dumb question about zones and growing seasons

I'm a little confused about the growing season for my area. According to the info at the following link, I'm in either zone 23 or 24 and can grow things year round? http://www.homestore.com/homegarden/gardening/landscaping/zones/climate/index.asp?poe=homestore

Is this correct? Does this mean that I can grow pretty much anything any time as long as I match the plants' temperature requirements to the season? Is this stuff pretty clear to everyone except me?

Those aren't the USDA "plant hardiness zones" that everyone is usually talking about on here. Those are some other zones that I haven't seen described before. They seem to be a bit unusual. The zones that people talk about on Dave's Garden are usually the USDA plant hardiness zones, which help you decide which plants will thrive in your area based on temperatures and frost (which you don't get). Here is a link to the USDA zones.

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

the different "zones" are the USDA zones which run 1a-12(?) and the sunset zones which go 1-24 and H1-H7 (or something).

USDA refers to lowest winter temperature, and sunset refers to the hottest smmer temperature. i think.

i'm by no means an expert but it's just a system that takes some time getting used to.

The link you posted shows the growing zones that were developed by the Sunset organization in Menlo Park, Ca. More information as to the factors that are used in determining those zones can be found in Sunset National Gardening book (now out of print but probably at your library). There is also a Western Garden book. You should be able to grow a great many plants, especially subtropicals, that can't survive in colder areas. However, some plants need more cold weather - asparagus and rhubarb are examples. Fruits such as the apple, jostaberry and medlar need winter chill hours. The zone system we see most often (10a in your case) is the USDA hardiness system which takes into account the coldest averages for a given area. You certainly can grow a great deal during the winter. Lettuce and most salad crops will do well as will Swiss chard and most of the brassicas - broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc. A big plus for winter crops is that often there are fewer pests to guard against.

With protection, you might be able to carry over a few tomato and pepper plants. Many plants are perennials in other parts of the world.

As for summertime, you might want to look at the heat zone map developed by the American Horticultural Society. I can't tell for sure but I think your area would be in zone 8, with up to 90 days with temps at 86 degrees or above. That's the point at which the cellular protein in plants begins to suffer. Tomatoes, for example, will continue to bloom but often not set fruit. Just let them rest - I think of it as their "siesta" time - until cooler weather. They will resume production and continue well into winter.

Lucky you! Depending on how much gardening space you have, you could just skip the supermarket's produce section altogether.

Thank you for your explanations, everyone. I've also found a link that talks about the different maps and what they are used for. http://doityourself.com/gardenmaint/agardenersguidetozonemaps.htm

I think I'm in USDA Hardiness zone 10b, AHS Heat zone 6 (45 to 60 days of 86 degrees or above), and Sunset Climate zone 24 (record low of 20 to 33 degrees). In the 20 years that I've lived here we've never had a real frost, though.

I would love to be able to bypass the produce section at the supermarket but don't have much plantable space (unless I can talk my DH into digging up the lawn in the back). Most of my gardening in done in containers so I have to be selective about what to grow. I've been reading an old book called Squarefoot Gardening and it's given me lots of ideas. We have an RV parking area (but no RV) that gets a decent amount of sun and I've been thinking of converting that into my vegetable patch.

Dreaming and planning are almost as fun as growing and harvesting.

Quyen,

I think you would be wise to do some raised bed gardens in the RV area. (What's the soil like there?) After a few tastes of your fresh vegetables, your husband should be suggesting himsef that he dig up the back lawn.

While you're reading the Square Foot Gardening book, keep in mind that, unless you are living in a toxic waste site, your existing soil is probably more than worthy of improving with compost and planting in, rather than burying under expensive, store-bought stuff. When you ignore the foolish notion that all existing soil is to be avoided and grids are required because people are too ignorant to use a ruler, what's left? A method of raised bed gardening that has been around for ages. SF Gardening is little more than a spin-off "cult" of French-Intensive gardening methods.

See if you can find one of the books by John Jeavons, who gardens intensively, sustainably and without the gimmicks:

"How to Grow More Vegetables Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine" A classic book on bio-intensive gardening.

"Lazy-Bed Gardening: the Quick and Dirty Guide." A condensed version of the above book.

Wayne

Wayne, that first book is in Garden Bookworm, but with only two reviews, and the second one is missing from GB. Could you add it please, as well as maybe putting your comments above in the review section for the Square Foot book? I thought some of the square foot gardening requirements were overly fussy, but since I'd never actually sat down with the book, I wasn't in a good position for a critique....

Critterlogist,

The "Lazy-Bed Gardening" book has been revised and given a new title: "The Sustainable Vegetable Garden: The Backyard Guide To Higher Yields and Healthy Soil." That title is in Garden Bookworm but with no reviews. Sorry for the confusion.

It's been a long time since I read either Jeavons' "How to Grow More Vegetables" or the Square Foot book. I just ordered another copy of SFG and plan to reread both books again and do a comparative review for my own website. I'll be happy to add comments after I reread them. I'm planning to do the same with Ruth Stout's book and Lanza's "Lasagna Gardening" book.

Wayne

You could put Earthboxes out in the RV area...

If your soil is heavy, such as a clay, incorporating some of the sand into it might be a good idea. Someone with a rototiller could do it quickly. You could rent one, and hire a neighborhood teenager.

I've been thinking about raised beds vs. containers. The containers would be a bit more expensive but much more flexible. I can do it without having to ask for help. And, I would be able to move the plants to get the sun or shade, as needed.
I could use EB's as bluekat suggested. ( I've started to make my own but got sidetracked by "real life".) In the long run, EB's or the homemade versions would be worth the cost and effort. But, right now, I have lots of little seedlings ready to be potted and so I'm tempted to just get the 5 gal. white buckets from Wally's for about $3 each. In just one day I'd be able to get the buckets (maybe a dozen), drill a few holes on the bottom, add potting mix, and I'll be all set for this year. Watering would be more time consuming than EB's but not unmanageble. Then, by next spring, I'll either make enough EB's for a "garden" or till and prep the RV area for a raised bed garden. This will give me enough time to plan my garden properly.

Just thinking out loud....

Raid the back of most any restaurant and you will get your buckets for free! Well maybe you might want to ask first:)

If you didn't have EB's you could set up a drip line.

-Kim

Hey Quyen

We can grow year round in our zone with careful selection, since we usually do not receive a frost at all. Last year in December, I had plenty of cabbage, beans, peas, peppers, spinach, lettuces and celery. All container growin and I didn't have access to an outside garden then, like I do now.

kanita

I'm impressed, kanita. I'd love to have homegrown vegies in the winter. Right now I'm making a list of things that my family likes and things that I want to try. I love to eat baby squash, carrots, beans, peas, peppers like the kind they serve in fancy restaurants. I have that RV area. And I don't think my DH would mind if I put a few buckets on his lawn, either. heh heh

Kim, great idea about asking for containers from restaurants. I will look around. Thanks.