New USDA Zone Map Released

The USDA has released their new zone map of the country. The first new map since 1990, and some zones have been changed. Maragret Roach explains the nuances of the changes at "A Way to Garden".

Out west we use The Sunset Western Garden Zones, which are much more detailed than the USDA zoning, accounting for hills, valleys, and micro-climates. According to Sunset we are in zone 7, while according to the USDA we are in zone 8B.  Seems that always confuses newer gardeners out here.