The reason was that the plant couldn’t survive or thrive in my zone.  Winters are a bit too cold and I would have to bring a lot of plants inside in early fall just to accommodate them.  It took me a while to understand what the zones were and why I couldn’t ignore them.  Today, I understand zones, although I don’t always like them, and on Savvy Gardening, we frequently mention zones.  For that reason, I am going to take a quick look at zones.

What is a zone?

A zone, also known as a hardiness zone, is a geographical area that is classed together for the purpose of growing plants.  Some plants thrive in one type of temperature and die in others.  It is the way plants, and for that matter, the  world is made.  Zones can be large, or small but the main quality that the zone has in common is the minimum temperature that is reached each year.  Zones are numbered from 1 to 11 with the coldest starting at one and the hottest starting at 11.   Below are links to maps for various countries and hardiness.

• United States
• Canada
• Europe
• South America
• Australia

Now it is important to add that although zones help in deciding on plants, it is not the definitive.  Plants that may grow in your climate, may not grow in your garden.  There are many different things to look at including amount of annual precipitation, soil composition, acidity in the soil and the natural light that your garden has.  The zones are merely a starting point to finding the best plants for your home.

Below is a listing of the minimum temperatures for each zone:

• Zone 1: below minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 46 degrees Celsius
• Zone 2: minus 50  to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 46 to minus 40 degrees Celsius
• Zone 3: minus 40  to minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 40 to minus 34 degrees Celsius
• Zone 4: minus 30  to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 34 to minus 29 degrees Celsius
• Zone 5: minus 20  to minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 29 to minus 23 degrees Celsius
• Zone 6: minus 10  to 0 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 23 to minus 18 degrees Celsius
• Zone 7: 0 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 18 to minus 12 degrees Celsius
• Zone 8: 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 12 to minus 7 degrees Celsius
• Zone 9: 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 7 to minus 1 degrees Celsius
• Zone 10: 30 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 1 to 4 degrees Celsius
• Zone 11: anything above 40 degrees Fahrenheit or  4 degrees Celsius

Related posts:

1. How to Decipher Zone Rules when Planting Roses
2. The Best Roses to Grow in your Climate
3. Gardening Climate Zones Are A Selection Guide

When you select the seeds that you want to plant in your garden, choose varieties that are recommended for growing in the Mississippi region. There are a number of garden pests that can attack your crops, and many will be unique to the area that you are planting in. Seeds are developed to be particularly resistant to certain types of pests. If you select seeds that have been developed for vegetable gardens in south Mississippi, you can rest assured that steps have been taken to make these plants as hardy as possible for this region.

The best source for information on planting a vegetable garden in south Mississippi is the local extension office. This group will be able to provide plenty of information on the types of crops to plant, how to best cultivate them, and when you should begin planting and harvesting. Vegetable gardens in south Mississippi have been a tradition for generations, and with a little research and planning you can become a part of this popular hobby.

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1. Successful Tips for Growing a Vegetable Garden
2. Vegetable Garden Layout Will Affect Vegetable Production
3. Tips for a Successful Container Vegetable Garden

Vegetable gardening in southeast Florida corn on corn rotations are grown in “muck soils”. Actually 75 per cent of the corn on corn rotation is grown in the “muck soils”. The distance between rows is 30 inches and 6 to 8 inches between plants. The best sand to use is loamy Riviera sand.

Generally, the sweet corn cultivation in Florida is between the months of January and June. These sweet corn plants will need 64 to 90 days of maturation from seeding to harvest. The harvest of sweet corn will then occur over a period of weeks to several months. This timing directly corresponds to the rainy season and climate. All of the vegetable gardening in southeast Florida corn farming depends greatly on the climate. Corn on corn rotations requires more management, more nitrogen, more fertilization, better seeds and more tillage. But the results of higher crop yield and better corn are well worth the time, effort and expense.

Pests and Disease

Vegetable gardening in southeast Florida corn farming has transferred mainly to the corn on corn rotation system because of rootworm. The rootworm was destroying a majority of the crops in Florida. Therefore, a change in strategy was needed. Now the only agricultural problem they have to deal with is leaf disease. This is a lesser and easier disease for vegetable gardening in southeast Florida corn fields.

