Well what bothers me is people in the industry. These forums are really meant for gardeners, not people who sell plants. It's for the people who grow plants.

Professional advice is best obtained locally so these people think they are helpful although I feel they are not. We can tell people where to go if they need industry advice. I'm more interested in what growers know, not sellers, or master gardeners. Anybody can do that anyway. If you have a PhD, well that's a different story, most really know their stuff.

I grow a lot of trees that are grown in CA and Blueberries that are from Florida so those posts don't bother me as much. I'm a zone stretcher and I like to know what;s new there. For example I grow tropical trees and figs. My house and garage is full every winter as I like tropical plants, and plants that need some protection from my harsh zone. Mostly edible too, and do what I can to grow whatever. So my gardening is a year round thing for me.

Sometimes with the right conditions and knowledgeable special care, fruit trees can be grown [outside] in a colder or warmer zone than the one that tree normally can be grown in. There are all sorts of different strategies that can be combined together to get something to grow in a zone it would otherwise not be suitable to grow in. There are also special low-chill or cold-tolerant varieties of most types of fruit trees to choose from. Yes, it is possible to grow cherries in Southern California, or pomegranates in Pennsylvania, you just have to select the right variety.

And it's not always just a matter of chill. Moisture and humidity plays a part as well. For example, it is often very challenging to get raspberries to thrive in the hot dry climate of the Southwest.

Yes, I do know what you mean. Sometimes it can be very amusing reading people from a climate zone totally different than yours discuss trying to grow something. Advice suitable to one climate zone is often not going to be suitable in another climate zone.

In the Fruit & Orchards sections, we have people from all different parts of the country, different parts of the world even. So yes, I think whenever it could possibly be relevant, someone starting a discussion, or asking a question, should automatically list their climate zone or location.

And zones only go so far in telling you about a climate... I love it when people mention their region, elevation, moisture regime, AND zone, though I suppose I could always look up the latter four if they give the actual location!