Hardiness Zone Maps Were Updated For 2023. Don't Be Fooled!

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

If you enjoyed this video, please "Like" and share to help increase its reach! Thanks for watching! Check out the updated hardiness zone map here: planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/

[@aaronk1129]

Yeah you nailed it brother. These hardiness zones don’t mean much at all. I’m in zone 9A supposedly (Houston tx) and we got smacked with 10 degree 2 of the last three years. If you plant anything with frost intolerance, you better be prepared to protect it. Love your stuff, grats on your future homestead!!!

[@moonchildgarcia8999]

I went from 7b to 8a, I'm still planting according to what NATURE does and shows me, not the hardiness zones.

[@kellyj5610]

If you have been gardening, or even just going outside, for the past few years, then you already know what your area is like on a seasonal basis. Your own experience is all you need.

[@FloridaGirl-]

True!

[@gordonspears6320]

I totally agree, and I've been saying that Orlando is 10a for years. I am growing and planting accordingly. And the USDA has finally agreed with me.

[@VaultDwellerGal]

Amen bro. I’m glad you said it! People are losing their minds about the new zones like it’s real. It’s mind boggling. All it takes is one day of low temperatures to kill plants, one day. And you read my mind, Central Texan here. We’ve been getting lower temps every year, yet the zone jumped from 8b to 9a. It’s a bunch of hogwash.

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

Correct. A hardiness zone is an average. That means roughly 1/3 of all years will be warmer, 1/3 will be your zone proper, and 1/3 will be colder. If you only plant marginal plants, nearly half of all winters will threaten them. If it didn’t grow where you’re at in the last 30 years, it won’t tomorrow.

[@pendlera2959]

I don't think it's hogwash. The average person just doesn't understand statistics and weather. Just because people don't know how to use data doesn't mean the data is bad.

[@FloridaGirl-]

Agree

[@MeemsKaso]

NE Texas here. Hogwash for sure! We’ve had arctic blasts, freezing temperatures & yet we had 59 straight days of 100° plus this past year. Despite the horrendous heat, I grew my most productive garden ever! Weather is weather. I remember when Acid Rain was going to kill us all in the 1980’s! In the 1970’s we were going to die from ice age! Now we’re supposedly burning up! Politics🤦🏻‍♀️ We just want to grow our gardens & feed our families healthy food. I’m not listening to any of it. Not changing a thing. Still using my brain.😂

[@shawnsg]

It is real. It's just numbers added and then divided by the count. It's not magic or a conspiracy.

[@yardhog]

They did have a dramatic increase in the number of weather stations to build the data points since 2012.

[@Max-hq2jm]

Thank you for being so pragmatic, and actually informing folks with real facts.

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

It's becoming clear to me many folks don't know how to use a hardiness zone map. They're nothing more than an average. You can expect roughly 1/3 of all seasons to fall below your hardiness zone, 1/3 above, and 1/3 to land average. In the 6 years I've lived in Wilmington, they've been 7b, 8b, 9a, 9a, 8a, 8b. We were an 8a, but we're now an 8b with this update. '8b' matches the data I've seen, but that doesn't change the fact that we had a record freeze in January 2018 where we had two 8 degree nights. When you average it all together, it's an 8b, but Zone 8b can clearly see 7b winters.

[@jans2565]

That's the best explanation I've heard so far about this change. Thanks for sharing the reasoning behind what I think most of us knew intuitively.

[@bonnieballew7762]

I always go by a colder zone than what they say that I am in. Used to be zone 5, but I used zone 4 1/2-4 to choose my plants by.

[@FloridaGirl-]

That’s smart! 👍

[@bonnieballew7762]

@@FloridaGirl- That way if we have a cold year the plants can usually survive it.

[@FloridaGirl-]

@@bonnieballew7762 agree 👍 I’ve gardened all my life!

[@williamheitl8941]

I still think hardiness maps are a nice guide for entry level gardeners. I’ve been pushing my hardiness zone for the last few years and it’s been ok. If you’re willing to protect vulnerable plants for the few cold days, your growing season can last quite a bit. I’ve looked at freeze dates for the last 25 years and have been using those. Data points from the late 1800s and very early 1900s are not worth worrying about. Trusting 100+ year old data points to influence my decisions when I can get pretty darn accurate 10 day temp forecasts is stupid. If it’s going to be cold I cover my plants. I’m not a commercial farmer planting acreage, I can deal with daily fluctuating temperatures with a bunch of old blankets.