Corn Festival

Unknown to many of the tourists who flock to Florida each year, is the Zellwood Corn Festival. At the end of May each year, vegetable gardening in southeast Florida corn farming becomes fun and adventurous. Not only is there a huge corn maze, arts and corn crafts booths, music and kiddie rides, but “Big Bertha” and her 350 gallon pot of sweet corn. “Big Bertha” cooks 1, 650 ears of corn in nine minutes! This corn festival is supported by a single farm, the Long and Scott Farm of Zellwood, Florida. So when you need a break from Mickey and Minnie, take a drive out to the Corn Festival and taste the best vegetable Florida has to offer.

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1. Vegetable Gardening in Florida
2. About Hydroponic Gardening in Southwest Florida
3. The 5 Steps to Vegetable Gardening in North Carolina

The first is sunlight. To be successful, vegetable gardening in North Carolina needs only six hours of full sunlight per day.  Eight to ten hours is ideal, but six is all you need to succeed. Also be sure your garden is away from the shade of buildings, trees and shrubs. Broccoli, collards, spinach and lettuce will tolerate more shade, however.

The second is nearness to your home. Your vegetable gardening in North Carolina experience will be much easier for you if your garden is close to you.  It is more likely that you will keep up with the weeding, watering and insect and disease control. Plus you will be able to take advantage of the garden’s freshness.

The third point is soil. Your soil does not have to be ideal. Vegetable gardening in North Carolina is successful because of North Carolina’s rich fertile soil. That is basically all you need. A rich, fertile soil will give you big, strong, beautiful veggies.

The fourth point is water. One inch of water a week is all it takes to have successful vegetable gardening in North Carolina. It does not matter whether your water comes from rain or irrigation. As long as it receives one inch a week, your garden should be green and lush in no time.

Finally, the fifth point is good air drainage. Do not plant in a low spot. Frost forms more readily in low spots because cold air cannot drain away.

Your Plan

There are a lot of books which will help you plan for vegetable gardening in North Carolina. Any number of these will be very helpful. But in planning your garden, you must first select your vegetables. Usually whatever you choose will grow in North Carolina with few exceptions. Asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, carrots, beans, beets, cauliflower, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, onions, peppers, tomatoes, squash, mustard, peas, potatoes, radish and turnips are all a sure bet of success.  Draw a diagram of your garden and use good quality garden tools and start planting your seeds indoors to get strong seedlings for transplanting outdoors. Harvest your vegetables during the cool part of the morning and process immediately. If you follow these guidelines your vegetable gardening in North Carolina experience should be easy, fun and successful.
 

Related posts:

1. Vegetable Gardening in Florida
2. Vegetable Garden Layout Will Affect Vegetable Production
3. Successful Elements for Desert Vegetable Gardening

Join a Local Gardening Group

One of the easiest ways to get a good start on vegetable gardening in Florida is to join a local gardening club.  This step will be perfect for getting advice on pests unique to Florida, as well as plants that grow there.  For the beginner, this is the perfect place to learn how to avoid common mistakes.  Even better, sometimes members of gardening clubs are willing to sell, trade, or give away seeds of crops they’ve had success with, a great chance to get something to work with.

Great Summer Vegetables

When trying vegetable gardening in Florida, again, make sure you pick hardy vegetables for the summer; ones that can handle the sometimes-intense heat in Florida.  For instance, peas are always a good addition to the garden, but finding a Southern variety will ensure that it stands up to the heat.  One interesting crop to try is peppers of all kinds, whether sweet or hot.  Growing peppers while enjoying Florida vegetable gardening can give you a lot of pretty-looking plants that will spice up any meal.

Cool Weather, Great Veggies

When the cooler months hit, you don’t have to stop your vegetable gardening in Florida.  The weather is still not likely to get so cold that some plants won’t grow.  Your best bet for winter vegetable gardening is to grow things that are leafy and grow in the ground.  Root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and beets will work well when vegetable gardening in Florida. 

Leafy vegetables such as lettuce and cabbage will do well also.  Keep in mind that in addition to things that resemble cabbage, plants such as broccoli and cauliflower, while no longer resembling the cabbage that they were bred from, are also excellent cool-weather crops. 

