Across much of the nation, Spring 2009 has been the meteorological equivalent of a dead cat bounce. For those willing to be drawn in by a few days of warmth, the glow of spring blossoms, and the belief that warmer days really are around the corner, there has been just enough time to sink some seeds into the garden. But right around the time germination should be expected, February roars back with freezing temps, frozen precipitation, and commuters zipping up their winter coats to brave the chill.
I've done a decent job documenting here what things have been like in Chicago. A quick trip to Facebook reveals status updates from the West Coast, Southeast and Northeast that show things aren't much different elsewhere. They offer takes such as "...wonders why it's snowing in April, in Georgia" and "...wants to know where the Hell spring is" and "...would appreciate it if Jack Frost would go on vacation already."
Earlier this year I spoke with Rick Belding, the horticulturist in the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden at the Chicago Botanic Garden, about garden planning that could be done in the dead of winter. At the time, he told me that even here, in temperate Zone 5, a grower could get three full seasons of vegetables out of a garden. Of course that was before the first eight days of April failed to get a single day above 53 degrees.
So, I decided to check in with Rick, to see how his garden is faring in the cool cruel near-spring.
"We will commence planting today. We didn't want to plant
when we knew nighttime lows would be below freezing," offered, immediately making me once again fear the fate of my peas, onions, spinach and lettuce.
But he assured me.
"Unless the temperature dips below the mid-twenties, spinach, peas and onions
should survive."
The extended cold has basically put everything in the garden on pause. This is a good thing, because if they had taken off at their normal growth rates they may be in a bit more trouble.
"Cool-season crops can tolerate temperatures slightly below freezing. A heavy
frost could kill plants however, if the frost isn't removed before those plants
receive direct sunlight."
Rick added that the cold hasn't been the only thing causing delays. The incredible amount of precipitation that already fallen in the region -- 170% higher than normal since March 1 -- has also caused delays.
This, he said, is because gardeners should never work wet soil. While it may all seem like dirt to us, soil has a structure that will be destroyed if it is worked when wet. Getting soil to recover after this abuse, can take years, he said.
But, he said, the wet hasn't been as bad as it could have been.
"Since the temperature has been lower than normal, it's not such a bad thing. If
it was really wet and warm that would be much worse. Also, it's been quite
windy, which helped wick moisture from the garden."
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