Know Your Zone
- Lora Penner
- Feb 19, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 31
In Manitoba in winter time in Winnipeg they always tell people to know your zone or you'll get towed. I'm not talking about those zones, but hardiness zones. Zones are quite interesting as there are Canadian zones and USA zones. They are different. In Canada there are 10 different climate zones with 0 being the coldest and zone 9 being the mildest. Manitoba zones are between 0 to 4. In Winnipeg there might be some micro climates which could be zone 5.
Why should you know your hardiness zone? Simple answer money! I am a frugal gardener and try to save money where I can. One way to throw money out is buying perennials that won't survive in your zone. Some plants are perennials and that means they will come come back up year after year. Not all perennials will survive a zone 3 winter. When buying perennials it is important to know your zone and the zone the plant will survive in. This article has more information on perennials.
Some herbs and flowers that will survive zone 3 are: yarrow, hyssop, catnip, chives, Shasta daisies, and sorrel. Some herbs and flowers will reseed: dill, calendula, borage, and cilantro. Zone 4 perennials, which can survive zone 3 if mulched and you're willing to take a bit of a risk are: some mints, lemon balm, and bee balm.
Something else to take into consideration is frost dates. Frost dates will tell you when it should be safe to plant your garden and when it will typically freeze in autumn. It is very tempting to be the first one to put in the garden, but you'll risk losing everything to frost. I start putting my pumpkin plants in June 1st. I watch the weather forecast like a hawk and when it appears safe and it's past the May long weekend I start planting my garden in.
Know your zone websites:
Comments