March 13 - Tulips peak through soil; second round of looseleaf and romaine lettuce as well as spinach started; soil temperature at 6 inches - frozen; soil temperature at 2 inches 39 (GDD 12)
March 14 - Record warmth with a high of 70.5. (GDD 6, 18)
March 16-17 - Snowstorm drops nearly 9 inches of snow. (GDD 18)
March 21 - Crocuses bloom
March 24 - Raised garden bed built
March 5 spinach seedlings sprout 6 days after sowing (GDD 12)
March 6 cold snap begins as temperatures drop to the single digits (GDD 12)
Highlights from the past week
March 1 Chives left outside all winter begin sending up shoots despite partial covering of ice. (GDD 12)
March 3 Romaine and looseleaf lettuce sprout 4 days after sowing (GDD 12)
An acronym within an acronym (NOAA Online Weather), the National Weather Services' NOW Data offers incredibly useful information. For example, it logs "first/last" dates, such as the first frost, the first 28 degree day, the first time the temperature didn't get above 32, the first 90 degree day, and so on, as well as the last date counterparts. Even cooler is that it notes how many days lapsed between the two dates.
This information can be used to figure out the length of a growing season. For instance, in 2006 the last 32 degree night on the Grange was on April 30 while the first was on October 14, a span of 166 days.