[@ezrollerj]

nothing beats mercury and observation higher lower elevations.

[@contestwill1556]

well said, sure push your zone a little but you better be willing to do some work and/or accept the risk of 'failure'

[@bobs5596]

i am 2nd year wash DC gardener and had row covers for a winter garden last year. this year i have built a 20X16 pvc hoops/rebar walk in poly tunnel, 8 feet high. i have collards kale, beets, broc, chard, tatsoi, cabbage, bib lettuce, and dandelion. i feel like a big dog now. so far i have the poly rolled back and letting the rain in. if gets cold i can have it covered in 10 mins. i still have a producing chili pepper plant that has grown through one frost, so i am experimenting with what can be done.

[@MsDollie]

👍Excellent context on new hardiness zones. Houston, TX zone 9b here. Freeze of 2021 will likely make us zone 9 next update.

[@alankasper2438]

The real lesson to learn is the spread of invasive species (pathogens, insects and plants) increasing with warmer environments. In the last 11 years there has been a significant rise here in Chicago - Oak wilt, spongy moths, maple rust, just to name a few. The winters are no longer cold enough for long enough to check these nasties.

[@jerrysenderson]

In Denver, we are subject to a freeze in late May and late September depending on how the cold fronts move in. I will not be adjusting my target planting date because of "Climate Change"

[@marshallferron]

Why did you put scare quotes around climate change?

[@Sirius-ly]

First thing I said! They certainly got mine wrong, and if you zoom in on their map they don't even recognize the increased elevation for quite a bit of my area of Vermont, which is notorious for going as low as -30 - -40F. While the surrounding areas might be a bit warmer.. But, they upped us to the next level! That's BS! According to them, we average a -15F. Whole month of February gets below -20 every year! They keep telling us end of May for last frost.. We've had snow on June 3rd! We've had years where all the snow hasn't melted before June. And frozen ground in September. This year,, still isn't! Don't like it,, wait til next year.. It's different every year! Guess they forgot to ask the people on the top of the mountains! Idiots! It's called weather, and guaranteed to fool all the climate activists.

[@FloridaGirl-]

🎯

[@christajennings3828]

Also the low spots. I'm at the bottom of a little valley. It gets down to 25°f fourteen or more days a winter on my place. But my uphill neighbors are able to grow citrus and avocados, which I can see while waiting for my hoses to thaw enough to water my livestock.

[@Sirius-ly]

@@christajennings3828 exactly! They really need more feet on the ground to find these spots for a more accurate map. If they insist on labeling us, and nurseries won't mail certain items until the "correct time" because of it, it's a big problem! No point in sending me my garlic when they do... the ground is already hard as a rock, and some years covered in a foot of snow. Bulbs from Holland? Gee thanks... guess they'll have to wait in their box until next year!

[@WorkandWatchGardening]

Thank you for that most excellent explanation to this update. Now it all makes sense to me.

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

You're welcome!

[@Terri_Stauffer]

I was in 5b now 6a, but we have many -20 degree nights so I was a bit confused. Thank you for explanation as I have seen that they say temperature in my town is one thing and I look at my temperature gauge and it’s a bit cooler. So while I occasionally push with zone 6 plants I know it’s risky and will still treat area as zone 5

[@abarn9541]

Same here. Avg temp in my area is on the other side of the mountain and can be up to a 10 degree difference from mine!

[@glendapeters8899]

Thanks for the explanation. I planned on keeping on as I had been regarding the zones. Too many really cold snaps thrown in there the last winters in zone 6b (which mine didn't change but 5 miles south did!).

[@GrowingAGreenFinger]

Good info on the zones and excellent clarification on where the data is coming from 👍

[@ericbergemann9217]

Thanks for this. As someone in the former zone 7b and about 3 miles from the former 8a, I was happy to see we were updated to 8a. We recently planted Globe artichokes and know the winter can be tough on them. I'll still do what I can to keep them healthy in the winter, but do have a little more confidence they'll be in good shape.

