Laura’s garden notes: Welcome to Zone 9

Laura Young reporter3.riverbendnews@gmail.com Just when I was getting into full swing with my cool weather crops, I saw that the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently issued a new Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Without going anywhere, we are now in Zone 9a. Well, I wondered, how different can Zone 9 be from 8? To get a better idea of the implications, I pulled up the planting schedules I like to use that are published on the Urban Farmer website. Putting the charts for Zones 8 and 9 next to each other, there's one big difference: summer. Zone 8 folks have eight crops they can carry on with from spring through summer and into fall. Zone 9 folks have none. None! I have to admit, if I think ab