Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Over the Garden Fence
When trying to figure out which fertilizers and soil amendments to use in your garden, a great place to
start is your local extension office. They will know what the soils are like in your region and which supple-
ments are the most beneficial. You can take it a step further and test the soil right in your own yard, taking
samples from the exact spots you are considering placing your garden to see what, if any, fertilizers and
amendments are needed.
Zones and Plant Hardiness
Knowing your hardiness zone (the number assigned to a region according to the coldest expected
temperatures) will help you determine which plants will grow best in your area. These numbers are
especially important for growing fruit trees and perennial herbs that will need to survive a winter in
your area. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) hardiness zone map is a general guideline
of the United States that helps gardeners get a basic idea of the weather conditions in their area.
The smaller the number on the hardiness chart, the colder the winter temperatures.
For example, my growing zone in southeast Oklahoma is 7b, which means we can expect tempera-
tures with a low of 5°F to 10°F over the winter. This means that an apple tree that is hardy to zone
5 would probably survive a winter in my area, while an orange that is hardy to zone 9 would get
too cold and die. But this is only half the picture.
The other zone map that is handy for gardeners to consider is the heat zone map by the American
Horticultural Society. This map tracks the average number of days that are above 85°F. So my rural
Oklahoma corner of the world is a heat zone 8, with between 90 and 120 days in the heat zone
(above 85°F) each year.
These two numbers taken together start to give you an idea of the types of plants that are ideally
suited to your general area. There are several ways to manipulate your specific backyard, however,
to try to include plants that might be outside your zone. The best way to do this is to pay attention
to the
microclimates
in your backyard garden and learn how the layout of your land will affect the
temperature of a small, specific area of your yard. Have you ever noticed that after a snowstorm,
some parts of your yard are completely free from snow very quickly, while other areas still have
unmelted snow a week later? Those are microclimates at work, and you can use them to your
advantage as a gardener to grow as wide a variety of plants as possible.
deFinitiOn
A
microclimate
is the unique climate of a very restricted or small area. Walls, windbreaks, mulch, hilltops,
low-lying areas, and other exposure changes can all create microclimates in your yard.
