The USDA reports that many areas are now half a zone warmer than on previous maps, “mostly a result of using temperature data from a longer and more recent time period.” (An interactive map is available at http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/). While many debate whether this reflects a global climate change or just a more accurate assessment of the data, gardeners want to know one thing: what does this mean for my 2012 garden?

Here’s what I’ll be doing differently as I move from zone 5b to zone 6a.

I’m starting seeds a few days early: While the change in zone won’t make a dramatic difference in my final frost day, I’m starting my seeds a few days early so I can harden the plants off a few days earlier in the spring.

I’ll be prepared to set plants out earlier than usual: This will be trial-and-error for a few years, I’m sure, but this year I plan to have my plants ready to set out about two weeks before I usually do. Then, I’ll monitor weather forecasts and soil temperature to decide when I can actually plant my most tender plants.

I’m growing more heat-tolerant varieties: Especially in the Midwest, it has always been a good insurance policy to select one cold-tolerant variety and one heat-tolerant variety of such temperature-sensitive plants as tomatoes and zucchini. This year, I’ve put a couple of extra heat-tolerant varieties in the mix to compensate for a potentially warmer summer.

I’m better prepared for unexpected cold snaps: A move to zone 6a certainly won’t stop a freak cold snap from coming in and harming my tender plants if it takes a mind to. I’ll be better prepared this year to respond to unexpected chill with row covers and cold frames for garden plants and sunny indoor spaces for my container garden.

I’ll be thinking of ways to extend my season on the fall end: The new zone map announcement came just as most of us are thinking of planning our gardens, but the few extra frost-free days on the spring end should be matched by a few extra on the fall end. I’ll be planning some cold-tolerant plantings for the main garden that can go in after the main crop ends to take advantage of what I hope is a long and mild fall.

For years, we did not mulch our garden in the fall; we simply pulled the dead vegetable plants and left the plot to its own devices over the winter; however, a few years ago we started mulching it as our final task of the year, and I’m glad we did.

When we began to work the soil the following spring, the mulch had begun to decompose, turning the top layer into a lovely dark brown, crumbly mass of humus and leaf mold. Working that into the soil accomplished the twin tasks of opening up the garden and doing the first soil improvement of the year.

Store-bought mulch is pricey, and sometimes it is treated with chemicals you would prefer not to have in your garden. That’s why we rely on two freebies we have in abundance every fall: fallen pine needles and fallen leaves.

Pine needles: Pine needles are tremendous mulch, acting much like straw when you put them on the garden. They also break down to a beautiful humus in about a season. We use pine needles to mulch the blueberry bushes, strawberry plants, and the fall-planted garlic, along with putting a layer on top of the soil in the pots in the container garden. Contrary to some country wisdom, you have to spread pine needles pretty thick before you change the pH of the soil, so it is generally safe to put down a couple of inches anywhere you need them about once a year.

Deciduous Leaves: Leaves from our other trees, which are primarily oak and sweet gum, also make wonderful mulch that breaks down over the winter, leaving primarily a nice layer of leaf mold that your garden will love. To speed the decomposition, we use an electric leaf shredder that allows us to put leaves in the top and get shredded mulch out the bottom. This gizmo has been well worth the purchase price when putting our garden to bed each year.

Putting the garden to bed is a task that seems to take all available time; we start the process when it is still relatively warm, and we are still puttering with mulches when the temps drop too low to make gardening comfortable. At the end of the season, we are still wishing for just one more nice weekend to put on an extra layer of mulch; however, we are always certain that what we were able to accomplish will mean that the garden is that much easier to work when it comes time to start turning the soil in the spring.

After that first group cleaned up the lot and revamped the soil, they petitioned the city to make that space an official community garden. The city agreed. Since then, this public space still sits at the corner of Houston and Bowery, providing a space for city dwellers to learn the ins and outs of growing flowers and edible plants.

Today, this movement has spread across the world, with groups in cities around the United States as well as other countries, like England and Austrailia. Instead of throwing bombs as in guerilla warfare, these guerillas throw seeds in open spaces with and without permission from the powers that be. Although most individuals in this movement use gardening as a act to make a political statement, others are strictly trying to spread their love of horticulture in urban areas and create more green spaces amongst city blight.

