"Ed" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi im new to all of this and have recieve a lot of great information. I
have a question, I notice you all talk about zones , how can i tell
what zone is what area ? Im in Washington, what zone is that ?

The problem with the USDA zones is that they are based entirely on the
amount of frost free days and not other climate factors. Thus, most of
Seattle is in a USDA zone that corresponds to Atlanta, I believe, even
though I think our climates are very different.

For gardeners in the Western US, I think Sunset zones are more useful. If
you're in Puget Sound, you're probably in Zone 4 or 5 in the Sunset system.
From their website (which I don't think you can get into unless you're a
subscriber, so I will reproduce rather than hyperlink):

---
Zone 4. Many people know this zone for the miles of tulips in the Skagit
Valley. In fact, this area has more spring bulbs under cultivation than all
of the Netherlands. The slightly colder winters of Zone 4-compared to those
of Zones 5 and 6-help induce dormancy in the bulbs. Zone 4 extends into the
greater Seattle area.

Zone 5. Zone 5 includes the coastline areas of Washington and Oregon that
are famous for lush vegetation. While it's not particularly warm in the
summer (it's hard to grow tomatoes in some areas), the long growing season
favors flowering plants, such as fuchsias. Native plants of all types,
including salal and Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium), thrive in this zone.
---

The greater Seattle area is notorious for microclimates. If you hear someone
say they have a "cold" garden, it means usually that they have a Zone 4
garden in a mostly Zone 5 area.


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky