About Plants by Zone
We help home gardeners stop guessing — with planting guides organized around the one thing that actually governs what grows where and when: your USDA hardiness zone.
Who we are
Plants by Zone is maintained by the Plants by Zone Editorial Team — a small group of gardeners and editors who care about getting the details right. Our guides are written and reviewed collectively rather than credited to a single byline, and every guide is grounded in published horticultural sources rather than opinion.
How we research our guides
Specific, not generic
Every plant guide is written from horticultural fundamentals — sun, soil, spacing, timing, and real failure modes — rather than spun from a template. If we cannot say something useful and accurate, we leave it out.
Anchored to your zone
Planting timing is meaningless without local context, so our advice is tied to USDA hardiness zones and frost dates. We always point you back to your own zone for exact dates.
Reviewed and dated
Guides are reviewed against current extension guidance and carry a visible "last reviewed" date so you know how fresh the information is.
Honest about limits
Microclimate, soil, and weather vary block to block. We tell you when to trust your own observations and your local extension office over any general guide.
Our sources
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map
The official source for the 13 hardiness zones and their minimum-winter-temperature ranges.
- NOAA climate normals
Long-term average frost dates and growing-season lengths used in our zone profiles.
- Cooperative Extension services
Land-grant university extension guidance underpins our crop timing and care recommendations.
A note on local conditions
Hardiness zones are a starting point, not a guarantee. Your microclimate, soil, and seasonal weather all shift what works in your garden. For decisions that matter — a major planting, a questionable frost date, or a pest you can't identify — check with your local Cooperative Extension office, which knows your area best.
This page was last reviewed on June 1, 2026. Questions or corrections? Contact us.