Question about Zones
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Donna Alderman
Posted on: November 18, 2008

I live in zone 10 in Florida, USA. Does that mean I can only plant herbs designated for zone 10. What would happen if I tried to grow garlic for instance and/or how should I adapt for a non zone 10 herb plant?

Out of doors, you can only grow herbs rated for the zone you live in. But indoors it is all a matter of how much trouble you are willing to go to, to simulate the missing element in your climate for the particular plant. For garlic I would try to reverse the seasons and keep the bulbs in the fridge over the summer to simulate winter. Florida winters should only require covering the plants when frosts do threaten so that the plants do not go into dormancy too early.

Some herbs require frost to prevent them just petering out, such as tarragon and chives and these plants will have to be put into the freezer for a month during the coldest part of the year to give them that freeze. Other herbs cannot take the fierce heat of Florida summers and have to be moved indoors and air-conditioning during that time. The more cold tolerant herbs tend to be the less heat tolerant they tend to be.

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