Maps
Welcome to the Food Forest Nursery climate maps — a free set of ZIP-code tools that show the specific conditions your garden actually lives in. Winter cold, summer heat, frost dates, chilling, and rainfall all decide which plants thrive where you are, and a single hardiness zone never tells the whole story. Look up your ZIP on the maps below to match plants to your real climate, not a regional average.
Winter Cold & Hardiness
Summer Heat
Frost & Growing Season
Rainfall & Water
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 ZIP-code maps for USDA hardiness zone, AHS heat zone, chill hours, growing degree days, annual and monthly rainfall, first and last frost dates, and frost-free days. Each one helps you match plants to a different part of your climate.
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?
Open any map above and enter your ZIP code. Each map returns the value for your exact location — your zone, your frost dates, your rainfall, and so on — rather than a broad regional figure.
Are these climate maps free to use?
Yes. All of the maps are free, and you do not need an account. Enter your ZIP code and read your result.
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.