denemante
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time of planting related to bearing fruit?

Hey all,

As of this time last year, we had edible veggies. Our garden is about the same as last year. But this year - we don't have veggies yet. No idea when we planted last year - could have been a few weeks or more earlier.

Do plants follow the cycle of the year/season/temp? Or is growth based on when you plant? I guess what I'm saying is that if you plant later, will the plants grow faster in keeping with longer days and rising summer temps, so on July 4th, for example, you'd be at the same place regardless of whether you planted a month or two earlier?

Or do plants grow at a stead rate....so if you plant a month later, you'll be a month behind?

veggiedan
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I've never seen a plant consulting a calendar. If they did, greenhouses wouldn't work. But yes, up to a point all biological processes go faster as the temperature rises. The plants don't "know" anything other then temperature.

I can't imagine why, if I planted something in April, it wouldn't be bigger, come July, than something planted in May. Of course, if I planted it in January, there are good reasons why it might not be very big in July. (In that it froze a week later ...)

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applestar
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As with almost everything else in gardening, it depends on the plant.

Cool weather plants should be set out early even with frost and snow, but will not grow well if set out too late when it's getting hotter.

Warm weather plants set out too early may be permanently stunted by the cold even if it's not killed and may not recover to grow well while their siblings, allowed to grow larger and then set out at optimum time/temperature, may continue to grow without setback and far outpace the earlier plants.

Hotter, longer daylight hours and warmer nights may bring correspondingly faster growth only for plants that enjoy them. To some plants like onions and garlic, longer days signal something else. Some plants stop setting fruit when temperatures get too warm, etc.

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digitS'
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Probably, a gardener over your backyard fence there in Atlanta would tell you that the weather warmed much earlier in 2012 than 2013. I have it on pretty good authority that there was over 1100 Growing Degree Days by early May 2012 and less than 700 GDD by that time this year :wink: .

Here is where you can keep track of current accumulated warmth in US cities: NOAA Growing Degree Days. Unfortunately, the weather service hasn't been keep track of things in Atlanta to give you an average but you can see that this is a more normal or slightly below normal year in other Georgia locations.

Of course, all green plants are making use of sunlight for growth but it could be a bright sunny day and below 0°f and no plant would be making any growth that day. (Well, maybe some algae on the surface of the glacier :? !)

As Applestar says, some plants respond to day length. In that way, they are (kind of) consulting the solar calendar. Most of our garden annuals aren't paying much attention to that, however. I realize that they are out under the moon also, but still haven't figured out how that weak reflector of sunlight would have anything to do with their growth.

Steve

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jal_ut
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As of this time last year, we had edible veggies. Our garden is about the same as last year. But this year - we don't have veggies yet.
Yes, same here. I do think it is because we have much cooler temperatures on the average this year. Things just would not get growing. Now that the weather is finally warmer things are starting to move.

Some things do respond to the number of hours of daylight. Onions are a good example of that.

Most cultivars have a suggested number of days to maturity, however, I believe that can vary some depending on growing conditions.

imafan26
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I'd say temperature, genetics, and culture are involved in fruiting

Warmer temperatures are needed to spur growth. And most plants do not produce fruit without ample light

Genetics. Most vegetables are annuals and their biological clocks start ticking from the time the seeds germinate. If the plants are growing in poor conditions or under poor light, their growth will be checked and they may never really fully recover.

Fruits and trees, have seasons, if they miss their season, you will have to wait another year or at least until the next cycle as they are usually also sensitive to day length as well as temperature.

Culture is also important. If you have given your plants a lot of fertilizer, especially nitrogen, the plants will put on the green as opposed to fruit.

If a tree, especially citrus, are severely pruned, it may take years for the tree to produce fruit again.

I plant slightly out of season to get ahead of the bugs. I don't have snow, so I can get away with this nicely.

However, if I plant corn in January it will stay one foot tall until March before growing and will probably never reach its full height and may or may not have enough energy to make corn.

I can plant tomatoes year round, but I have so much more problems with mildew in the rainy season that I don't get that many tomatoes.



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