[@Brenton-xc2fg]

same, i live about 15 mins nw of Atlanta and was very close to the 7b/8a border, now im well within 8a

[@dustyflats3832]

The zone map is a guide. It is based on averages. It does not mean no freak frosts, polar vortexes and the like. It is just a guide for when you purchase plants. And yes, many of us did not change. Don’t agree with temps being the same the last 30 years. I remember-45 to -50*F temps and windchills. That hasn’t been the case for a number of years.

[@peggypoe8928]

The hardiness zone map is a nice general guideline but in my situation my annual low temp went from 10F to 15F, 8a to 8b. That really doesn't impact what I plant in my yard very much. What does have a greater impact for me are the microclimates within my yard. For example, I have a Plumbago auriculata planted inground and on the south side of my house, fairly close to it. It's been there about 17 years and some of those years it has stayed evergreen and bloomed nearly all year which, technically it shouldn't do in 8a or 8b. We've had 2 light frost already this fall and the plumabago is still blooming. Another thing that has a great impact are the late freezes and frost which are devastating to a lot of plant materials. The timing of those low temps is as important as how low it actually gets.

[@cottagefarmflowers]

Amen. I'm with everyone here. I'm focused on heat here in West central Florida. This fall has been so hot I feel like I'm learning to garden all over again.

[@lightwavz]

We got rezoned from a 6a to a 6b but I have been planting like I am 6b or 7a for decades. Microclimates work wonders, even in the freezing rust belt.

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

Yep, you can do a lot with a little protection. A little effort goes a long way. Unfortunately, many people won’t put in the slightest bit of work 😞

[@utopicconfections5257]

We're zone 4a but the last 2-3 winters have had low temps in the 3b region. Thanks

[@ericjorgensen8028]

Well explained!👍 Thank you! I've been on the boarder of 6b/7a for about 50 years. I've only seen the maximum average low happen about 10 times. But I am close to the Atlantic coast and the moderating effect of the ocean is huge. A few miles further inland (and higher in elevation) can be two weeks behind the lower, coastal areas. We've definitely had a trend of moderating winter And summer temps lately. Most recently a mild dry winter followed by a mild wet summer. There are a bazillion variables in the weather. The zone map is a good basic guide to start with, but moving half or a full zone on the map is a minor consideration as compared to what your actual local area dishes up.

[@billyd7628]

i stayed in the same zone in socal 10B. only thing that changed was that i used to be in zone 10B on the border line surrounded by zone 9A in my neighborhood just two blocks away but now its solid 10B for around 10 miles

[@YSLRD]

We were upgraded. Last year we had the coldest days I've ever seen. -30 wind chill in 7a. I lost some stuff. I hope it was a fluke, but I surely am not going with the new 7b.

[@jolenesgarden6619]

26 years ago, my area was zone 5b, then it changed to 6a in 2012. The newest map still has me in 6a. I don't think a few cold years in the 80s would thrown a 30 year average off that much. Also, we've have more than a handful of below average temps in the last 30 years...remember the polar vortexes a few years back?

[@great0789]

I have been moved from the border of zones 7B/8A... all the way to deep in 8A near 8B!!! Meanwhile... Last Winter... I had a temp of 7F at sunset with high winds (-0F windchill). It gold colder during the night. Which is solid in 7B territory! Official temps for my county are 10F or More warmer on those nights. The temps are compromised. Yes, I still have citrus in the ground thanks to you! Even my Meyers survived that thanks to you.

[@inchristalone25]

I got bumped to 10a but last two yrs we got frost! I will still need to protect my mangoes this yr.

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

10a still implies frost, as it includes 30-35°F. Technically, most years in 10a should see frost. Zone 10a implies 1/3 of winters will be colder, 1/3 will be warmer, and 1/3 should be right on, and since frost forms at about 37°F in low spots, I would expect 75% of 10a winters to encounter some amount of frost.

[@inchristalone25]

@@2MinuteGardenTips Yes technically! But there are many mango growers in 10a who have not seen much damage so it is hopeful for some yrs at least for my area.

[@mcmpistachio]

I've calculated my own hardness zone based on the min from the last 10 years for my GPS location and I stayed at the same 5b. I've also used a - 1 standard deviation in my calculation to cover 84% of possible outcomes instead of average (50%).

[@nitababcock3977]

Thank for the info. And what you said makes perfect sense!!

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

Glad it was helpful!

[@hazeysgarden]

My hardiness zone is still 9A but I’m reallll close to 9B so I pretty much consider my house to be 9B. It gets wayyyy colder about an hour or two north from here and they’re still considered 9A as well. Each persons location can probably differ quite a bit even if they’re in the same zone.