Not only does this gardening movement provide a means of growing fresh food within cities, it’s also a movement that offers answers to other urban problems. Community gardens and green spaces cultivate community and social cohesion. Once a few neighbors see what they can do with community gardening, they start thinking bigger in terms of how they can change their neighborhoods for the better. This, in turn, can also lower crime rates, even in the roughest neighborhoods. Encouraging gardening can also bring awareness to issues around healthy eating while providing a means to exercise.

However, I do use a few tricks to extend the growing season:

Bring it inside. Many plants will make the transition to growing indoors fairly successfully, particularly if they have been growing all season in containers. I have successfully brought dwarf fruit trees, herbs, lettuces, peppers, and even a tomato plant inside. Some will live and produce all winter, and some will die in a few weeks, but it is often enough to get another small harvest.

To ensure the smoothest transition, I like to do a “reverse hardening off,” the opposite of what you do in the spring to acclimate plants to the outdoors. First, dig up and pot any plants you will be trying to move inside that aren’t already in containers; many herbs do well with this. If you are blessed with many still-healthy plants in containers or the ground, choose only those with fertilized blossoms, or those that don’t require pollination; remember that your plants won’t be visited by bees indoors! If you are transplanting from the ground, keep the pots in the same location the plant was already growing until the plant is over any transplant shock.

Next, move the plant gradually into shadier areas that get less light, until you have reached your indoor destination. For me, some plants will land in the unheated sunroom until they finish, while the most sensitive, like the dwarf citrus trees, will ultimately journey to the south-facing dining room window until spring. Depending on the layout of your house, you may want to treat the plants to the light of a grow bulb several hours a day.

Row covers and pop-up green houses. Another option is to cover your garden plants until they finish producing, or even use this method to start a fall crop. Floating row covers work well for shorter plants, while pop up greenhouses provide more protection and height. I am currently starting a fall crop of peas in our pop-up. This will keep the frost off the plants, and with the heat of the sun, can be up to 20 degrees warmer inside than the outside air.

Cold and hot frames. Similar to row covers and greenhouses, cold and hot frames protect plants from frost, often with the use of glass. A cold frame is simply a box filled with or placed over garden soil and topped with glass, while a hot frame employs some method of heat, such as decomposing compost at the bottom of the box. We have a cold frame for lettuces that can be moved into our sunroom for fresh vegetables well into January or later (although we often eat the whole crop fairly quickly), while we are employing a makeshift cold frame made out of old glass doors to weather our peppers until the crop comes in.

While most of us in temperate climates will have to endure a few months without our full garden production, these tips can help you extend the season by a few weeks or more. If my fall crop lasts until I start my seedlings for next year in late winter, I count myself a victor for gardening all year long.

Birds can be your best friend when you want to get rid of creepy crawlies and insect pests around the home without resorting to pesticides. A well-tended garden is a good habitat for all creatures though, both pollinating insects and harmful bugs, so you need to make your home more attractive specifically to insectivores.

A birdbath is a good start, as is installing a bird feeder stocked with the food that is most appetizing to the birds you’re looking to draw in. Be warned, though, that bird feeders may attract animals other than birds. Additionally, planting bright flowers can attract insectivores (both avian and insect) that are also pollinators, so, in a manner of speaking, you kill two birds with one stone.

Slugs and snails are the bane of every gardener, especially a gardener who grows their own produce. A frequently cited method of banishing these mollusks is placing a container of (stale) beer amidst the plants you want to protect. Drawn by the scent (who would say no to malted hops and barley?), the creatures will enter the trap, apparently get intoxicated, and drown.

Since I am of a soft-hearted disposition, and removing dead animals is not fun, I prefer creating a wide border of prickly things, such as crushed eggshells, diatomaceous earth, sandpaper, or cinders around my plants. To a snail or slug, I suppose the sensation would be akin to running your hand down a grater. Not fun, but at least it doesn’t kill them!

Many gardeners think of squash primarily in its summer form, the zucchini, which for some threatens to overrun the garden (and the dinner table) with its prolific production. If you are lucky enough to still have zucchini growing in September, be sure to shred a few and pop the shreds into the freezer in one or two cup portions, perfect for adding to baked goods like zucchini bread in the middle of winter. You won’t regret it when you enjoy the summery smell and taste in the middle of February.

