Gardening FAQs
Explore essential gardening questions and answers tailored for Edmonton's unique climate and conditions.
Q: What is Edmonton hardiness zone?
A: Edmonton was recently moved up from Zone 3B to Zone 4A. However you should be careful since in reality the area of Edmonton and the surrounding places have a lot of micro climate zones and even in the same neighbourhood housed in one end can be in zone 3B while the other end 4A. This is due to the urban environment and the river valley that have significant influences on wind pasterns in the city. Outside the city most of the area around Edmonton is still 3B.
Q: What Does hardiness zone mean?
A: Hardiness zones are classifications used to determine the types of plants that can thrive in specific geographical areas based on climate conditions, particularly the lowest average temperatures. In Canada, these zones help gardeners and horticulturists select appropriate plants for their location. Zone 3B generally experiences average minimum temperatures ranging from -35°C to -30°C, making it suitable for hardy plants that can withstand significant cold. On the other hand, Zone 4A has slightly milder conditions, with average minimum temperatures between -30°C and -25°C. Understanding these zones is crucial for successful gardening, as it guides the selection of plant species that can endure the winter temperatures characteristic of each zone.
Q: How long is the growing season in Edmonton?
A: The growing season is measured from the average last day of frost in the spring to the average first day of frost in the fall. For Edmonton the average last day of frost is between May 1st and 10th. the average first day of frost is between September 11th and 20th. Therefore we calculate the time between May 10th and September 11th which gives us 124 days on average for the growing season.
Q: Why do we need to know the hardiness zone and the length of the season
A: Knowing the Hardiness zone of your plant will let you know if the plant can survive our hard winter this is mostly important in perennials, biannual, trees and bushes that need to stay alive outside in the cold and snow. Knowing the length of the season let us know if our plant can get to maturity during our season. This is mostly important is you grow fruits and vegetables since different varieties of the same plant take different time to mature. When I select my seed I take the length of the season minus 20 days for variability giving me 104 days which is the maximum time for maturity I am looking for.