Viron, I noticed reading an old post or two of yours that you are in Yamhill County, as am I. We moved here a year ago to the Bald Peak Area, about 1550 ft. elevation, down about 100 ft on the east slope (relatively protected from the west and south wind by the mountain itself --or 100 ft of it-- and large trees). Are we still zone 8. do you think?
Kartini, I’ve a USDA climatic zone map link at the bottom of my posts; it pegs my “Zip code†Zone at 6. http://www.landscapeusa.com/usda.asp
I also value the Sunset Western Garden Book ‘Climate Zone’ map that places me in ‘their’ “Zone 6†– with the following caveat: “High elevations mean longer and colder winters, and comparatively lower night temperatures all through the year.â€
The Sunset Western Garden Book Climate Zone map is as detailed as any I’ve seen, but it includes a boundary line splitting ‘my location’ in zone 6 from a zone 1 (next door) in the Coast Range … with no in-between! At 1,550 feet, you’re matching much of that Coast Range…
I’ve friends very near you; they’re on family land dating back well over a century. They remind me that their ripening dates for prunes (a past industry in this region) can be 3 weeks behind that of “the valley.†Said they stopped messing with the Portland Farmer’s Market due to the fact everyone had ‘already’ bought whatever it was they were hauling in, weren’t interested in their ‘late produce’ and were instead anxiously awaiting later ripening fruit.
I suggest you pay a visit (and close attention) to an ‘old-timer’ in your new neighborhood, and not venture far beyond the varieties and ripening dates that have worked for them. Familiar with the massive hill to your east, don’t fall in love with everything you see on your way up! You’ll have killing frosts much later (and sooner) than the lower altitudes. HOS members tend to push the limits, and occasionally we pay with a setback. But I wouldn’t be shopping for Zone 8 plants…
Keep us posted 
Thank you Viron, but I'm confused. It says 0 to -10 for zone 6, but my (two years only) experience says that 20 F would be very low for this area. Have you really had 0 to -10F? I have created a microclimate by building a high-walled garden attached to the house "Chinese Garden" style; the house has 12 inch thick Rastra walls (= recycled styrofoam and Portland cement) and hence retains a lot of heat. So those plants seem ok. But above them on the open sloping hill where my little orchard of apples lies (Calville, Cox's Orange Pippin, Ashmead's Kernel, Spitzenberg), one grafted Bosc/Anjou pear, a Sorbus domesticus, two Damson plums, one Italian prune plum and a quince, it is colder. Before I planted anything I stationed matching thermometers all around the property. There is about 2-3 degrees difference between the coldest and warmest spots.
“I'm confused. It says 0 to -10 for zone 6, but my (two years only) experience says that 20 F would be very low for this area.†– I’ve often wondered if the “Wind-chill factor†is part of those ‘maximum lows?’ Growing up in Portland, east side, the wind-chill (due to the harsh Coho, or East Wind) would occasionally take their temps below zero…
As for where I’m at now, very wind-sheltered in comparison, I’ve seen actual thermometer lows of 6, and 5 degrees two different years, around 20 years ago.
“Microclimates†work; yours reminds me of what the Kings in England did to protect their vegetable gardens and orchards, on a grander scale of course. And I suspect all of the trees I’m familiar with that you’ve listed should do fine ... although ripening later than the same at 100 feet elevation…
How’s the view? …Mt. Hood must look marvelous! And all those sunrises above the valley fog… ‘Different friends’ on Bald Peak described to me an extensive ‘clean air’ study that pegged your area as having some of the cleanest air in the nation, if not the world! And – you’ll get/see snow every year! …whether you want to or not 
" title="Wink" />
Wind Chill is not a measured temperature! Wind Chill is a computed number that estimates how fast heat will be removed under the existing temperature and wind conditions. If it is 35 degrees with 15 MPH wind you would have a wind chill factor of 25 F but water WILL NOT freeze because the temperature is still 35 F. The wind chill factor only gives you an idea of how fast the heat will be transferred away from an object. The faster the air movement, the faster the object cools down to 35 degrees, (as if the object was sitting in calm air at the wind chill factor temperature of 25 F).
kartini,
Welcome to the site. I thought we might be seeing you. I'll bet you're in zone 8 with maybe some microclimates that are marginal.
The thing with climate zones is that technically they only take into account the low temperatures. That doesn't directly say anything about length of season, summer heat, chill hours, or precipitation patters. But often people will make assumptions or generalizations that lump different locations with the same climate zone together with respect to some of those other factors as well.
Viron,
I don't know why you like that damned link so well. It is clearly flawed. It says I'm in zone 6 here on the East side of Vancouver 98683, which is complete BS. It also says that Troutdale 97060 is zone 6 which is clearly wrong. Every other USDA map shows the general Portland area as zone 8.
Its nice that it lets you put your zip code in, but that isn't helpful if the answer it spits out is uncorrelated.
Thanks everyone and greetings jafarj (your sister is convinced you and I share a rare form of plant and DIY madness).
