digitS'
Garden Master
In 1924, Wladimer Köppen came up with a climate classification idea. It's been modified a few times since and has always seemed like something to me, that could be beneficial to gardeners. It might also provide some guidance on international vacations 
; what are people growing in areas with similar climates to our own backyards?
Hardiness Zones are a product of concerns for planting perennial plants. They relate in a very minimal way to annual gardens. Perhaps in guidance for guessing first and last frosts and for starting plants indoors to be set out. A weather service in many countries provides those averages for communities with more definition than the broad strokes of maps.
Revisions and modifications of the Köppen maps goes on just like with the hardiness maps. Similar broad strokes but international in scope and based on more than Winter extremes. If you would like to see a map of your state or province, the Wikipedia page for "Geography of ..." has a map for each, the US states provided by Oregon State University.
The most recent world map has been updated by the University of Vienna. They have even taken it beyond recent weather information and projected a map based on expected changes. I wish they had done this in a format other than a gif so that we could stop and start it to see changes during shorter time periods. Note that the anticipated changes are based on weather records from 1976 to 2010, 30 some years. LINK
What is of special significance to me is how much change occurred in those first years in western North America. Since my 1976 to 2010 gardens, and beyond, were subjected to those changes, I can attest to the fact that changes continued to the present. Also, I am where the climate classification (broad strokes) has changed (hardiness zone, as well). Shucks, I was complaining about being in an official "continental" zone rather than a "Mediterranean" zone the last couple of years based on old Wikipedia information, not realizing that the map changed with new information in 2020 .
Steve
; what are people growing in areas with similar climates to our own backyards?Hardiness Zones are a product of concerns for planting perennial plants. They relate in a very minimal way to annual gardens. Perhaps in guidance for guessing first and last frosts and for starting plants indoors to be set out. A weather service in many countries provides those averages for communities with more definition than the broad strokes of maps.
Revisions and modifications of the Köppen maps goes on just like with the hardiness maps. Similar broad strokes but international in scope and based on more than Winter extremes. If you would like to see a map of your state or province, the Wikipedia page for "Geography of ..." has a map for each, the US states provided by Oregon State University.
The most recent world map has been updated by the University of Vienna. They have even taken it beyond recent weather information and projected a map based on expected changes. I wish they had done this in a format other than a gif so that we could stop and start it to see changes during shorter time periods. Note that the anticipated changes are based on weather records from 1976 to 2010, 30 some years. LINK
What is of special significance to me is how much change occurred in those first years in western North America. Since my 1976 to 2010 gardens, and beyond, were subjected to those changes, I can attest to the fact that changes continued to the present
. Also, I am where the climate classification (broad strokes) has changed (hardiness zone, as well). Shucks, I was complaining about being in an official "continental" zone rather than a "Mediterranean" zone the last couple of years based on old Wikipedia information, not realizing that the map changed with new information in 2020 .Steve
