Hardiness Zone Maps Were Updated For 2023. Don't Be Fooled!

It's official! Hardiness Zone maps were updated for 2023! After 11 years, the USDA has finally updated the plant hardiness zones for the United States. Tens, perhaps hundreds, of millions of Americans will see their hardiness zones upgraded to a warmer zone, but don't be fooled! There is more to this update than meets the eye.

Don't run out and start planting more cold sensitive plants until you understand why the 2023 hardiness zones update is showing warmer annual minimum temperatures.

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If you have any questions about the 2023 USDA Hardiness Zone map update, need help growing a vegetable garden or growing fruit trees, want tips for gardening for beginners, want to know about the things I grow in my garden, are looking for more gardening tips and tricks and "garden hacks" like this, have questions about vegetable gardening and organic gardening in general, or want to share some DIY and "how to" garden tips and gardening hacks of your own, please ask in the Comments below!

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ABOUT MY GARDEN
Location: Southeastern NC, Brunswick County (Wilmington area)
34.1°N Latitude
Zone 8B

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©2 Minute Garden Tips

#gardening #garden #gardeningtips #hardinesszones #usda

[VaultDwellerGal]

Amen bro. I’m glad you said it! People are losing their minds about the new zones like it’s real. It’s mind boggling. All it takes is one day of low temperatures to kill plants, one day. And you read my mind, Central Texan here. We’ve been getting lower temps every year, yet the zone jumped from 8b to 9a. It’s a bunch of hogwash.

[aaronk]

Yeah you nailed it brother. These hardiness zones don’t mean much at all. I’m in zone 9A supposedly (Houston tx) and we got smacked with 10 degree 2 of the last three years. If you plant anything with frost intolerance, you better be prepared to protect it. Love your stuff, grats on your future homestead!!!

[moonchildgarcia]

I went from 7b to 8a, I'm still planting according to what NATURE does and shows me, not the hardiness zones.

[kellyj]

If you have been gardening, or even just going outside, for the past few years, then you already know what your area is like on a seasonal basis. Your own experience is all you need.

[jerrysenderson]

In Denver, we are subject to a freeze in late May and late September depending on how the cold fronts move in. I will not be adjusting my target planting date because of "Climate Change"

[LavarBurtonfromStarWars]

I still think hardiness maps are a nice guide for entry level gardeners. I’ve been pushing my hardiness zone for the last few years and it’s been ok. If you’re willing to protect vulnerable plants for the few cold days, your growing season can last quite a bit.

I’ve looked at freeze dates for the last 25 years and have been using those. Data points from the late 1800s and very early 1900s are not worth worrying about. Trusting 100+ year old data points to influence my decisions when I can get pretty darn accurate 10 day temp forecasts is stupid. If it’s going to be cold I cover my plants. I’m not a commercial farmer planting acreage, I can deal with daily fluctuating temperatures with a bunch of old blankets.

[Max-hqjm]

Thank you for being so pragmatic, and actually informing folks with real facts.

[jans]

That's the best explanation I've heard so far about this change. Thanks for sharing the reasoning behind what I think most of us knew intuitively.

[yardhog]

They did have a dramatic increase in the number of weather stations to build the data points since 2012.

[bonnieballew]

I always go by a colder zone than what they say that I am in. Used to be zone 5, but I used zone 4 1/2-4 to choose my plants by.

[MsDollie]

👍Excellent context on new hardiness zones.

Houston, TX zone 9b here. Freeze of 2021 will likely make us zone 9 next update.

[alankasper]

The real lesson to learn is the spread of invasive species (pathogens, insects and plants) increasing with warmer environments. In the last 11 years there has been a significant rise here in Chicago - Oak wilt, spongy moths, maple rust, just to name a few. The winters are no longer cold enough for long enough to check these nasties.

[glendapeters]

Thanks for the explanation. I planned on keeping on as I had been regarding the zones. Too many really cold snaps thrown in there the last winters in zone 6b (which mine didn't change but 5 miles south did!).

[Sirius-ly]

First thing I said! They certainly got mine wrong, and if you zoom in on their map they don't even recognize the increased elevation for quite a bit of my area of Vermont, which is notorious for going as low as -30 - -40F. While the surrounding areas might be a bit warmer.. But, they upped us to the next level! That's BS! According to them, we average a -15F. Whole month of February gets below -20 every year! They keep telling us end of May for last frost.. We've had snow on June 3rd! We've had years where all the snow hasn't melted before June. And frozen ground in September. This year, , still isn't! Don't like it, , wait til next year.. It's different every year! Guess they forgot to ask the people on the top of the mountains! Idiots! It's called weather, and guaranteed to fool all the climate activists.

[cottagefarmflowers]

Amen. I'm with everyone here. I'm focused on heat here in West central Florida. This fall has been so hot I feel like I'm learning to garden all over again.

[ericbergemann]

Thanks for this.

As someone in the former zone 7b and about 3 miles from the former 8a, I was happy to see we were updated to 8a.

We recently planted Globe artichokes and know the winter can be tough on them. I'll still do what I can to keep them healthy in the winter, but do have a little more confidence they'll be in good shape.

[marthakratz]

I used the information you gave to check on what they claim the zone is here(Troy, NY). They claim that what was zone 5B is now 6A. In the common verticular I'm calling BS on this climate change baloney. Thank you for your cautionary video.

[yellowdogjb]

Gulf Coast of Texas here. We're still crying over losing our 15 foot tall, 20 year old blood orange and Bloomsweet grapefruit trees in the Uri winter storm you referred to. :-(

BTW, our LSU Purple fig and Banana fig made it through though. They both had damage of course, and the Banana fig suffered considerably more than the LSU Purple did.

And don't forget that there are politics involved as well in convincing people that the earth is rapidly warming due to (insert reason here).

I've seen some mention for average first and last frost dates for an area. I find that helpful.

[GrowingAGreenFinger]

Good info on the zones and excellent clarification on where the data is coming from 👍

[great]

I have been moved from the border of zones 7B/8A... all the way to deep in 8A near 8B!!!

Meanwhile... Last Winter... I had a temp of 7F at sunset with high winds (-0F windchill). It gold colder during the night. Which is solid in 7B territory!

Official temps for my county are 10F or More warmer on those nights. The temps are compromised.

Yes, I still have citrus in the ground thanks to you! Even my Meyers survived that thanks to you.