The Weather, Climate Change and Your Herb Garden

Spring is Approaching fast!

 Things to Consider for Spring

• Germinating Your Own Herb Seeds

• Ordering Potted Herb Plants

• Controlling Garden Pests

• Composting - Using Compost

• Drying and Storing Your Herbs

• Soil Fertility - Soil Testing Your Herb Garden Soil

• How the Changing Weather Will Affect Your Herb Garden

Weather and Climate Change could have a significant effect on your Local Weather

What could the changes everyone speaks about mean to you? It will mean more erratic and ever-changing weather patterns. We will need to pay more attention to your local weather forecast, NOAA Weather forecasts and your local weather radar.

The climate change and variable weather conditions affect the needs of our herb gardens. You might consider monitoring the garden weather with one of the simple and affordable weather stations that are available.

As changes have their affect, make input adjustments as needed.

1. Monitor soil fertility while increasing the use of compost and mulch.

2. Be aware of stress-related insect outbreaks and new foliar diseases.

3. Look for possible changes in problem weed species and invasive plants.

4. Monitor your local rainfall for the week and month. Most herbs will thrive with an inch a week of rainfall.

5. Enjoy earlier spring thaws and later fall freezes.

All of these variables will increase your challenges as you prepare your gardens, tend the growing herbs and harvest bountiful crops. The weather can be our friend or foe; it is a key part of Nature's natural order.

The differences between 1990 USDA Hardiness zones and 2006 arborday.org growing zones, from Arbor Day Foundation reflect warmer climate.

The warmer climate is moving north as illustrated by the comparison of the 1990 USDA Planting Zones Map and the 2006 Map from the Arbor Day Foundation. The zone boundaries have moved north 1/2 of a Growing Zone in the last 15 years. Does this mean by the year 2020 we will be growing tender perennials like Rosemary and Kaliteri Oregano in the Upper Midwest? Only time will tell.

New data shows 1998 and  2006 to be the two warmest years on record for the United States

2006 WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD FOR U.S.

Global warming and El Niño contributed to milder national winter temperatures, making 2006 the warmest on record. Seven months of 2006 were much warmer than average which ended as the fourth warmest December since records began in 1895. It has never been harder to provide an accurate national weather forecast!

• Based on preliminary data: The 2006 annual average temperature was 55 degrees F. which was 2.2 degrees F (1.2 degrees C) above the 20th century average. The past nine years have all been among the 25 warmest years on record for the U.S., a streak unprecedented in the historical record.

• U.S. and global annual temperatures are now approximately 1.0 degrees F warmer than at the start of the 20th century, and the rate of warming has accelerated over the past 30 years, increasing globally since the mid-1970s at a rate approximately three times faster than the century-scale trend.

The unusually warm temperatures through 2006 have been linked to increases in greenhouse gases.

This has made warmer-than-average conditions more common in the U.S. and other parts of the world. It is unclear how much of the recent warmth was due to greenhouse-gas-induced warming, but it is known that El Niño is playing a role in this winter's short-term warm period.

After a cold start to December, the persistence of spring-like temperatures in the eastern two-thirds of the country during the last two to three weeks of 2006 made this the fourth warmest December on record and helped bring the annual average to record high levels.

For example: The monthly average temperature in:

• Boston was 8 degrees F. above average.

• Minneapolis-St Paul was 17 degrees F. above average for the last three weeks of December.

• Denver Weather, included the third snowiest December on record. Denver endured a major blizzard that brought the city to a standstill during the holiday travel season, the temperature for the month was 1.4 degrees F. warmer than the 1971-2000 average.

• Minnesota, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire- All five states had their warmest December on record.

An unforeseen bonus: The unusually warm temperatures in October-December helped U.S. residential energy needs be 13.5 percent lower than what would have occurred under average climate conditions.

Learn to adapt to future climate and weather changes  and your rewards will continue for as long as you can hold your trowel.

Thomas Kueny, Publisher - http://www.growing-herbs.com