Be sure to pay attention to guides for growing winter plants when vegetable gardening in Florida, as some are more appropriate for the start of the cold season, when they start out in slightly warmer weather, and others are best to plan when it’s cool, for harvest when the days warm.  But with a little work and knowledge, you’ll be able to enjoy your hobby of vegetable gardening in Florida for the whole year.

Related posts:

1. Vegetable Gardening in Southeast Florida Corn Fields
2. Simple Ideas for Fall and Winter Vegetable Gardening
3. About Hydroponic Gardening in Southwest Florida

The map is meant to be used as a general guideline that you’ll need to seriously consider before planting any roses outside in your garden or around the yard. However, don’t be confused or fooled, some roses do well in many different kinds of climate. The best knowledge for learning how to locally grow roses in your area is to talk with others in your hometown, such as your plant and gardening center or a florist. A good reading of any quality book on how to grow roses can be found at the library or a bookstore.

A little history about how maps came into use for roses is necessary to be a fully informed Rosarian!

The first map ever created for information on plantings was the USDA Hardiness Zone Map, and it came from the combined effort of Henry Skinner in the 1800s when he worked with the US National Arboretum, and the American Horticultural Society which produced the valuable map of information on the climates in the US. It was a generalized map of meteorological information broken into zones of large areas for the US. It was the first time people had some type of guideline to go by for planting and growing, not only decorative plantings, but crop information as well.  This was necessary because many people were on the move throughout the country, and many didn’t know the local areas growing capabilities.

Later in 1960 the map was revised and was named the Plant Hardiness Zone Map with more detailed information, and included all of North America. A few reasons for changing the map were that there was more technological ability to map weather trends, as well as data. Also, the weather patterns were changing too. More detailed information such as the names of plants and their cold climate zones, along with an alphabetized listing of plant names were included.

Here is how the map is broken out into zones for the US.

South West – AZ, CA, NV, UT

South Mid-West – AR, KS, CO, ILL, KS, LA, MS, MO, NM, OK, TX

South East – AL, FL, GA, MA, NC, SC, CO, TN

North West – OR, ID, MT, WA, WY

North Mid-West – IA, MN, NE, ND, SD, WI, WY

North East – CT, DE, IL, IN, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT, VA, WV

Alaska – Listed separately but in the North Mid-West

Hawaii – Hawaii Is not listed in any category of the US geographic regions

The major areas are further broken out into sub areas of temperatures. Starting with zone 1 which is the coldest area of -50 degrees F and graduating up to 11 which are the warmer areas of the US. Areas of the regional zone is further broken out into sub zones of temperatures represented by a combination of numerical and alphabetized designations such as 2a, 2b, and 3a, 3b, and continuing on. Zone 11 is the area where annual local temperature is continually over 40 degrees F.

Like the unfamiliar settlers before, you’ll need to know the map. There are places on the internet where you can order one and print it out to use as a guideline for growing your roses. Remember to stay updated on any changes to the map.

With your handy map in hand, go and speak to people in the know about growing roses in your area. The map is helpful, but it’s only a general guideline. Different things concerning your local climate can affect how roses grow in your garden or around your house. Professional horticulturists use them and they are termed micro climates. Situations such as how much smog or pollution conditions, soil feasibility, or even any catastrophic conditions such as the eruption of a volcano, or a man made problems of pesticides can affect how or if your roses grow.

Take the time and understand the map, and use any information you can find in books, or from a gardening or floral provider. Also, use the advice of locals for growing your healthy beautiful roses. Most of all enjoy the adventure; it’s a sweet smelling one.

Related posts:

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2. The Best Roses to Grow in your Climate
3. Ten most Popular Fragrant Roses

But after accepting this fact of nature, buying a good farmer’s almanac and following these guidelines, your desert vegetable gardening experience should be a success. Success however depends on the planning of your vegetable garden. Your planning begins with the best possible location, the best soil preparation and the care after the planting of your vegetable garden. Desert vegetable gardening is not impossible and can be quite fun when following these guidelines.

Preparation of the Garden

Desert vegetable gardening starts with raised beds. Find your ideal site and begin mulching and raising your beds. Surrounding your raised beds with a wood frame is also a good idea. Next be sure that furrow irrigation is implemented. Once you have your beds raised, the irrigation should be simple to accomplish. Desert vegetable gardening should be irrigated every 7 to10 days when the temperature is below 100 degrees. Irrigation needs to be done twice weekly when the temperature goes over 100 degrees.

