I'm finally in Zone 8

I discovered last year that my averages temps were much warmer that what my hardiness zone documented. We occasionally bottomed out with temps in the single digits, but I believe that was once in the six years I’ve lived here. So, I quickly abandoned my 7b frost dates and decided that I was going to be 8a instead.

My primary issue was that in 7b, my last frost date was in April. However, North Texas heats up fast. If I wait until April to plant outside (with seedlings) many of my plants would not start setting fruit until Memorial Day, which is typically when we begin to see 100+ temps. Not good! Many plants bolt and cannot set fruit in those high of temps including Tomatoes, Lettuce, Spinach, etc.

It turns out that the USDA recently amended the Hardiness Zone map to reflect changes in average temps and guess what? I’m now in Zone 8 (Its Official).

The moral of this story is to focus on what works for your garden. The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is a great tool for Gardeners, but if you find your specific area doesn’t align then try something different.

What zone are you in and do you think it is accurate?

Check Here