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Rochester gardening season extended
It’s official: The growing season in Rochester is now a bit longer.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture this week released a new zone map. The zones are based on the average low temperatures of a latitudinal area, with lower zone numbers meaning a longer growing season.
The map points toward to a slightly hotter 21st century, following a warming trend the second half of the 20th century.
The Monroe County region moved up half a zone — with zones that were in 6a moving to 6b and zones that were in 5b moving to 6a, according to Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County.
That means more planting can be done in mid-May instead of Memorial Day weekend and the fall season is lasting more toward the end of October instead of the beginning, local gardening experts said.
Includes reporting by The Associated Press.