[@marshallferron]

We certainly are seeing higher average temperatures, but one of the things about climate change is that the way it destabilizes things we could see even more record cold years as well as hot. So for annuals and perennials with shorter wait times we might as well push it and accept the possibility of total loss, but maybe hold off on investing heavily on growing longer lived plants on the edge of your zone

[@K-Zone]

Here in central waa, our lows have been increasing. It used to get down to -8 or so 15 years ago. The last 10 years, we really haven't had anything below 0, so in our area it has been going up. Some northern counties also have been upgraded a zone and a half in WA!

[@that44rdv4rk]

great, they've moved my map from .5 zones warmer than it really is, to a full 1 zone warmer. this map is ridiculously optimistic, at least for my specific hilly area. the safest bet is to track your actual minimum temperatures on YOUR property, and plant accordingly.

[@superdave336]

Thanks for sharing. I had no idea they updated the hardiness zones. I'm from Piedmont NC and we went from 7b to 8a. I'm still planning to treat it as 7b though to be safe. Thanks again.

[@savannahsimmler]

Beginner gardener here- glad I found this video 😂 that said, I live just south of Wilmington! Small world.

[@FelipeRubio85]

Excellent video it was very informative you explained it very well! And yes you’re right I live in Florida in zone 9A, last year it got down to 27 degrees something I thought I would never see down here. It was so cold I had to get space heaters to protect my tropical plants, something I had never done before.

[@swimminwitdafishes8059]

8b here and I agree with you totally and since the new map I have not changed my gardening routines at all. It’s just cool to say I’m now in 9a.

[@lydiafilzen]

I'm in Florida 9A now 9B. I was shocked to discover my daughter on the mid California coast is in the same zone. But their weather is soooo different. Cool dry summers, some rain in the winter with cold but rarely freezing weather. They can grow much different plants than I can. No blazing hot sun, no serious freezes for the most part like we get. Just a more stable weather situation. I teased her that we have WEATHER. She doesn't.

[@SneakySalamander13]

The big thing here is we do have higher temps overall, but the weather is also more extreme. The poles warm quicker than the other latitude, and so the jet stream becomes more unstable, leading to a more unpredictable polar vortex. We will see more dips down like we saw in Texas with that big freeze. So yes, you may be in a warmer zone, but still expect hard freezes to hit you occasionally. Cold weather crops may not get enough cold days, but warm weather perrenial plants will get unexpected freezes that can kill them off, farther south than previously seen.

[@holisticheritagehomestead]

Excellent video! You explained it very well. I also I like that you are advising folks to still be thoughtful about what they plant. Be well.

[@lindabeaulieu6770]

Great informative video. Thanks. I had thought it was due to global warming. You cleared it up for me.

[@marthakratz7877]

I used the information you gave to check on what they claim the zone is here(Troy, NY). They claim that what was zone 5B is now 6A. In the common verticular I'm calling BS on this climate change baloney. Thank you for your cautionary video.

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

Hardiness zones are only a rolling average. If your zone is 6a, that means roughly 1/3 of winters will be colder, 1/3 will be warmer, 1/3 will be at your zone. Since we eliminated the record cold of the 80’s from the 30 year dataset, zone increases were expected since the 80’s had once-in-a-century cold and hardiness zones only take into account 30 year trends.

[@FloridaGirl-]

Martha I agree!

[@AmandaRPatterson]

Yeah, Winter Storm Uri, aka Snowmageddon, was seriously weird for Texas. I will be very happy to not see another one like it for at least 30 more years. Good info, thank you for posting. I hope you and your family have a good Thanksgiving.

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

You're welcome! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

[@Wags-ei9gw]

​@@MichaelTheophilus906 1989 was the last time it got that cold in Central Texas

[@Wags-ei9gw]

@@MichaelTheophilus906 I believe of got down to 4 degrees in 89 and 7 in 21.

[@gg-gn3re]

@@MichaelTheophilus906 1989, 2011, and last 2021. They were told every time to winterize their grid infrastructure but they still haven't, even to this day. Texans never learn as they have tinier brains and more stubborness.

