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GardenRN
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Phenological indicators, all messed up

I got all excited last year about how well most of the phenological indicators I used worked, but I think the crazy weather this year is going to make it tough to try to follow them again. The one I was most looking forward to was planting the potatoes when the first dandelions appear. Well, I saw 3 yesterday. :( this can't be good. I know darn good and well it's not time to plant potatoes yet here in Va. Should be some time in march or april. What are we to do when even mother nature is confused?

Side note, the weather for the next two days? Forecasted to be 65 degrees and 71 degrees respectively. Really? in Jan in Va? Something is wrong.

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soil
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you shouldn't base your phenological indicators on one year. or even one plant. it will take a few years to know who are the strong indicators. around here trees and shrubs are far more stable and make better indicators than annual plants like dandelion.

this is why having a notebook or calender you write on for this type of stuff helps. this way you can take note of the weather too.

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digitS'
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Jeff, take a look at the 1st page of Applestar's sticky on phenological signs.

You will see something about soil temperature (more important for potatoes IMO) and dandelion blooms/crabgrass germination/forsythia blooms. So . . . how do your forsythia look 8) ?

Dandelions are biennials and seem to be in a little bit of a hurry to bloom in the spring. Since they are small plants and low-growing, they may find themselves in perfect place to warm quickly and bloom. I often find a blooming plant (of course, tiny and easily overlooked :wink: ) right beside the concrete slab at the bottom of my deck stairs. This location almost gets more sun than anywhere else in my yard. A dandelion there will bloom weeks before they will anywhere else - all in my neighbors' yards, of course :roll: .

I can't rely too much on forsythia to prompt outdoor sowing of cold-hardy crops. Invariably, spring rains come with the forsythia blooms here and sometimes it rains for several weeks! The ground becomes awfully soggy.

That may not be true in Virginia and, maybe, the forsythia would give you a better . . . uh, trigger for getting those seed potatoes in.

. . . just my 2¢.

Steve :)

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gixxerific
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Not sure if you can trust the trees etiehr Soil. I saw some just about to flower the first week in Jan.

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soil
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its also best not to use one single tree as an indicator. for example I have a peach up front near the gravel driveway, this peach has bloomed before my almonds even, and long before my other peaches. if I was to go by this tree alone I would be early every year, unless I timed it for something that liked early of course. say if I all my other peaches and all the ones I see when driving around were flowering, I would take that as an indicator more so than the first.

some trees goof like you said, but chances are the majority are going to be on schedule.

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GardenRN
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there are a handful of forsythias at the end of my street that I usually look for once I see the dandelions. (I forgot to look this evening) but Last year I used the combined signals of the dandelions and the forsythias. I'll have to check em out on my way home in the morning. Just forgiggles I may throw a potatoe in the ground to see what happens. :)

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applestar
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For potatoes, you could always try planting with extra mulch. Did you read the thread in which I linked to a Pa. Master gardener's method for planting potatoes in the fall to harvest new potatoes with peas in spring? I think it was called "Fall Potatoes"

Forsythias -- you need o locate them in your area that are in open/exposed locations since they are often planted as foundation shrubs and are in protected area.

I was having similar thoughts about phenological indicators. There is a snowdrop ready to open by my front door.

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GardenRN
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I was waiting for you Applestar :)

Yeah these forsythias are actually out at the end of people's driveways and kind of acting like a barrier between the yard and road. So they're definitely out in the open. And no I didn't read about the fall potatoes....but I'd be very interested to...next stop...!

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applestar
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You know, while this year's weather patterns messing up our garden planting signs will be irksome, I'm more concerned that the unseasonably warm days in winter alternating with "normal" freezing temperatures could seriously damage the tree and other crops.

My Manchurian apricot broke bud earlier in January. We then had Several days in mid-20's and nights in single digits. I'm sure all those blossoms were blasted.

For me it's no big deal except that I won't get to enjoy the dainty blossoms -- I can't remember right now when that normally is, but I think it's normally early March or so. And I WAS hoping that the harvest would have been increased enough this year to do something interesting with the fruits. But multiply that single tree with orchards of fruits, and we are looking at serious food production problems.

For our gardens, I think more adventurous of us could take the chance and try planting earlier than normal. It's 50° outside today. I should be out in my garden. :D

ETA: Now, my apricot was a silly little 3-4 yr old. I wonder if older trees would show better judgment?

DoubleDogFarm
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ETA: Now, my apricot was a silly little 3-4 yr old. I wonder if older trees would show better judgment?
ha ha ha NO!

Eric

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GardenRN
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I have lettuce and onion leftovers that have stuck it out through the limited cold days and kept growing in the garden. Today I dug them up and gave them homes in the new container garden. Not only will it give me a jump if it never ends up getting cold, but it will give me an idea as the how the manure compost is going to do for the plants since I have concerns about my plan to grow in 100% composted manure this year.



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