But also remember, desert vegetable gardening plants need less water in the cooler season. After your plants are well established and they are showing proudly in your garden, fertilization is the key. Desert vegetable gardening depends greatly on a well balanced fertilizer.  Your local extension office will be happy to guide you through the mixtures for your specific area.

Additional Hints for the Garden

In order for your vegetable garden to be a success your tomatoes and peppers will need additional protection from the intense desert sun. Also, be sure to soak corn, beans, peas and squash before plantings as this will hasten their germination. The majority of desert vegetable gardening success stories have begun with transplanted seedlings versus seeds. The overall success rate in gaining beautiful vegetables is overwhelming when using seedlings.

Desert gardens fare much better when planted in spring and late winter. It is no surprise that desert vegetable gardening does not do well under the hot summer sunshine. Vegetable gardening in the Southwest is not much different than anywhere else except, of course, for the climate and water situation. Once you have tackled these two elements, your desert vegetable gardening experience should be quite a pleasant one. Your vegetables will be large and strong and your garden will be ready for next year’s planting.

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2. The Problems Associated With Desert Gardening
3. The 5 Steps to Vegetable Gardening in North Carolina

For instance, if you see a guide on planting periods in Tennessee, keep in mind that for vegetable gardening in East Tennessee, you will wan to plant towards the end of the given period for the warmest times for growing.  Warm weather doesn’t come as soon in the eastern half of the state, so keep that in mind.  If you’re still stuck for ideas on vegetable gardening in East Tennessee, here are a few:

Early Veggies

If you just can’t wait to get started on your garden, your best bet for starting out the growing season is asparagus, which is great for growing in early spring.  This hardy plant is great because it’s a perennial, so once you plant it, it’ll stick around.  The spears for asparagus will start to break ground once the temperature starts to hit the 50’s, so it’s perfect for springtime vegetable gardening in East Tennessee. 

Summer Bounty

Tomatoes, though technically a fruit, are perfect to add to your list when vegetable gardening in East Tennessee.  With multiple varieties that can be planted at staggered times through the summer season, you can be guaranteed to have a ripe, juicy tomato throughout the season, whether for summer salads or fresh-grilled burgers.  Your best bet for success is to start these as indoor plants in the spring and transplant them outside when the weather warms up.

As the Weather Cools

For when the weather starts to turn, little will last longer while vegetable gardening in East Tennessee than carrots.  Properly grown, this root vegetable can be harvested throughout the fall season, so you can be treated to everything from little baby carrots to big carrots later on.  The best temperatures for growing carrots is from 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, so a late summer or early fall planting will produce the healthiest carrots. 

The flavor of home-grown carrots will easily beat those coming from the store, and you can’t beat carrots as a source of vitamin A.  But no matter the season, or what you choose to grow, if you keep your local climate in mind, vegetable gardening in East Tennessee will yield beautiful, healthy crops that are good for you and your family.

Related posts:

1. Simple Ideas for Fall and Winter Vegetable Gardening
2. Vegetable Gardening in Florida
3. Fall Vegetable Gardening Ideas

Like Peas In a Garden

Peas are a great option when vegetable gardening in the Pacific Northwest, since fresh peas tend to be vastly superior to canned or frozen peas from the local supermarket.  Your best bet for this cool-season crop is to plant them in early April to prevent cold weather from making seeds rot.  By planting then, you are assured a great crop of tender, sweet peas. 

Your best bet for serving is to shell and cook them within six hours of picking, as peas quickly lose their sugar content when picked and kept at room temperature.  Fresh sugar snap peas will work wonders to make peas a hit with your kids, who will enjoy plump, sweet peas much better than anything you can get at the store.

Grow Some Leeks

Another idea when vegetable gardening in the Pacific Northwest is to grow leeks.  This plant is a great alternative to onions in many dishes, with a mellower flavor, often sweeter than onions and with less bite.  Leeks are great in a variety of dishes, from adding flavor to soups to frying similar to onion rings. 