[@debbiedavid4392]

Living in N. Central Texas, Feb. 2021 with NO electricity for 3 1/2 days. I became very leery, although this winter I’ll have some veggies in the new garden bed. We’ll see how it goes. I enjoy your videos. Congratulations to you for Florida purchase. Oh ! Just wondering your first name !!! 🍃🍋🍃🍋🍃

[@kimnenninger7226]

Good information. Thank you for saying.

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

You're welcome!

[@nglpos]

Wise advice. Well done!

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

Thanks for watching!

[@amymaldonado7278]

Thanks for updating us on zone info!

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

You’re welcome!

[@AkSonya1010]

Anchorage, Alaska, I went from 4 to 5b. I think like most of you out there, I already knew I wasn't a 4. I have plenty of 5 plants in my yard. Plus Anchorage doesn't get to 20 below.

[@ChristinesBackyardGarden]

If the change was actually that easy to make, that would also mean plants you were growing that needed chill hours, now may not get enough chill hours to produce a good crop. Im going to stick with what I've been growing and working for me. Some report is not going to change that fact overnight.

[@sylvia10101]

Great video and info MG! 😊👍👍

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@bluegrassdiggers9030]

In Kentucky we rarely get to zero anymore much less below zero so I will be shocked if it does. Its definitely gotten warmer during our winters as we only have a handful of daytime temps that are even below 32 degrees. The last few years we even have thunderstorms during the winter months I never remember that growing up.

[@kristyholman351]

Great job explaining this!

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

Glad it was helpful!

[@TexasNana2]

I definitely agree 👍 Thanks for sharing this information 😊

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

You're welcome!

[@valoriegriego5212]

Thanks, MG!👍

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

You’re welcome!

[@memph7610]

I think the average lows have increased and the likelihood of pre-1990 type cold extremes is lower than it was in pre-1990, but yeah, it's worth noting that all this means is that it's warmer now than in the 1980s. It does NOT mean it's warmer now than in 2021 or even in the 2010s or 2000s. And if you're planning on planting perennials that you intend on keeping for 10+ years (such as mango trees), then you need to consider that the lowest temperature in a decade is usually about a full zone colder than the average annual low, so a zone 9b can expect to experience a 8b-like 15-20F temperature about once a decade even though most years will be just 25-30F and some years might even be freeze free.

[@nshire]

"temperatures have been very consistent over the last 30 years" I'm sorry what? Temperatures have been on the rise since 1980. Have you not heard that the earth is warming?

[@rosehavenfarm2969]

USDA is saying our zone is one step "warmer." Too bad our area isn't listening to it. We've lost two full weeks of growing season on BOTH shoulder seasons in the last seven years. OK, maybe we're not getting -40F every winter, but frosts and snows are coming much earlier, and much later in the Spring. Used to be harvesting tomatoes outside of the hoophouse in late October. Not any more. Used to be planting outside mid-May. Now, Memorial Day is pushing it.

[@darla123]

Yeah, I haven't moved and my plans won't change. The weather fluctuates so much in NC, that I will not be fooled into planting something tropical! I personally expect a big snow in NC this winter, like we had in 2000.

[@smas3256]

Dale sure knew what he was doing when he picked you to own. Thanks for this explanation. News to me.

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

We made out better in the deal than he did 😀

[@yellowdog762jb]

Gulf Coast of Texas here. We're still crying over losing our 15 foot tall, 20 year old blood orange and Bloomsweet grapefruit trees in the Uri winter storm you referred to. :-( BTW, our LSU Purple fig and Banana fig made it through though. They both had damage of course, and the Banana fig suffered considerably more than the LSU Purple did. And don't forget that there are politics involved as well in convincing people that the earth is rapidly warming due to (insert reason here). I've seen some mention for average first and last frost dates for an area. I find that helpful.

[@markc3197]

Container gardens and indoor backup environment seem like a smart move

[@lisamiller7143]

Love it, I planted 2 Texas lilac trees, they made it though the winter last year, and I am in Illinois , this year I planted a crap Martel, who does that in Illinois, so I was excited to hear about this, yes I will take care of them in winter, woo hoo

[@jennhoff03]

;'D I hope you're able to harvest some good crap off that Martel!

[@juliemiscera267]

There are still the microclimates. We are below a hill and often we are colder than what the news says.

[@Rgusi]

Great point. Proximity to structures and pavement that radiate heat will also generate a microclimate. Cities are warmer than rural areas.

