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Grow It 3-5 / Week 11 / Friday
5/6
Week 11 · Weather, Seasons and Planting

Friday

Different places, different dates
// When the weather says go
⏱ about 15 min

Friday: Different Places, Different Dates

Rocket video-calls his cousin far away. "My peas are up!" his cousin says. "And my beans are in."

Rocket frowns. "My yard still has frost. How can that be?"

Raven spreads out a map. "What do you notice? You live in different places."

Nova hovers over the map. "Places have different climates," she says. "So their frost dates differ too."

Climate changes from place to place

Frost dates are averages. A real frost can come two weeks or more before or after.

Frost dates differ from place to place.

Even towns a few miles apart can have very different frost dates.

Cold air sinks and gathers in the lowest spots in a yard or valley.

So low spots often get frost first.

Real townAverage last spring frostAverage first fall frost
Tuba City, ArizonaApril 25October 24
Window Rock, ArizonaMay 23October 5
Crownpoint, New MexicoJune 3September 20
READ THE REAL DATA
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Which town has the earliest last spring frost?
Which town has the shortest time between frosts?
Where in a yard does frost often come first?

Hardiness zones

The USDA makes a Plant Hardiness Zone Map.

It is based on the coldest winter temperature a place usually gets.

Gardeners use it to choose plants that can live through their winters.

StatementTrue or false?
Every town has the same frost dates.?
A frost date is an average, not a promise.?
Cold air gathers in low spots.?
The hardiness zone map is based on the coldest winter temperatures.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEClimate differs from place to place, so planting times do too.
Which town would plant beans first: Tuba City or Crownpoint?
WHY THIS EXERCISETuba City has an earlier last frost, so beans can go in sooner.
For a grown-up
Your local extension service or weather service lists frost dates for your area.
You may look them up together. Keep your location private when sharing work.
Try it
Look at your weather log from this week.
Circle the coldest day and the warmest day.
Would a tender plant be safe outside on your coldest day?
On paper, draw a valley between two hills. Shade where cold air gathers.

Measure your bean plant one last time this week. Did it grow since Monday?

Amazing climate explorers! Tomorrow is Grow It Day. Your family will make a planting calendar.

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