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Zones
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A problem gardeners throughout the UK have had to put up with for years is;
"When is it safe to sow and/or plant out in the open?"
When the Media & Garden Press give advice on 'frosts' there is generally little or no comment on how this advice should be adjusted to suit our geographical position in the UK.
If information is forthcoming, it generally takes the form of;
'People further north should sow a bit later'
I hope to illustrate how far further is, and how long is a 'bit'
This chart should allow you to make a mental + / - adjustment to the timing of events in my web pages to suit your own situation.
To do this you require only two pieces of information and they are,
My planting out date; which is week 20, and 'your planting out date'
To establish your planting out date, locate where you live on the map, and note the grid value, then adjust your date + / - to week 20.
I would expect someone living in the London area (17 ) to be around three weeks in front of me and conversely someone living in the Edinburgh area ( 22 ) to be around two weeks behind me.
Example; if I was to indicate on my 'web page' that a particular task should be done in week 12 then people in the London area might well be able to do that task around week 9 or 10, whereas people in Edinburgh would be wiser to wait until week 14.
Please note; each grid is approx 50 miles x 50 miles (2500 sq.miles) meaning that people within the same grid could experience different weather situations for a number of reasons e.g. their garden layout, light, shade, wind, frost pockets, altitude & sea air etc.
If I were to give any advice on using this chart and the timings given on this web site it would be;
'Let common sense prevail'
People who have knowledge of the 'latest frosts' in their locality should adjust their grid value accordingly
Failing that and you are new to gardening, and don't know how much to adjust my figures by, then I would suggest you have a chat with experienced gardeners in your area as to when they carry out certain tasks, then make the necessary adjustment.
Only carry out the tasks at the said times if conditions allow.
If conditions are not deemed suitable, wait until they are.
Similarly, delay your timings, if you find you are short of 'frost free' space to store your seedlings until planting out time.
Finally, patience is said to be a virtue and due to the sometimes fickle British weather you may be required to be very virtuous.
But do not despair plants have an amazing ability to catch up on lost time.
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