Re: [gardeners] almanac weather
George Shirley (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Fri, 29 Jan 1999 15:36:48 -0600
margaret lauterbach wrote:
> Well, George says he and Anne should be planting spring garden, but don't
> feel like it yet. If the Old Farmers Almanac is right about their weather,
> they should be planting their spring garden. Feb. is supposed to be 5
> degrees above average, March only 2 degrees below average, and April 4
> degrees below average. In southwest Idaho, we're supposed to be cold and
> not wet enough. I don't foresee any chance for the garden to dry out
> sufficiently to rototill before St. Patrick's Day, when I start planting
> the garden. We're going to have to at least start out with no-till
> methods. That's probably okay, because I have a ton of shredded leaves in
> the garden I can spread to prevent weed germination. I just hope the
> ground dries out enough that I can walk on it without compacting it when it
> is time to plant.
>
> Shoot, we didn't even get the corn stalks ground up for mulch last fall. I
> don't remember whether to blame the start of the pro football season or
> rain. Sigh. I'd give a lot for some of that 70 degree weather. Our
> weather is cold nights (in the low to mid 20s), and high 30s and low 40s in
> the daytime. Not encouraging. Margaret
Our predicted last frost date is February 18th but the old folks in the area
insist they don't plant until Saint Patrick's Day, March 17th. I planted early
last year and lost all seedlings to a late frost, will wait until at least
February 15th this year. But, then, it does feel a lot like spring. The
narcissus have been blooming for a couple of weeks, one of the Gerbera daisies
is blooming, the honey bees are roaming around unseasonably, and the mosquitoes
are ferocious. <VBG>
George