However, fall is also prime time for winter squashes, like butternut squash and the ubiquitous October pumpkins. If you are growing these beauties in your garden, it should be nearly time to pick, if you haven’t started already. Your squash are ripe when they have reached their full size and color, and when the skins have hardened to the point that it is difficult to mark then with your fingernail. You will also look for these signs if you are buying your squash at the farmers’ market. If you are picking them from the vine, the ripe squash should “slip” off, with the part of the vine attached to the fruit already a bit dry and ready to separate from the plant.

Regardless of the source of your squash, you will want to cure them before storage. To do this, simply lay them in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area for several days for the skins to harden properly; a covered porch or carport works perfectly for this process. Then, store them in an even-cooler, dry place like a basement, cellar, or unheated enclosed porch for the winter. Check your stash periodically for signs of softening, mold, or damage from pests, and they should keep for at least three months and perhaps for most of the winter.

Squash are natural additions to your winter diet in pies, soups, and as a whipped side dish in place of potatoes, adding a bit of color and vitamin A to your plate.

To cook winter squash, cut the fruit in half and remove the seeds, saving heirloom varieties to plant next year. Place cut side down in a shallow pan of water, and bake in a 350 degree oven about 35 minutes until the flesh is soft and can be scooped out with a spoon. Whip as you would potatoes or follow your favorite recipe for a burst of summer local food all winter long.

Rather than cultivating a lawn that requires time and care, yet doesn’t give anything in return, it’d be a better idea to grow your own vegetables. A small vegetable garden doesn’t require the backbreaking hours of time and effort needed to cultivate an entire farm, and you can be sure that the produce doesn’t contain pesticides, nor will its cultivation contribute to runoff as commercial vegetable farming might.

You ensure that your fertilizer is environmentally friendly, but have you given thought to what you use to keep pests away? Rather than using chemical pesticides that can build up in the soil, or wind up in the water table, try to attract natural predators to your garden. Not only are ladybirds cute, they can also cut a swath through the aphids that plague many a gardener’s blooms. Not using pesticides means that there is no deterrent against pests initially, so you might have a slightly trying time before the natural predators move in.

Plants need pollination before they’re able to bear fruit. Without pollinators, whether insects or mammals, all we’d have are plants that only flower, which is nice, but not very helpful if you’re cultivating your own fruits; therefore, planting lemon balm or butterfly bushes will attract pollinators. The absence of pesticides will also help pollinators thrive, which in turn will help plants flourish, and not just in your own garden.

Water usage also plays a large part in what makes a garden green. Obvious steps involve using gray water, produced from rinsing in the shower or kitchen, to water the plants. Going a step further would be to collect rainwater for the same purpose. You could harvest it in a rain barrel placed at the end of downspouts, or just use a bucket. Further, it’s worthwhile to water plants using watering cans or drip lines, as sprinklers contribute to water wastage due to evaporation.

Think again! Lawns are one of the biggest suburban uses of water and chemicals, and this practice seeks to grow a plant (grass), which is not truly intended to live the way we expect it to grow.

This year, think about making some changes to the way you handle your late summer lawn, and be a little nicer to both the grass, and the environment it is growing in:

1. Raise ‘em high: Raise your lawnmower height to cut your grass taller than you would in the spring, when it is growing quickly. We expect grass to live in a highly unnatural state by keeping it cut super-short. Instead, let the blades grow a little taller, encouraging a healthier root system and less reliance on additional watering to survive. The grass is growing more slowly in the heat, so you likely will not have to mow frequently, nor will you have as much risk of a dormant, brown lawn.

2. Avoid the monoculture: Grasses are also not naturally grown in monoculture, so our ideal of a wide expanse of uninterrupted Kentucky Blue Grass is largely a fantasy we try to make real with chemicals and sprinkler systems. Make a resolution this year to back off on the herbicides intended to take out lawn “weeds.” These plants – including the clovers and violets in my yard – have different water requirements, grow at different heights, and are green in different conditions, increasing your chances of a lush-looking green lawn. As a bonus, allowing plants like clover into your yard will help attract bees, so critical to pollinating your garden.

