If you have ever had the opportunity to relocated to a different part of the country you understand why it is important to know the weather conditions. Being aware of a hardiness zone when it comes to growing successfully is a similar situation. In this post, I share why you should care about hardiness zones.
What is the USDA Hardiness Zone Map?
The US Department of Agriculture created the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map to provides a standard climatic conditions relevant to growing plants successfully. Agriculture industry uses this data to define what plants grow best in what areas of the United States. By understanding what zone you’re located in, you can find out which plants will grow best in your area and which won’t. Below is a copy of the map you will find on the USDA site. I recommend checking out the link (by clicking on the image below) to find more details.
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone National Map
Find your location (city, state) on the map above. Use the color code guide to find your hardiness zone on the right side of the image. Once you know your planting zone, use the chart below to find your frost dates.
| Zone | Avg Last Frost | Avg First Frost | Average Growing Days |
| 1 | May 25 | August 25 | 92 |
| 2 | May 15 | September 1 | 109 |
| 3 | May 15 | September 15 | 123 |
| 4 | May 15 | October 1 | 139 |
| 5 | May 1 | October 15 | 168 |
| 6 | April 15 | October 15 | 183 |
| 7 | April 1 | October 31 | 213 |
| 8 | March 15 | November 15 | 245 |
| 9 | February 15 | November 30 | 290 |
| 10-13 | No Freeze | No Freeze | 365 |
USDA Hardiness Zone is Important To ME Becuase:
By learning your zone you can easily find how many growing days you have to use in the season. Almost any vegetable will grow in zones 3 and up. in zone 3 or higher and has at least a 123 day growing season – enough to grow squash, peas, kale, tomatoes and much more! Knowing your zone also tells you when it is safe to plant outdoors. Many plants like squash, corn and cucumbers can not tolerate frost.
Now Let’s Get Growing
Below are a few of my favorite things to grow in zone 5b. If you check the vegetable descriptions you can grow these in most other zones as well. Be sure to reach out to me with any questions you may have.
Tomato Seedling Update
Running out of room under LED Lights in the house.. so time to move those tomato babies out to the dome. Happy Day!
Tomato Seeds 2025
tomato vine in raised bed There are numerous tomato varieties accessible to home gardeners today, making it quite challenging to choose just a few dozen. In this post, I will share the varieties I am cultivating from seed this year. Below, you’ll find descriptions of each tomato along with helpful growing tips. Tomato Seeds 2025 tomato selection Below is my list of tomato seeds that were started indoors on heat mats on March 3, 2025. This timing is ten weeks ahead of my last frost date in hardiness zone 5b/6. The general recommendation is to start tomatoes eight weeks before the last frost, so these will be grown in the dome greenhouse while we await the all-clear. I’m hopeful that this year will mirror last year’s, bringing us warm temperatures in early May. Supersauce Hybrid Tomato San Marzano Tomato Daytona Tomato Crimson Corralito Tomato Gold Medal Tomato Delicious Tomato Zenzei F1 Tomato Purple Russian Tomato Sweet Zen Tomato Gum Drop Black Tomato Sugar Sweetie Tomato Purple Zebra F1 Super Verde Tomato A few of these varieties I have grown in the past so I am excited to enjoy the harvest again. Many are new to me so it will be fun to see how they grow and produce. My goal this year is to have enough varieties to preserve by canning and also to grow in containers that can be enjoyed through the Autumn. tomato envelope Tomato Sowing From Seed Tips The number one thing to be sure when growing tomatoes is that you pay attention to the last frost date. Tomato plants do not like cold in any shape or form! It is common for me to plant my tomato starters out in the garden well after May 15 which is our last frost date. After starting these beautiful plants from seed they are like babies to me! Do not let the tomato plants go dry for too long. The tomato plants before they have 3 leaves can be very sensitive to being too dry. It is also important to not let the baby plant sit in water because the roots to not like to be too wet. Overall, don’t panic because the seeds are some what cheap and easy to grow so you can’t go wrong. More Blog Post About Tomatoes Below you will find a few of my favorite articles I have shared about growing tomatoes from seeds. Be sure to click on each to visit. Let’s Connect In conclusion to sharing my list of tomatoes for 2025 I hope you consider bookmarking my website to follow this adventure. I hope to share how these varieties do for me this growing season. Happy Gardening, Bren 🌸
Pepper Seeds 2025
For over the past 20 years, cultivating peppers in my home garden has been the highlight of my spring and summer seasons. In this post, I’ll share the varieties I’ll be starting from seed indoors this year. Be sure to follow my blog to discover the extra peppers I can’t resist picking up at local garden centers to grow! Seed Starting Pepper Seed 2025 These are the pepper seeds that have sprouted from the 2025 batch. I began germinating them indoors on a heat mat beneath LED lights on February 24, 2025.Each variety has shown promising growth, with vibrant green leaves and sturdy stems reaching towards the light. It’s fascinating to observe the subtle differences in their development at this early stage. Pot-a Peno Pretty N Sweet F1 San Joaquin F1 Dragonfly F1 (tonaya) Quickfire Pepper Chili Marconi Red ( 2014 ) Mama Mia Giallo F1 ( 2015) Red Impact Red Impact Pepper is a Handful About The Peppers The Pot-a-peno seedlings are particularly charming with their compact form, hinting at the bountiful harvest to come. I have been growing this variety since 2017. Meanwhile, the Pretty N Sweet has already started to showcase its ornamental potential with its colorful foliage. The San Joaquin and Dragonfly varieties are also progressing well, each displaying unique characteristics that promise a fruitful yield. The Quickfire Pepper Chili, true to its name, has emerged with vigor, its seedlings looking robust and ready to bring some heat. Perfect for Containers As the days grow longer and warmer, these seedlings will soon make their transition to the outdoor garden, where they will continue to thrive and mature. It’s an exciting time for any gardener, watching these tiny plants grow into the flavorful and vibrant peppers they are destined to become. Pepper Seedling UPDATE I am so excited to see the Pot A Peno, Dragonfly, San Josquin and Marconi Red are popping up after 7 days. These were started indoors February 24. Let’s Connect I am really excited to see these seedlings begin to germinate. Stay tuned to see how well the selection will do in my summer garden 2025. In closing, I will be adding videos and more featuring the plants and pepper harvest so be sure to bookmark my site at BrenHaas.com Happy Pepper Gardening, Bren 🌸
My Veggie and Herb Container Garden Update
Here’s a quick update featuring videos and images of a few container-friendly herbs, tomatoes, and squash I’m growing this season.
If you want to get really crazy.. come grow in a dome like I do!
Let’s Connect
Do you pay attention to the hardiness zone map? Why is it important to you? I’d love to connect with you so please share by visiting my contact page featured on this site.
Happy Gardening,
=
IMAGEhttp
