Hmm

The new USDA hardiness map puts me solidly in zone 6A.  I wonder how accurate this really is?  I guess I trust it more than the arbor day foundation’s map (which puts Minneapolis as zone 5 but as many people living there can attest, most plants rated zone 5 do NOT survive the winter there, while USDA still has it as zone 4b which makes sense since it gets below -15 at least two or three times a winter making it NOT zone 5 which only gets to -10).  I know there is a lot to hardiness other than minimum temp BUT minimum temp DOES still have an effect so I’m just going to continue ignoring the arbor day foundation.  I also think this means I need to experiment more with my Chicagoland garden because really what’s the point of living in this craphole if I’m not going to at least have fun with the plants?

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