zone is important because it gives you the average lowest temperature for your area. That means if you buy a plant with a tag on it that says it is Perennial in zone 5-9 you know in Zone 8 this plant is that can handle your winters. If you buy a plant with a zone preference above your number, it will more than likely die during the winter.
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How Do I Know?
You can easily figure out your zone by going to the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map and typing in your zip code.
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Frost Dates
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Local Readers
For my local readers and subscribers, in the Lebanon/Sweet Home area our first frost date in Spring is around Mid to late April. Our last frost is around mid to late October. Keep in mind Mother Nature always knows best, and she withholds the right to change her mind as she pleases. You may get a late or early frost that surprises your and kills your beloved cucumbers. This year we had an incredibly mild winter and many of my plants continued to produce through November.
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Frost Dates
Frost dates are important because you don't want to put a hardy annual (warm loving crop) out into your garden before the first frost of the year. You will see on the back of the seed packet it will often say something like 'start indoors four weeks before first frost' or 'direct sew after first frost.'
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How Do I Know?
A great reliable resource for your first and last frost, along with a wealth of other knowledge is The Farmer's Almanac. It is an oldy but a goody and still comes in print. But, for those of us who prefer a quick google you can type in your zip code once you hit the button below and voila you got it!
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I hope you found this helpful and inspired you to plant a seed this Spring or Summer!
~Hannah
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