Living in New England my whole life and only getting into gardening in the last ~5 years, I never really considered the grow zones we have.
After doing time in produce at WFM, I had a better idea of how much of our food came from out of state, region and country. Great peaches and plums are possible in our zones but those yummy tropical fruits aren’t big fans of snow and below zero nights. In Rhode Island I was gardening in a 6b, which is probably the warmest zone I’ve lived in. I do find it hard to believe as we had very typical New England winters and it sure felt like it was far below zero. Maine on the other hand, feels like a very accurate 5a, constantly giving us nighttime lows in the negative teens. On the other hand, we had about 4 days last week that were in the high 40s and sunny and at this rate, climate change will heat us to a 6b in no time~ (plz no)
So what can I actually grow here??
While that depends on what you’re looking to eat in your garden, a lot of food is possible up here in Maine, doubly so if you’re able to utilize cold frames, greenhouses and indoor gardening. (indoor gardening– I did a brief overview of what I’m growing here~) You’ll need to pay attention to plant varieties that are cold hardy, as they’ve been bred to better withstand frosts, wind and snow. So far, I’ve had a lot of luck finding apples, peaches and berry plants that are cold hardy and local. Picking a variety that grows in your state, or even county, can help ensure that you have successful plants year after year.
While local resources and plants are a great start, me and my spreadsheets want more.
- Native Plant Trust (nativeplantrust.org)- This site has been the most helpful in helping me plan and draw up permaculture maps for parts of our property. It’s a database of native plants of New England and has a thorough search engine with all kinds of settings that has helped me find great plants.
- Plant Lust (plantlust.org)- This is another search engine that has been helpful in planning color-themed gardens and cross referencing plants I’m considering. It also sells the majority of plants it lists though most have been sold out.
- USDA Plant Hardiness Map (https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/)- The og garden planner, start here to see what zone you’re in and get planting!
With the top two sites, I’ve been able to find plants that can tolerate this chilly 5a zone because they’re native to Maine and what I’m looking to add in my garden.