It's February in Northern California. The weather has been warm, but recently reminds us it's still winter. Today is overcast and in the mid 40's with a chance of rain. It doesn't seem like gardening weather, but in our zone, food can be grown year round. I've got asparagus spears coming up in the back yard, collards, mustard, kale, and chard ready to harvest or soon to be. In the school garden the kids have been harvesting lettuce, daikon, sugar snap peas, kohl rabi, dinosaur kale, and broccoli, as well as chard, baby bok choy, and onion tops. There may be snow on the ground where you live, but in most zones, some food can grow year round. Knowing your zone and what can grow where you live is a first step in planning your garden.
To find your hardiness zone, go to the usda website or do a web search for hardiness zones. The hardiness zones are defined by the average minimum temperature for an area. In Oakland, for example, we are in zone 9b, which means the average temperature does not go below 25 degrees. In San Francisco, the minimum temperature is higher, so they are in zone 10. In Hawaii it doesn't get below 40 degrees, so that's zone 11.
The zones aren't a perfect way to know what will grow where you live. Other factors, such as soil type, humidity, and rainfall will affect what can grow, as well as specific local conditions such as hills and valleys, which create microclimates that can support greater variety than what a zone would suggest. Additionally, when it comes to growing vegetables, one can use cold frames or greenhouses to extend a season. However, knowing your zone is a good start. If you buy bareroot fruit trees, berries, or other perrennial trees and shrubs, you'll need to know your zone to see if what you buy will grow where you live.
The next thing you'll want to do is find out as much as you can about your local soil conditions. That will be the subject of my next post.
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