The journey to self-sufficiency in Zone 9

On Matthew’s Planet, The Dad is an inexperienced gardener who wants to take a small piece of Southern Alabama and turn it into a haven for beneficial wildlife, and a self-sustaining vegetable and herb garden. Thus The Zone 9 Garden Experiment was born.

The USDA has recently updated the Plant Hardiness Map and our land is right on the border of zones 9a and 9b.

Winter gardens should thrive in zone 9 but cold hardy plants may not survive the summer heat.

The summer months will require heat tolerant vegetables, herbs, and citrus & fruit trees.

With temperatures in our particular part of Zone 9 rarely getting below freezing, it will be an interesting experiment to see how long we can extend productive growing and harvesting periods.

With heat tolerant plants we might achieve 40+ weeks of fresh produce from the garden vegetables and herbs.