Leeks are best after being hit with a light frost, so these are ideal for the late growing season.  They can be grown year round and dug up as needed once winter hits.  They also have a synergy with other plants that you can grow when vegetable gardening in the Pacific Northwest, since they grow great in soil that has been recently used to grow cabbages.

Get Some Beets

Beets are a versatile vegetable, since both the greens and the foots are edible and used in a variety of dishes.  These plants do well at temperatures of about 60 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes them ideal for the end of summer, when temperatures start to wane, but they can survive in weather up to heavy freezing temperatures, which means you can grow and pick them throughout the fall.  Whether you grow them for the striking red roots the beets have or the nutritious greens, they are another great vegetable to add when vegetable gardening in the Pacific Northwest.  Make use of the cooler weather and long growing seasons in your area for great results in the garden!

Related posts:

1. Vegetable Gardening in Florida
2. Tips and Ideas for Vegetable Gardening in East Tennessee
3. Winter Vegetable Gardening can Expand your Crops and your Hobby

When planting roses, save yourself some sorrow and pick roses that will grow well where you live.  If you run out and get roses without researching which ones will grow in your climate, you may end up being very sad the next spring.  Planting roses that agree with the weather in the area that you live in will increase your success rate.

While some of us live in a sunny climate, this is not true of all of us.  There are places where the wind howls and snow falls almost continuously through the late and early months of the year.  These may sound like areas that roses are not welcomed, but this is not so.  There are roses that will agree with your climate

They grow award winning roses in Montreal where the temperatures can dip down near Artic levels.  Roses even spring up after the rough Siberian winters.  You may have to take extra precautions to keep them going, but none the less, you can have your roses.  So don’t bury your hopes about starting that beautiful rose garden.  

First you need to find out which climate zone you live in.  Hardiness zones range from 1 to 11.  It is designated for areas that can reach -50 F.  11 represent places where temperatures never fall below 40 F.  Check out a zone map to determine the average minimum temperature for your area.  You can view a zone map online or at a gardening store. 

Once you have discovered your hardiness zone you can select a rose that will survive well there.  You should use your head for this judgment, instead of your heart.  You may want to be able to pluck your own red Tea Roses from the garden for Valentine’s Day, but if you are living in Alaska, that’s not going to happen in an outdoor garden.  But you can find ways around your climate dilemma.  You could grow impressive Old Garden roses.

If you are a rose lover on the great divide of the hardiness zones, there is hope for you!  Rosarians living in all types of climates and they still enjoy their favorite plant.  Tender roses may not be your best bet.  But if you are brave and forge ahead you will find the right rose.  Plant your Tea Roses and put in the work.  Tea Roses will require extreme loyalty and determination.   But if they are your passion and you can spare the dedication, plant on.

Rugosa Roses produce well-formed purplish red petals.  They bloom in large clusters and offer repeat flowering throughout the season.  Rugosa’s are disease resistant and with good winter protection, will be bursting with life in the spring.

Floribunda Roses have smaller blooms than hybrid teas but they grow in huge clusters that bloom simultaneously.  Theses roses are great for grand displays because they bring forth hefty, expressive bundles of flowers.  Floribundas are excellent roses to plant if you want roses that stay in constant bloom.  They also don’t need as much tender loving care as other classes of roses and do well in zones 4-9 with proper winter protection. 

Miniature Roses are dainty novelties that are often used to line beds and driveways.  Most grow to about 15 to 30 inches and favor tiny hybrid teas and floribundas.  They are frequently grown in containers and make classy edges to gardens.  They survive well in zones 5-9.

Shrub Roses are represented by their rambling growth pattern.  They reach heights between 5 and 15 feet in all directions if the environment is suitable.  Shrub Roses resemble Old Garden roses in shape and form and grow in plentiful clusters.

Hybrid teas have large well formed blooms of 30 to 50 petals. They grow on long stems with single or cluster blooms.  Hybrid teas bloom every six or seven weeks and flourish well in zones 5-9.

If you live in zones 1-3 you may want to grow roses that are annuals or roses kept in containers.  A pot will hold in the heat of the soil, bringing forth abundant roses in the spring.

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2. Pretty in Pink: Top Ten Varieties of Pink Roses for a Gorgeous Garden
3. Learning About The Different Types Of Roses