How to Use the AHS Heat Zone Map

Most growers’s have some notion of the cold hardiness zones and what they mean. Thanks to cold hardiness zone map, for example, we know that a tropical variety that might survive winter Tampa won’t stand a chance in West Virginia.  But have you ever considered how much heat a plant variety can tolerate before deciding to grow it? 

While extreme cold can kill a plant overnight, death from extreme heat is gradual and can take much longer - sometimes years. Signs of heat damage can appear in various parts of the plant ; buds wither up, leaves fade to brown or white as their chlorophyll drains away, and leaves shrivel and become the target of insect attacks. A plant stunted from heat damage may even survive in a chlorotic state for several years, but when atrophy reaches a certain point, growth enzymes are deactivated and the plant dies.

Use the Heat Zone Map the same way you use the Cold Hardiness Map : locate the zone you live in and use that number code when selecting plants. The the map’s twelve zones show the average number of days each year that a region experiences temperatures over 86 degrees - called ‘Heat Days’. This is the temperature at which plants begin to suffer damage from heat. The zones range from Zone 1 (less than one heat day) to Zone 12 (more than 210 heat days).

Many plant varieties have now been coded for heat tolerance - the same way they’ve been assigned a cold hardiness zone that indicates tolerance for cold. Eventually the heat zone designations will be paired with cold hardiness zone designations in garden catalogs, nurseries, and reference books. The first two of the four numbers assigned to each plant variety indicate the cold hardiness zone, while the last two indicate the heat zone. So for example, a plant listed as 3-9, 8-2 could be safely planted outdoors year round in zone 7. 

Just remember that the heat zone ratings assume that a plant’s roots have received an adequate supply of water, and even a short period of drought can distort the accuracy of the coding system. Certainly some varieties are more drought resistant than others, no plant can survive becoming completely dehydrated. Herbaceous plants are about 85% water and woody plants are about 50% water, and it’s essential that plant tissues contain enough water to carry out photosynthesis. 

Juliette Lane's U-Shaped Kitchen Garden

Juliette Lane’s new home adds grace and charm to an already beautiful Myers Park street, lined with towering oak trees. It’s apparent that every detail on the property was carefully considered, from the very placement of the home and its color palette, to the careful design and arrangement of landscape plantings. And while an organic garden may not have been in the original landscape design drawing, with the simple relocation of a few shrubs, we opened up a level, south-facing area right beside the detached garage. In fact it was a perfect location for a organic garden ; lots of sun, close to the kitchen and just a few feet away from a water supply. Plus the white painted brick wall behind the garden will absorb heat during the day and radiate it back onto the plants on cold nights, creating a ‘microclimate’ that can warm the air around the plants several degrees.  

To maximize growing space within the area, we built Juliette’s Kitchen Garden in a U-shape - 3’ wide, 9’ across the back and 6’ on each side. The garden is 18” tall - the typical height of a chair seat or bench. This makes gardening much more comfortable, and also helps keep out rabbits.

Our Kitchen Garden design is made with rough sawn red cedar, which shows the rugged, unique texture of hand milled lumber. Untreated red cedar is naturally resistant to deterioration from moisture and insects, which makes it the ideal choice for outdoor projects involving cultivation, like raised beds, chicken coops, compost bins and greenhouses. 

We filled the garden with an OMRI listed soil blend of pine bark fines, mushroom compost and Sta-Lite PermaTill. These small pieces of slate have been heated and expanded in a kiln, and they help increase soil quality in raised beds by improving drainage and aeration. Once the garden is completely filled with soil, we mix in a generous amount of Espoma Plant-Tone - the gold standard of organic amendments for many years.

Simple, Savory, Sautéed Leafy Greens

Sure, there are plenty of clever ways to prepare leafy greens like kale, chard and collards, but sometimes simple and fast is what the situation calls for. Here’s a timeless and tasty recipe for cooking almost any leafy green variety, that will help put dinner on the table faster and with less fuss.

3 lbs kale, chard, or other leafy green

4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

4 tbsp olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Strip the leaves from the stems, and cut away any tough midribs in the leaves. Coarsely chop the greens, and rinse & drain thoroughly. 

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat.  Add the greens to the pot, stirring frequently so that they’re evenly cooked. After softening the greens for about a minute, season them with salt , stir in the garlic, and cover. After just a few minutes - once all of the greens have wilted down -  remove from heat, stir in the vinegar and serve.

For a fast and easy meal, prepare some pasta while you sauté the leafy greens, and toss them together, along with a little more olive oil and a ladleful of pasta water.

Calculate Your Potential Rain Harvest

There are plenty of good reasons to catch and store rainwater, and people have been doing it for thousands of years. But have you ever wondered just how much water flows down your home’s roof when it rains?  Well, you could flex those grade school mathematics skills and make the computation based on the size of your house and amount of rainfall. Or you could click here to use a simple automatic rain harvesting calculator courtesy of North American Rain Systems. Happy Harvesting!

Kitchen Garden goes Mid-Century Modern

With a savvy eye for architectural proportion and clean lines, Nancy and Michelle transformed a charming home in a quiet South Charlotte neighborhood into a mid-century modern masterpiece. Painted brick with wood accents created a warm, modern feel, and large picture windows brought sunlight into brand new corners of the home.  A thick canopy of oak and poplar trees overhead along with a brand new privacy fence give the property the feel of a restful countryside retreat. Yet as if to make sure that there’s no mistaking that this home is a city dweller, modern frosted glass garage doors open up into an expansive pea gravel drive.  ON our first visit, tiny seedlings were just sprouting up in a new cedar potting shed built onto the back side of of the garage. In fact, it looked like the only thing left to complete their dream home was an organic garden. 

Their five new Kitchen Garden raised beds fit right into the facade like hay in a barnyard. The couple chose a sunny location just outside a large kitchen window, with a spigot just a few feet away, and easy access to the driveway and garage. Their Kitchen Garden raised beds were made with naturally durable, rough-sawn red cedar, which has plenty of rustic texture and straight-from-the-mill visual appeal. We filled the beds with an OMRI listed blend of pine bark fines, mushroom compost and expanded slate pebbles, and amended with Espoma’s iconic Plant-Tone organic fertilizer blend.