Find your hardiness zone - Fun at-home activities for Kids.

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Find your hardiness zone

Use a map, local climate data, and temperature records to find your USDA hardiness zone, then plan plants suited to your area.

Table of contents

Step-by-step guide to find your hardiness zone

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What Is the Habitable Zone?

What you need

Usda hardiness zone map or online map access, local climate records or summary from a library or weather site, notebook, pencil, coloring materials like crayons or markers, seed packets or plant information guide, adult supervision required

Step 1

Write your town or the closest city and state at the top of a page in your notebook.

Step 2

Open the USDA Hardiness Zone Map or the online hardiness map and find your town on the map.

Step 3

Look at the map legend and write down the zone number that matches your town.

Step 4

Find local climate records that show the average annual extreme minimum temperature and write that temperature in your notebook.

Step 5

Match the temperature you found to the temperature ranges in the map legend to confirm your hardiness zone.

Step 6

Make a list of five plants you would like to grow in your notebook.

Step 7

For each plant on your list check the hardiness zones on seed packets or a plant info guide and mark which plants are safe for your zone.

Step 8

Cross out any plants that are not safe for your zone and choose replacements for each crossed out plant.

Step 9

Draw a simple garden plan in your notebook showing sunny spots and shady spots.

Step 10

Place each suitable plant on your drawn garden plan where it will get the right sun or shade.

Step 11

Write the bloom time and how far apart each plant needs to be next to its name on your plan.

Step 12

Make a simple care schedule listing watering frequency and key frost dates for your plants.

Step 13

Color your garden plan with your coloring materials.

Step 14

Share your finished garden plan and notes on DIY.org.

Help!?

What can we use instead of a notebook or the USDA Hardiness Zone Map if we don't have them?

If you don't have a notebook, use a printable worksheet or a notes app on a tablet, and if you can't open the USDA Hardiness Zone Map online, check your county extension website or NOAA climate pages to find your town's hardiness info and extreme minimum temperature as in steps 1–4.

I can't find my town on the map or my local climate records don't match the zone shown—what should we do?

If your town isn't on the map or the zone looks different, enter your ZIP code on the USDA map, or use the average annual extreme minimum temperature from your nearest weather station and match it to the map legend as described in steps 2–5.

How can we make this activity easier for little kids or more challenging for older kids?

For younger children, simplify steps 6–13 by choosing three easy plants, using stickers and pre-drawn garden templates to place them and color the plan, while older kids can research five or more plants' zone ranges, calculate exact spacing in inches for step 11, and build a detailed watering and frost-date care schedule in step 12.

What are some creative ways to extend or personalize our garden plan after finishing the steps?

Extend the project by measuring your real garden bed and recording sun hours before you draw the plan (step 9), making waterproof plant labels, creating a month-by-month planting calendar tied to your key frost dates (step 12), and posting progress photos on DIY.org as suggested in step 14.

Watch videos on how to find your hardiness zone

0:00/0:00

Here at SafeTube, we're on a mission to create a safer and more delightful internet. 😊

Tomatoes Shed Light on How Plants Fight Drought | National Geographic

4 Videos

Facts about plant hardiness zones

🗺️ The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map divides North America into 13 zones based on average annual minimum winter temperatures.

🌡️ Each whole-number hardiness zone represents a 10°F difference in average extreme minimum temperature (zones are split into 5°F 'a' and 'b' subzones).

🌱 Plant labels often list the coldest zone a species can tolerate — if a plant is hardy to zone 5, it should survive winters in zone 5 and warmer zones.

🗓️ Hardiness zones are calculated from long-term climate records (typically 30 years), so they reflect averages rather than one-off cold snaps.

🔥 Because of warming, many locations shifted one or more zones when the USDA updated its map in 2012.

How do we find our USDA hardiness zone using a map and local temperature records?

Start by locating your exact town or ZIP code, then open the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (interactive online). Note your zone number by matching your location to the map. Gather local climate data—average annual minimum temperatures—from NOAA or your local extension service and compare with the zone ranges. Record recent low temperatures and test plant labels for that zone. Use findings to pick plants rated at or below your zone for best survival.

