Maps
Welcome to the Food Forest Nursery climate maps — free tools for exploring U.S. and Canadian growing conditions. Winter cold, summer heat, frost dates, chilling and precipitation all influence plant choices, and a single hardiness zone never tells the whole story. Use the U.S. ZIP-code maps below, or open the Canadian map to search by town or postal prefix. Local conditions can differ from the mapped climate.
Winter Cold & Hardiness
Summer Heat
Frost & Growing Season
Rainfall & Water
Canada
How to Use These Maps Together
Each map answers a different climate question, and the best plant choices check several at once. Your hardiness zone tells you what survives winter; your heat zone and growing degree days tell you whether summer suits the plant; your frost dates and frost-free season set the calendar for planting and harvest; and rainfall tells you how much you will need to water. A Zone 7 garden in coastal Oregon and a Zone 7 garden in Georgia share a winter rating but live in completely different climates — these maps show the difference.
Want all of it in one step? The Plant Finder checks your ZIP against hardiness, heat, chill, and frost together, then shows you which plants are a good fit.
What climate maps does Food Forest Nursery offer?
We offer free U.S. ZIP-code maps for USDA hardiness, heat zones, chill hours, growing degree days, rainfall and freeze dates. Our Canadian map combines chill hours, Canadian hardiness, heat, freeze dates, growing degree days and precipitation on one page.
Why isn’t my USDA hardiness zone enough on its own?
Hardiness zone only tells you how cold your winter gets. It says nothing about whether your summers are too hot, your winters warm enough for chill, when your frosts fall, or how much rain you receive. Checking several maps gives a far more reliable plant match.
How do I find the climate data for my location?
Enter a ZIP code on a U.S. map. On the Canadian map, search by town and province or a postal prefix, or click a location. Results are regional estimates; postal searches use approximate area centres.
Are these climate maps free to use?
Yes. These maps are free and do not require an account. Choose your country, then search for a location or use the map.
Next step: once you know your climate, put it to work. Use the Plant Finder to match plants to your ZIP, or browse the growing guides to learn how to grow what fits.