Howdy Folks,

The growing season is upon us and we’re patiently waiting for some of our summertime vegetables.  Although I am looking forward to the harvest season, it is worth stepping back and looking at what exactly defines the “growing season”.  

The growing season is loosely determined by when the ground is no longer frozen and is dry enough to work.  The temperature at this time outside is mostly comfortable and animals and insects are becoming active.  Although these are signs that life is waking up, the big consideration for vegetable growers is the temperature of the soil.  

The soil takes a long time to warm up from the winter.  When the outside temperature is quite warm for a week or so, we can sometimes be fooled to think the ground temperature is warm, too.  One way I tend to look at this is by night temperatures.  If night temperatures are cold throughout the spring, we’re going to get off to a slower start than if the night temperatures are warm.  

I know you’re all thinking how in the world will it be warm at night in April in Pennsylvania?  The answers are clouds and rain.  Rain brings warmer temperatures at night and clouds keep that warmth down low preventing its escape into the atmosphere.  Of course it’s complicated, because we need the sun during the day to warm things up and we don’t want too much rain or we can’t get out in the fields to plant.  I know you’re all seeing my ideal April.  Sunny Days with most of the nights warm and cloudy with a modest amount of rain. 

If you go out into your garden in early April, there will be some plants starting to grow:  Garlic, dandelion, nettle etc.  You’ll see grass greening up across the landscape.  There’s certainly something going on in the soil that’s encouraging plants to grow.  There are some we can and do grow for early production: radishes, turnips, spinach, lettuces… most of the vegetables we grow require warmer soil temperature.  

That magical soil temperature number is 50 degrees.  Once that temperature is hit it is absolutely, positively time to not hesitate for another moment, and it’s time to sprint, run, jump and plant…plant plant plant. This is what we are doing right now.  We are planting out watermelon, sweet potatoes, eggplant, beans, and cucumbers!  Some of these we are putting in the 2nd or 3rd succession planting, others the first and only, like the sweet potatoes. 

Your Farmers, 

Chris, Aeros and The Who Crew