Know Your Zones: Climate, Hardiness, and Permaculture

To understand what plants to grow and where to grow them you must understand two things about your property. Your hardiness zone, and your Permaculture Zones. Hardiness Zones are zones based on 10 degree differences in winter lows. Your hardiness zone helps prevent you from growing plants that will not survive the cold of winter in your area. Hardiness zones do not correlate directly with latitude but do loosely correlate with Climate Zones. Climate Zones Climate Zones may seem very basic, but I think it is important to understand them as part of the whole, so excluding them is not desirable. If you are unfamiliar with Climate Zones, the equator, tropics and the orbit of the Earth, then check out this video briefly. Hardiness Zone Hardiness Zones are meant to help guide plant growers in understanding which plants will survive in their region. This is based on a number of factors, but primarily on the plants ability to withstand the coldest winter temperatures. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardines

To understand what plants to grow and where to grow them you must understand two things about your property. Your hardiness zone, and your Permaculture Zones. Hardiness Zones are zones based on 10 degree differences in winter lows. Your hardiness zone helps prevent you from growing plants that will not survive the cold of winter in your area. Hardiness zones do not correlate directly with latitude but do loosely correlate with Climate Zones.

Climate Zones

Climate Zones may seem very basic, but I think it is important to understand them as part of the whole, so excluding them is not desirable. If you are unfamiliar with Climate Zones, the equator, tropics and the orbit of the Earth, then check out this video briefly.

Hardiness Zone

Hardiness Zones are meant to help guide plant growers in understanding which plants will survive in their region. This is based on a number of factors, but primarily on the plants ability to withstand the coldest winter temperatures.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone

http://www.gardenology.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone

http://www.prlog.org/10839530-the-first-ever-developed-world-plant-hardiness-zone-map-soon-to-be-interactive.html

http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html

Find out your Hardiness Zone:

North American Hardiness Zones

European Hardiness Zones

http://www.uk.gardenweb.com/forums/zones/hze.html

Chinese Hardiness Zones

Australian Hardiness Zones

Permaculture Zones

While Climate Zones and Hardiness Zones are based on temperature, Permaculture Zones are based on proximity to the Home and frequency of use. Plants you must tend everyday are placed closest to the Home, and those that need less maintenance are place further away from the Home. Permaculture Zoning is traditionally broken down into five zones.

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Zones_%28permaculture%29#Zones

http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/permaculture-zones.html

1. Everyday Use/Maintenance (Garden and Animals)
2. Every-Other-Day Use/Maintenance (Perennials)
3. Weekly Use/Maintenance (Crops and Orchard)
4. Monthly Use/Maintenance (Timber)
5. No Use/Maintenance (Wild/Nature)

Image Copyright April Sampson-Kelly 2011

Thumbnail Image From: http://www.arborday.org/