Knowing your growing zone can help you plan your garden!
It will also help you choose the right crops and varieties for your location and tell you when you should be planting and harvesting.
Why
If you live in an area that is hot and humid, choosing a vegetable variety that does not fare well in those conditions is not ideal. Knowing your growing zone will better assist you in selecting the right varieties for your zone.
Vegetables fall into 2 categories; warm and cool-season crops
Check your seed packages to see whether it's direct seeding outdoors or starting your seeds indoors
Generally speaking the warmer your zone is, the earlier in spring you will be able to start planting your garden.
Knowing your zone will also allow you to determine when your average first and last frosts dates are. Which is very important!
Frost
The last frost date is the date in the spring in which frost is least likely to occur.
First frost date is the date in the fall that frost is likely to occur on or after
You DO NOT want to plant warm weather (sensitive) veggies like tomatoes and peppers outside before your last frost date
You also want to ensure that you get these same warm loving weather crops planted in time for them to mature before the first frost
Knowing these dates allows you to be better prepared. Start checking weather forecasts about 2 weeks before your expected last frost. Be prepared to cover any frost/cold-sensitive plants that you would like to live longer/ finish ripening their fruit
