Before wasting time, money and effort in the garden, you need to take a close look the USDA Planting Zones. Here is how to understand it. You don’t want to start planting your garden without knowing ...

The United States Department of Agriculture released an updated version of last year's Plant Hardiness Map to offer a guide for gardeners to understand which plants can survive and thrive based on the ...

The USDA updated its map of plant hardiness zones for the first time in over a decade. The new map shows that half the country has shifted to warmer zones. The updated zones could allow gardeners to ...

WASHINGTON -- Global warming is hitting not just home, but garden. The color-coded map of planting zones often seen on the back of seed packets is being updated by the government, illustrating a ...

Dean Colony of Colony Acres Family Farm in North Liberty checks on his pumpkin crop July 9. Colony grows around 40 varieties of the fall-harvest gourds. Colony checks on the health of the plants as ...

With the first week of winter officially underway, many local gardeners are adding compost, cuddling potted plants against the house and making room for outdoor plants to come indoors. Yet winterizing ...

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — When it comes to planting crops, or your backyard garden, there's hardly a more impactful factor than the weather. As weather patterns have shifted over time thanks to climate ...

What do the updates to the USDA plant hardiness map mean for area gardeners? Don’t try to grow bananas just yet. How we can protect native species. Spring thaw is the gardener’s awakening, time to ...

About half of the country moved into a slightly warmer zone in the Agriculture Department’s new “plant hardiness” map, an important guide for gardeners. Climate change may be a factor. By Remy Tumin ...

Sometimes called “growing zones” or “gardening zones,” hardiness zones refer to a map developed by the USDA that separates the United States into regions based on the average low winter temperatures.