3. Take it out front: There have been several news reports lately of urbanites and suburbanites testing the boundaries of how much gardening their municipalities will allow in the front yard, but one thing is certain – the easiest way to avoid babying your grass in August is to grow less of it! I highly recommend interrupting all that grass with an oasis of edible plants that grow well in your climate. If you are planning for a new tree, consider a cherry or peach tree to give you fruit in a few years. If you need border plantings, think about pretty edibles like blueberry bushes or architectural structures that just happen to support beans or cucumbers.

Or, do as I have done, and build a raised bed edged with decorative paver bricks to hold your crop of herbs. Herbs like amethyst basil are striking in their coloration, and those like feverfew give a beautiful crop of flowers. The neighbors will never know that you are using these plants for their culinary and medicinal applications, and you will have plantings that stay beautiful long into the heat of summer.

Container gardens are the perfect solution to such situations. The easy task of establishing one gives you the opportunity to reuse drink containers if you don’t want to buy pots right away. Soda bottles or those large milk/juice jugs can be cut in half to hold plants. The same goes for smaller drink packets or yogurt tubs, which can be used as seedling containers. A dedicated container gardener I know swears by her egg carton “nursery.”

Other gardeners make it a point to use discarded wooden crates or flower baskets, which lend a rustic charm to the resulting garden. You can place potted plants in them, or line them for direct planting, and check them periodically for deterioration. You could also repurpose empty paint cans or bleach bottles if you need larger pots, but don’t use containers that once held toxic products if you intend to eat said plants.

Container gardens are also ideal for the would-be gardener who prefers to have a tight grip on his or her environment. Aside from enjoying the freedom of selecting the potting soil you like, such gardens can be easily arranged by moving the containers to where you want them to be. Cultivating potted plants also means that you can expand the garden gradually.

Another thing I like about container gardening is its small footprint; since everything is in a container, you use less water for upkeep, although you might need to water the plants more frequently. In addition, growing plants this way means that you can move plants indoors when necessary, you can move them to where the sunlight is, and you can use them to brighten up the interior – terrariums, anyone?

You can establish a container garden virtually anywhere. If you want one on your desk, make sure you choose a small enough container and combine it with small plants, the appropriate potting soil, lining material, and drainage insert for instant cheer.

In my case, I couldn’t bring myself to just discard those empty cans. It was bad enough to consume a horrendous amount of preservative-laden food; I couldn’t stomach increasing the landfill load as well. Looking around, I realized that the house needed a cleanup. My gaze went from the scattered stationery to the empty cans and back again; I knew what to do.

Stationery – Once the cans are washed and dried, and their labels removed, just slide in all the stationery you have lying around the house.  Presto, easy-access stationery storage! The same goes for the crayons and colored pencils children seem to accumulate by the minute. Just glue magnets to the backs of the cans, attach them to a wall-mounted sheet of stainless steel, and you have your own art supply wall.

Kitchen – You can use empty soup cans to hold cutlery. Personally, I think my cooking area would look incomplete without the cans that hold my cooking utensils. You could also rig your own coffee roaster if you’re handy with power tools. I am not.

Odds and ends – Rather than root through the junk drawer or sift through an entire box of art supplies for a few beads, I’ve found that empty tuna cans are perfect for storing small items. Since they’re shorter, they fit perfectly inside drawers or craft boxes while keeping the contents separate and neatly organized.

Décor – A plain can is the perfect backdrop for a bouquet of bright flowers, whether fresh, dried, or plastic. If the occasion calls for something prettier, you can dress up the cans with fabric, wrapping paper, or wallpaper. You can also use cans as tea light holders, creating dotted designs by punching holes with a hammer and nail. Fill the can with water and freeze it first to prevent it from buckling during hammering.

Garden – Empty cans make the perfect containers for sprouting. I might even use them as actual pots if I could find large-enough specimens! Although I wouldn’t prettify them, drilling a hole in the bottom for drainage is easily done.

Although I’m not a home improvement genius, I did remember to file down the sharp inner edges of the cans. Here’s to the next batch of (canned) soup!