What are Hardiness Zones and How Do I Use Them?

Planting seasons and therefore what you can plant obviously are determined by where you live—when the first and last frosts occur, how much sunlight is available during growing seasons, and the average low temperature. Gardiners and agriculturalists call this hardiness zones. 

The United States, as well as parts of Canada and Mexico, is broken up into twenty-six different zones. (Though you will only see numbers one through thirteen. Each number has an a or b attached to it. For example, New Orleans is in Zone 7b.)

You can look up what zone you are in on several maps/websites, such as this one. 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map | USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Knowing your zone will help you to know what plants will grow well in an area and when to plant them. 

Once you’ve located your hardiness zone, I would recommend doing a simple web search for “Zone _____ Planting Guide.” Then, get gardening! 

Thanks for reading!

💜

Laura