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When Bridget sent out the list for articles she wanted one of them included “Gardening Zones for Vermont”. Well, I thought, how can someone get a minimum of 350 words out of the following words “Zone three and four or three B or four A and B or even Five A” depending where you live in Vermont.
Of course we all need to know our zones. This helps you decide what plants to buy, what perennials to invest in and what to grow. The nice thing about today’s nurseries and their plant suppliers is that most plants have tags on them that tell you what zone they grow best in and where to plant them and how to care for them. Some even tell you the average zone temperature range and how long the growing season is and that is really a big help. Plus your local nursery person will rarely stock a perennial that will not survive in your zone in Vermont.
A few years back our government, in all it’s deranged wisdom, decided to change the zones and now, depending on where you are looking, you will get about 3 to 5 zone maps that are vaguely similar, but not alike, and that have become the gardeners confuter or nemesis depending on how you look at it.
Never-the-less, getting back to Vermont’s zones as I said it depends upon where you live in Vermont. If your average winter temperature is below 30 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit then you can consider yourself to be in Zone 3 B. If your average winter temperature is below 25 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit then you can consider yourself to be in Zone 4 A. If your average winter temperature is below 20 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit then you can consider yourself to be in Zone 4 B. If your average winter temperature is below 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit then you can consider yourself to be in Zone 5 A.
I have never lived in Vermont, but I lived next door to Vermont in Northern New York and we suffered greatly from similar winters and the old maps and especially the new maps do not often take into consideration the microclimates or the soil temperatures of these areas where one’s zone, depending on one’s winter in any given year, can automatically become 2 or 3 zones. Let me give you an example. Say your home and garden is a property in USDA zone 4 might be able to grow plants ranging from zones 2-3 to 5-6 depending on your Microclimate and soil temperatures.
Confusing? You betcha! You will have to figure out where you are in those temperatures and plant accordingly. You must remember that these are merely guides and they talk about average temperatures and we all know that winter weather often is not average. I do not think these zone guides reflect the difference in annual and perennial plants and in the event you are in the same frame of mind you will have to seek help from a good nursery person in your local area.
Joining a local gardening club will usually have some old timers who really know a lot about what will survive the winters or even the summers in your Vermont zone.
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Author Bio Box: Arlene Wright Correll
 For more gardening or cooking information click http://www.learn-america.com/
To see Arlene’s Gardens and to read her gardening diaries and to take a walk through her pictorial garden or click on Arlene’s Books where you can download or buy her gardening & cook books, including her new book, “The ABC’s of Wine and Beer Making”. Remember to check out her artwork, especially of her fruits and vegetables. Arlene says, “All my royalties from the sale of my books go to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and I thank you for visiting my site.”
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