[PW] USGS Spring Planting Maps

[Carolyn]

>Michael Hart wrote:
> > I heard an NPR report that the USGS has not updated it's maps
> > for the various times to plant in the spring since 1990. . . .

 From my book, Open Your Heart with Gardens:

"To get an idea what gardening climate you live in, consult the USDA 
Plant Hardiness Zone Map. This appears in just about any book about 
plants and gardens, as well as on seed packages, in catalogs, and on 
the Web. The USDA revises the map every fifteen years or so; the 
latest version is dated 1990 with a new one in progress but not 
released as of this writing [November 2007].  . . . In 2006 the 
National Arbor Day Foundation used the same data as USDA to create an 
updated zone map as well as one that illustrates the differences that 
have developed over the past fifteen years. Meanwhile, the American 
Horticultural Society has put out a Heat-Zone Map to round out the picture.

"Out West, where dramatic topography creates microclimates galore, 
gardeners depend on the Western Garden Book compiled by the editors 
of Sunset magazine. . . . This tome defines zones more precisely than 
the national maps. . . ."



Carolyn Haley
DocuMania
Author: Open Your Heart with Gardens
http://www.amazon.com/Open-Your-Heart-Gardens-Mastering/dp/160166012X
Blog at http://www.dreamtimepublishing.com/blog/?author=40