Useful Link: Growing Degree Day Maps

Faithful readers of this blog, all five of you including two inmates in a Hungarian penitentiary, know that I'm about as big into phenology as one could be. See?

Plants grow best at temperatures above 50 degrees. So, instead of looking at the calendar to see where your plants should be, it's better to see how often it's been above 50 degrees. Enter: the growing degree day, a rough calculation of how much the weather has been above 50. It's a useful indicator for gardeners because plants bloom, insects emerge, and celebrities wither at set phenological times. For instance, dandelions first flower at about 50 growing degree days, lilacs at about 238. (Kiddos - enter your phenological data here. Don't mention it to your friends. You'll surely remain dateless at prom if you do.)

Starting last year, all updates on this here "world wide web log" were keyed to GDDs, setting up comparisons (and fodder) for this year's posts.

The link below generates maps GDD across the county, allowing New Englanders to obtain a graphical representation of some of their poorer horticultural decisions as they covet gardens of warmer climes. GDD Maps.

Sources: U. Mass., U. Wisc. Penn St., Project Bud Burst

Hi, I'd Like to Buy Some Flood Insurance . . .

Charles River - Hemlock Gorge Dam, originally uploaded by tpl108.

February's record-setting rainfall firmly pushed eastern Massachusetts out of a mild drought that had persisted since the end of last summer. In all, about eight inches of precipitation fell over the past month. This should help my rhododendrons, which were ravaged by cold and dry conditions last winter.

Early October Update

A week into October, the harvest keeps on trucking. Here's a tiny Better Boy surrounded by two dozen or so Yellow Pear tomatoes and one or two Sungolds.

The past several weeks have been an extension of summer with high temperatures and very little rain. Boston experienced its second sunniest September in recorded history, and yet we can still fault the weather as we struggle with a mini-drought.

The pepper plant recently set two good-sized peppers while the fall crop of snap peas struggles with the heat. The Kentucky Wonder green beans recent closed up shop, apparently having given up on waiting for me to water. The summer squash, with one last gasp, set fruit this past week.

After weeks of permissive neglect, the garden is moving back to center stage as the threat of frost looms heavy in forthcoming weeks of October. Last year, frost hit on October 15th.

Like a parent who's realized that he's spent a few too many hours in the office while little Rickey spent his time with an increasingly-impatient day care staff, I hope to atone for my weeks of inattention. (We were hoping to make you a strong and independent garden! Is that really such a crime? Who knew you needed water everyday or every third day for that matter? If I'm guilty of anything, it's loving you too much.)

But fear not, Champ. It's nothing but pony rides, moon pies, and blood meal from here on out -- at least for the next week or two until the frost silently swoops down from a clear cold night and squeezes the life out of you. But, in the meantime, have another Cherry Coke. You deserve it!

Weekly Update: Storms Batter Grange (GDD 1455)

More than two inches of rain fell in less than two hours, upsetting the delicate balance of the grange. High winds knocked over three tomato plants and twisted up the peas something fierce.

Weather channel fodder aside, it was a good week actually. The first ripe tomato of the season appeared while the squash plant finally set fruit. The peas set an incredible number of pods enabling the largest harvest of the season.

Like it is . . . The Week that Was
7/26 - Phlox blooms
7/27 - First tomato harvested. Sungold 60 Days
7/28 - First squash appears

When Forecasters Jones

Weather forecasters seem to be a reserved bunch of folks. When the Patriots win the Super Bowl, they're not out there rioting and flipping over cars. They're out there telling folks to put some gloves on, for heaven's sake. There's no whooping, no hollering, no bullets from the AK.

So, it's a rare day, indeed, when this coarse facade is lowered and the emotions leap out. In the afternoon forecast discussion issued by the National Weather Service in Boston, the prospect of a huge nor'easter next week was apparently too much for one meteorologist, as witnessed by the following lead. (ed. note - forecasters always write in capital letters)

WOW!!! HOW ABOUT THAT 12Z GFS AND 12Z UKMET? [Has a nerdier sentence ever been written? I love it.] A CLASSIC NEW ENGLAND COASTAL BOMB WITH SYSTEM BECOMING VERTICAL STACKED...YIELDING A LONG DURATION WINTER EVENT HERE.

LOTS OF DETAILS TO BE WORKED OUT...ESPECIALLY ON HOW PROGRESSIVE THE
WESTERN RIDGE BECOMES AND ITS AMPLITUDE...WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY
IMPACT THE CONFIGURATION AND DEPTH OF THE DOWNSTREAM TROF HERE IN
THE EAST. HOWEVER ENOUGH SUPPORT HERE TO KEEP CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE
FORECAST THU AND FRI. STAY TUNED!

It's unusual for any technical forecast discussion to put so much emphasis on a 162 hour forecast. Just how badly do you think this guy wants it to snow? While this storm does look impressive, especially considering that the model appears to foreclose the possibility of any rain/snow mixing, it's hard to imagine that the near total lack of snow this season hasn't played at least some small part in this forecaster's jonesing for snow.

Cold Snap Forecast for Midweek; Low Temps Great for Peonies

pink world, originally uploaded by ms.lume.

A pool of arctic air is forecast to slip southward into New England on Wednesday, bringing a much-needed dose of seasonal reality to the grange. Forecasters predict temperatures will bottom out around 5 above.

This is great news for the peony that was transplanted in the fall. Peonies are incredibly hardy, withstanding temperatures as low as 50 below and rewarding gardeners with giant blooms the following spring. In fact, peonies, much like the homeless polar bears, need prolonged winter temperatures below 40 degrees. This chill breaks the plant's dormancy and prepares it for spring. Without the cold, it likely will not bloom.

Grange Experiences First Light Freeze of the 2006 Season

Above and Below the Ice
Originally uploaded by Reciprocity.

Early this morning, under a clear sky with calm winds, the temperature slipped below freezing for an hour or two, foreshadowing the close to this year's growing season. In anticipation, tender plants such as the oxalis and Christmas cactus were moved into the relative shelter of the garage. Hardier perennials such as the herbs were allowed to weather the cold unsheltered.