Southern Ontario Grow Zones: What grows where?
Southern Ontario Trip 2024
This year we took a tour of the warmer part of Ontario with our team. We began in our hometown. With access from the sea via the Saint Lawrence Seaway the Lake Ontario port city of Hamilton is heavily endowed with industries. Known as the city of waterfalls, Hamilton is home to 156 waterfalls some of which are major and some minor. South of the city in the community of Mount Hope lies major international airport YHM. Mt. Hope lies on the linear threshold of the southern Ontario growing zone 6b.
Crossing the Grand River in the town of Caledonia you start to see the major crops of the region such as: soybeans, grain corn, winter wheat, fall rye, spring wheat. Southward more you are entering the tobacco growing belts through Simcoe. Passing Chatham, entering into zone 7a is Central-Eastern Canada's most temperate grow zone. South of Leamington lies the oldest national park in Canada: Point Pelee. This marks the southernmost point of mainland Canada.
Only Pelee Island, offshore in mid Lake Erie can claim the title of Canada's most southern inhabited location. Soy, wheat, grapes and organic market garden vegetable growing occurs there. This represents the most mild climate in Eastern Canada and the great lakes region.
The southwestern Ontario prominent trees include: Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), White Oak (Quercus alba), Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum), Red Oak (Quercus rubra), American Beech (Fagus grandifolia), Hawthorns (Crataegus), Basswood (Tilia americana), American Elm (Ulmus americana), Black Oak (Quercus velutina), the endangered American Chestnut (Castanea dentata), fast-growing Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera), the tough and hardy Ironwood (Ostrya virginiana), the large and enchanting Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), Bitternut Hickory (Carya cordiformis). Outside the town of Petrolia, at the site of North Americas oldest and first oil well; James M. Williams setup a producing well in Oil Springs and refinery in Hamilton.
Other landmark sites in southwestern Ontario include The Pinery provincial park set on the shores of Lake Huron. Home to many of it's namesake the various Pinus species (Eastern white pine, Red pine, Scots pine) grows plentifully and tall. Overall an interesting part of Canada that can easily be overlooked. We wanted to take some time to help explain this part of our land.
Thanks for reading