[@Avo7bProject]

I remember that 1985 winter in Greensboro. It went to negative -8F that night, and the next day I remember it was 12F degrees in the middle of the day... and breezy. I couldn't stay outside longer than a few minutes, it felt like the cold simply penetrated my coat.

[@riclin85]

Hi, good stuff as always so thank you Sir!!. I’m curious to learn about what you’re using those 3 big black containers next to your Citrus trees around minute 3:46… is it an irrigation technique? If so, how does it work so i can try it too.

[@bobnewkirk7003]

very wise advice. Prudent practice would be to only plant for the zone colder than yours so when the 100 year lows come you don't lose your plants. Its no fun hacking out a dead mature tree because you were greedy and unprepared.

[@johnhoward8515]

My zone in western TN got updated to 7b/8, yet we got to zero degrees here 3 times in last 4 years. WTH were they thinking?

[@EvaNichols28]

I really enjoyed and learned much from your explanation. Thank you for sharing! However, I find the Hardiness Zone for my area less that helpful. I am supposed to be in growing zone 6a now, but I don't think I can rely on that when planning my garden. I live in California, but I live up by Lake Tahoe at 5900 Feet, right on the border to Nevada and high desert climate. My average growing season is 78 days, so it's a challenge because we also get quite hot temps in the short summer we have.

[@rickershomesteadahobbyfarm3291]

We are also in a Grand Solar Minimum. We just left a Grand Solar Maximum.

[@rickzane6433]

I told some of my plants they were now in a warmer zone, so they better grow this winter!

[@jessemills3845]

We've been using the Old chart. Whatever it said, we went to the next lower number. So far it worked. Really shorted our growing season. But our plants are hardier, at least, in my delusions they are!

[@kriswhite1344]

Facts.. thanks

[@sasfishadventures9729]

I live in Australia NSW kinda near sydney, Zone 10b 1.7°C to 4.4°C. Issue I'm having tho is mainly the amount of rain, it's been raining an abnormal amount for 2 years and not sure if vegies could handle it. Trying to grow blueberrys and capsicum but soil just stays so wet. It's forcasted to rain and storm for more than 2 weeks straight ugh

[@Barblooms]

As the number goes up, so does the number of pests and diseases which may thrive in that zone. No celebration here.

[@subninja8069]

I've been doing a lot of my own temperature temperature of Lowe's for every single night and been hitting pretty much like a coincidence like 9a... only am going to divide the song by 5 years and see what that gives me.

[@VirginiaRux]

Additionally, the maps are using 30 year climate normals which were also updated fairly recently.

[@David-h4z8w]

I'm pretty sure they're correct for my area. We were barely an 8b, but we've barely been below 20 degrees tge past 20 years.

[@BillHartCooks.]

Yeah, Where I live in far Northeastern OK we went the other way. We have had way hotter than normal summers but we have had three polar vortex winters in a row... But I am a little crazy too. I have banana trees that I leave in the ground all year and we have been below 0 F three years in a row. It is just a little more work.

[@Rachad2317]

Wonderful tool. Since you will be moving to FL we are on the same page (time zone) - Houston/TX 😊

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

The new maps have so much more detail. It's great. You can really zoom down to your address. I won't be moving to Florida anytime soon, at least 5 years or more. It'll be interesting to see what kind of winter Florida will have with El Nino in place.

[@jshkrueger]

It's not only because the loss of the 80's numbers. The average temperature has been increasing. That means the average lows aren't as low. Also, they added thousands of new monitoring stations they didn't have for the 2012 map. This is the most detailed and accurate map they've produced.

[@gartengeflugel924]

Exactly, I learned about this temperature increase as well and was surprised to hear him say temperature did not increase at all over the last thirty years. At least here in midwestern Europe it definitely did, especially over the last ten years, and I'd imagine it did in parts of the US as well.

[@jshkrueger]

@@gartengeflugel924 I'm in the central US. It has definitely increased here, as well.

[@gg-gn3re]

Yep one of the biggest updates is the resolution of the map (map accuracy) it goes down to extreme detail you can zoom into specific homes to see the zone. One day we'll probably have a weather station per home when they come in a tiny box people slap in their yard.. right now it's $600-1000 for wunderground station

[@loverlyredhead]

​@@gg-gn3rethanks to our wundergorund station, I know the update for my address is bunk. Idk what weather station they were using, but we consistently get colder than the zone they moved us to. The map also doesn't seem to have any microclimates in my area, which they claimed they would be doing. So I guess for my area, it's the same accuracy as before in terms of weather station numbers.