I guess the plants themselves will--over time---tell me what zone they (we) are in. And yes, Viron, every day we are filled with amazement (and gratitude) to look over the valley below and the five peaks clearly visible from our living room windows (Jefferson to Rainier). Especially in summer when the wheat is ripe it most resembles that old song: "amber waves of grain...for purple mountain's majesty, above the fruited plain."
Meanwhile, I hope to learn from more experienced gardeners on this forum. Thanks!
Jafarj,
I just scanned 11 pages of posts looking for the ‘one’ that hammered out the USDA climate zone topic … and couldn’t find it. No doubt an off-shoot argument sparked by the same concern. If I remember right, we (the Forum) were beginning to receive questions from across the country, as opposed to mainly Willamette Valley HOS members, and it seemed reasonable to list each other’s USDA climate zone as a clue to our maximum lows...
As mentioned, I prefer the Sunset Western Garden Book’s breakdown; but as it doesn’t apply to the entire nation I searched for a ‘generic map’ that gives a generic description. Of those I found online, the one at the bottom of my posts was the most consistent and easiest to use. Is it perfect? -- Impossible.
Now if we went by the Sunset Western Garden Book, you’d be in zone 6, too. I think the USDA link is a good start, but wouldn’t call Portland “Zone 8†– though ‘they ripen’ sooner than I do, in Zone 6. …I suspect their climate info was gathered from the usual airport locations … like Vancouver, Portland, and Troutdale? It’s a start ~
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Kartini,
‘You’re welcome,’ and welcome to the neighborhood -- if the East Side. We once had a very active Yamhill County chapter of the Home Orchard Society, too bad you missed it. My favorite part were the tours; meeting ‘neighbors’ and learning of their trials. I’d given three tours of my place … though I don’t miss the extra preparation for those.
A view 
I can’t complain about mine, garden and orchard in the foreground, surrounded by a temperate rainforest … but not much for distance... Actually, we can see Bald Peak out the valley! At 350 feet (house level) we're not all that high, but sitting at the foot of the Coast Range we’ll get cool air drainage both summer and winter that stifles ripening to some extent.
And, "amber waves of grain...for purple mountain's majesty, above the fruited plain." --- Thank you!
Viron,
I apologize if the tone of my message came off as harsh rather than friendly familiarlity.
According to weather.com Portland 97218 and Vancouver 98683 have the same all-time low temperature of -3 F in 1950. More typically they don't get below 20 F.
Yet that USDA calculator lists 97218 as zone 8 and 98683 as zone 6. I don't think its because of the exact location from which the temperature readings were taken, or anything like that.
I think its because their program or database at landscapeusa.com is busted.
The Sunset zone system might be a better system in terms of taking more things into account, but the numbers don't correspond to the USDA numbers directly. They take more factors into account. So there is no one to one mapping, like there is between scales measuring the same thing as one another e.g. Celsius and Fahrenheit.
In a bit of browsing, the following website seemed to give a reasonable/plausible explanation of the difference between the Sunset Climate Zones and the USDA Hardiness Zones: http://www.tradewindsfruit.com....._zones.htm
Sunset may be "better" in the sense that Betamax was better than VHS, but USDA is more useful for the same reasons. USDA is the defacto standard. So if somebody tells you they are in climate zone 6 without naming the scale, the general assumption is that they are speaking USDA Hardiness which means a higher minimum temperature than Sunset. Sunset zone 6 maps to USDA Hardiness 7 or 8.
All of the popular mail order nursersies speak in terms of USDA Hardiness when they list zone numbers.
The USDA Hardiness number is a matter of simple fact. Its the average minimum temperature. I interpret that to mean the lowest temperature seen in a location during the course of a year, averaged over a span of years. I'm receptive to correction on my interpretation.
If you want to use a "lookup" map where you can enter your zip code, I have more faith in the one from the arborday foundation.
http://www.arborday.org/treein.....lookup.cfm
At least that one puts Troutdale, Portland, and Vancouver in the same climate zone.
They've also updated their map to take into account changing climate, but they have both the old and new version available and a side by side comparison.
Jafarj,
I just tested two familiar zip codes; my current location (near Gaston) and my childhood home in SE Portland: The Port. location on the “landscapeusa.com†gave it an ‘8’ – the Gaston location got a ‘6.’
I tried the “tradewindsfruit.com/climate†zone search with the same two zip codes and got a “Zone 8 - 9†for both Portland and Gaston!
I'd realized there’s no correlation between the Sunset System and the USDA Zones, as Sunset explains, but the comparison chart is interesting.
So, I was all ready to celebrate my 400th post with a New Climate Zone-finder ‘tag-line’… But I think I’ll hold off. As I’ve used the same for several years now, I hadn’t thought to check around for a new one. But that’s a mighty big discrepancy between zone 6 and zone(s) 8 – 9. Now I don’t know how 'mine' screwed up on Portland vs. Vancouver (WA)? -- But armed with Dubyadee’s excellent description / explanation of Wind Chill – they can’t say Troutdale’s problem is the ‘Coho Winds!’
Other than a rough idea for poster’s across the nation, my best advice remains looking into neighborhood backyards to find out what’s worked for them. But thanks for the research - and your opening explanation " title="Wink" />
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