Sunset Western Garden Book lists Mason County as Climate Zone 4, with the areas nearest Puget Sound as Zone 5. Average winter lows in Zone 4 range from 34 degrees F down to 28 degrees F, with exteme lows averaging 8 to 0 degrees F. The growing season is 150 to 200 days long. Because summers are temperate, plants take more time to develop. If you are sowing vegetables, add at least 50% to the days-to-harvest figure listed on the seed packet.

Follow these links for more general gardening information:

• Gardening in Western Washington
• Native Plants of Western Washington
• Fruit horticulture research from WSU Mt. Vernon Research Center
• HortSense
• Washington State Master Gardeners
• WSU Small Farms