What materials and tools do we need to find our hardiness zone?

You'll need a computer, tablet, or smartphone with internet to access the USDA interactive map and NOAA climate records. Printable maps, a local map or GPS coordinates, a notebook and pencil for notes, and a calendar of temperature records help. Optional: a backyard thermometer or data from a local weather station and contact info for your county extension office. These tools let kids compare maps with actual temperature data safely.

What ages is this hardiness-zone activity suitable for?

This activity suits many ages with adult guidance. Preschoolers (4–6) enjoy map spotting and planting seeds with help. Elementary kids (7–11) can read maps, enter ZIP codes online, and record low temperatures. Tweens and teens (12+) can analyze multi-year climate data, compare plant zone requirements, and create planting plans. Always supervise young children around tools and internet searches, and adapt explanations to match the child's reading and math skills.

What are the benefits of finding your hardiness zone and how can we vary the activity?

Finding your hardiness zone teaches kids about climate, seasonal changes, and plant needs. Benefits include smarter plant choices, higher survival rates, and hands-on science learning. Variation ideas: turn it into a neighborhood treasure hunt mapping zones, compare historical records to talk about climate change, or plan a themed garden (pollinators, herbs). For safety, keep online searches supervised and store weather data responsibly.

Ready to create?

All Activities

Find your hardiness zone

Use a map, local climate data, and temperature records to find your USDA hardiness zone, then plan plants suited to your area.

Table of contents

Step-by-step guide to find your hardiness zone

0:00/0:00

Here at SafeTube, we're on a mission to create a safer and more delightful internet. 😊

What Is the Habitable Zone?

What you need

Step 1

Write your town or the closest city and state at the top of a page in your notebook.

Step 2

Open the USDA Hardiness Zone Map or the online hardiness map and find your town on the map.

Step 3

Look at the map legend and write down the zone number that matches your town.

Step 4

Find local climate records that show the average annual extreme minimum temperature and write that temperature in your notebook.

Step 5

Match the temperature you found to the temperature ranges in the map legend to confirm your hardiness zone.

Step 6

Make a list of five plants you would like to grow in your notebook.

Step 7

For each plant on your list check the hardiness zones on seed packets or a plant info guide and mark which plants are safe for your zone.

Step 8

Cross out any plants that are not safe for your zone and choose replacements for each crossed out plant.

Step 9

Draw a simple garden plan in your notebook showing sunny spots and shady spots.

Step 10

Place each suitable plant on your drawn garden plan where it will get the right sun or shade.

Step 11

Write the bloom time and how far apart each plant needs to be next to its name on your plan.

Step 12

Make a simple care schedule listing watering frequency and key frost dates for your plants.

Step 13

Color your garden plan with your coloring materials.

Step 14

Share your finished garden plan and notes on DIY.org.

Help!?

What can we use instead of a notebook or the USDA Hardiness Zone Map if we don't have them?

I can't find my town on the map or my local climate records don't match the zone shown—what should we do?

How can we make this activity easier for little kids or more challenging for older kids?

What are some creative ways to extend or personalize our garden plan after finishing the steps?

Watch videos on how to find your hardiness zone

0:00/0:00

Here at SafeTube, we're on a mission to create a safer and more delightful internet. 😊

Tomatoes Shed Light on How Plants Fight Drought | National Geographic

4 Videos

Facts about plant hardiness zones

🗺️ The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map divides North America into 13 zones based on average annual minimum winter temperatures.

🌡️ Each whole-number hardiness zone represents a 10°F difference in average extreme minimum temperature (zones are split into 5°F 'a' and 'b' subzones).

🌱 Plant labels often list the coldest zone a species can tolerate — if a plant is hardy to zone 5, it should survive winters in zone 5 and warmer zones.

🗓️ Hardiness zones are calculated from long-term climate records (typically 30 years), so they reflect averages rather than one-off cold snaps.

🔥 Because of warming, many locations shifted one or more zones when the USDA updated its map in 2012.