Climate Changes US Gardens

The USDA updated the Plant Hardiness Map. They had to; the climate has changed enough that about half the zones have shifted about half a zone.

“The 2023 map is about 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the 2012 map across the contiguous U.S., says Chris Daly, director of the PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University that jointly developed the map with the USDA.” – USDA

To many people, 2.5F is not much of a shift. To gardeners and farmers, 2.5F can mean fewer frosts, which can mean less crop damage and longer growing seasons. 2.5F can also mean pests get longer times to grow and multiply – and possibly survive in regions that killed them off in winter. 2.5F can also mean higher summertime temperatures, drier conditions, and wildfires.

The changes may be subtle at the scale of looking at the entire country, but evidently, about half the country is already seeing the effects of climate change in their own backyards – and farmstands and local farm businesses.