[@gg-gn3re]

@@loverlyredhead oh really? you've had it for 40 years? (they started this project ~15 years ago)

[@jaynefinley]

Good info, thank you.

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

You're welcome!

[@billypabst3272]

9a Texas here, no change. I guess I still need shade cloth in the hell heat of summer and frost blanket for winter's assault 🙃.

[@Tootsie806]

Plants that my Grandmother planted over 75 years ago froze two years ago, and many more last year. Then, thanks to droughts two years in a row, I lost 5 bearing pecan trees and one 100 yr oak. Nothing seems to be safe.

[@mystica8788]

So what can you do if you use garden software that is giving seed planting times based on the new updates but you should actually be still using the old zones? How does an inexperienced new gardener know when to plant what?

[@_ethereal_astro]

Just another way for people to say global warming is changing the HZ. It’s science! Thanks for posting this.

[@cbak1819]

Does the minimum go by blizzards? Wind chill? I don't agree with there findings on my area. I have recorded several years and I have not seen the extremes they record. 🧐

[@judygoodson5855]

I've been in low 5 for years. Always planted for zone 4 and have anticipated zone 3. Food will not grow in cold soils. Many a new gardner will learn the hard way that the zone maps are incorrect.

[@dlagno]

Fair enough but what about density/coverage of temperature sensors now and back in the day? My hunch is that they had far fewer temperature sensors back in 1980s, so their temperature records were very coarse-grained. Which means that record minimum in 1980s could be recorded not for an exact location but for some far away location.

[@2MinuteGardenTips]

The USDA has mostly discounted their 1990's hardiness zone maps. They've flatly come out and stated that they were not accurate unless you happened to live nearby a station, because they didn't have enough sensors to interpolate the data in between. The 2012 maps were their first decent shot at interpolating areas in between the weather stations. That being said, the 1980's data definitely skewed things. The 1980's contained at least two once-in-a-century cold outbreaks for most of the US. When you have two extreme outliers in a dataset of only 30 points, it really skews things, so this update was inevitably going to make warmer zones. These maps are certainly more accurate than the 2012 maps. However, people are woefully misinterpreting the point of a hardiness zone map. They are simply an average. If you're Zone 9a, only around 1/3 of your winters will fall within the Zone 9a range. About 1/3 will be over, and 1/3 will be under (and we only remember those years that are under). Of the 10 or so years we can assume a Zone 9a will be below a 9a, one or two very well could be on that 7b/8a line. Every 30 years or so, we expect to have a low that's 10-15 degrees colder than what's expected. That's not evidence that the maps are wrong. It's evidence that people don't understand what "average" means.

[@boxbackknitties]

We won't be fooled thanks to you man. 🙏 (although the pupper needs a walk in a sec so I will soon be a fool in the rain)

[@sarahdean3945]

I'm not happy with the new map. But only because it really shows the affects of climate change. Like last year my area got no snow. Absolutely none. Growing up in the 90s we would get 2ft minimum. This October was the hotest on record. But also record fall rainfall. With weather phenomenon, like hurricanes and tornadoes, getting more extreme I don't know if I'm confident that things being generally warmer warrents a full garden overhall. But your right as more data comes in the trends will become more apparent.

[@nadinehansen9241]

I went from 5A to 6B, which is nuts!

[@1Gibson]

I live in Az, mine will always remain the same... hot, hot, and hot even in winter.

[@stephaniegee227]

When we moved here, we were 6B. Then it turned into 7A. Now it's 7B. This will not change how I grow anything, since I know how my little garden space grows - or doesn't. Last year we had some extreme temps with a flash freeze and a 50 degree drop. It killed established perennials that were safe for 6A. Just saying - this won't change our backyard garden.

[@jacobbrizammito7187]

New zone Map says My zone has shifted to one zone warmer, but but my thermometer last winter says i am still in the same zone. I believe the thermometer. Is there a zoning system for average temps excluding the extremes.

[@hortenciabeltran4666]

Southern california, inland empire, went from 9b to 10b.

[@joycebovee5818]

Savannah, Georgia is now 9a

[@azyEmpero]

Does change of zones effect property zones?