What is My Growing Zone?
Knowing your growing zone is probably one of the most important pieces of knowledge in gardening, especially when it comes to plant shopping online. Plants are often referred to as hardy to a particular zone. This means that they can survive in the lowest winter temperatures of that zone. You always want to choose plants that are recommended for your particular growing zone. This is a great way to get started on a planting path to success!
Look Up Your Growing Zone Here:
We've Made It Easy!
We’re making it easy! We automagically detect your location and show you a notification if you are good to grow or if the plant is outside of your growing zone. Simply look for these indicators on each tree, shrub, or plant page.
USDA Hardiness Growing Zones
The USDA plant hardiness zone map was created by the United States Department of Agriculture to help gardeners, landscapers, and growers determine the best plants to grow in their area. Growing zones are based on average annual minimum winter temperatures and separated out by a margin of 10 degrees Fahrenheit. USDA growing zones range from 1 to 13, but the continental US only ranges from 3 to 10. The official USDA zone map is now further divided into subcategories of a and b with a 5 degree margin. Growing zones are sometimes referred to as planting zones or USDA hardiness zones. These all refer to the same United States zone map. So, growing zones are numbers that tell us how cold our winters can be. Plants are assigned growing zone recommendations. So, if you know your growing zone, you can determine if a particular plant is likely to grow well in your area.
What Are the Average Annual Minimum Water Temperatures by Growing Zone?
The USDA zone map is based on the average annual minimum winter temperatures from 1976 to 2005. The average low temperatures for zone 1 are -60 to -50, for zone 2 are -50 to -40, for zone 3 are -40 to -30, for zone 4 are -30 to -20, for zone 5 are -20 to -10, for zone 6 are -10 to 0, for zone 7 are 0 to 10, for zone 8 are 10 to 20, for zone 9 are 20 to 30, for zone 10 are 30 to 40, for zone 11 are 40 to 50, for zone 12 are 50 to 60, and for zone 13 are 60 to 70.