Summer heat on the way! Tropical Concerns, and Garden tips.

For a while I wondered if the alignment of convection in the tropics called the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) was going to override the coming of 90 degree+ heat to our region.  It has decided to die out instead of progress through the cool phases!  Therefore here comes summer heat!

The good news is that I expect the worst heat of the whole summer during the next few weeks.  On a bad note:  with the coming of a more moderate to even cool at times regime will come serious hurricane threats to the SE US and eventually even to New England.   Please read a TERRIFIC summary of what to expect this hurricane season by Greg Nordstrom.   Greg is an Instructor or Meteorology at Mississippi State University.

As the heat moves in your gardens will need to be tended in a way that minimizes the stress to your plants.  Here are some guidelines:

• Water lettuce, salad greens, and anything else every day.  Pick those crops ASAP because time is up!  Eat your salads and give away what you cannot use.
• It never helps a plant to flood it with water.  Limit watering to 2-4 cups per tomato, pepper, or other summer plant every other day that it does not rain. Water directly to the base of the plants.  Do not water weeds.
• Zucchini, Squash, Pumpkins, and Cucumbers will wilt some in the afternoon heat.  It is normal.  If the plants fail to recover by 5 PM then give them 2 cups of water to the roots.  Begin to inspect your squash, zucchini, and pumpkins for squash bugs.  Remove the ones that you find and either squash them (phew!!!) or drop them and any eggs you scrape off into soapy water.
• Mulch summer plants with grass clippings, ground leaves, or other organic matter to maintain moisture.  
• If your soil is drying out to quickly then gently mix in some compost but do not disturb the roots.  Compost adds spongy matter called humus which will absorb more water.
• Please avoid spraying tomato vines with water.  It increases the chance of disease

Have no fear that this summer will repeat last years inferno.  It is expected that the heat will come early.  Most of summer will be quite nice!

A Sort of ... Green light to plant your summer garden

While I do have some concerns about snowcover in Canada and the Arctic providing a high availability of cold air late this month into May it is time to go ahead and plant your summer garden.  This is not a 100% confident "Green Light", maybe greenish-yellow.  Here are my reasons:

1. The weather pattern here in NC and Central VA is stormy.  No intrusions of cold air capable of frost is expected during the next 2 weeks.
2. Despite the availability of cold air there is no guarantee that the eastern US would be the target.  
3. Seedlings can only be maintained in cups for so long. Some of my plants are consuming their water supply daily.  So, either accept a low risk of an unusual late April/early May front or the plants outgrow their containers.

As always.  I planted some tomatoes and peppers today.  Therefore my plants share the same risk as everyone else.

Coming this week:  Summer and Tropics 2011 preview.

Garden 2011 is underway!

In expectation of extremes of weather through the spring and a possible (we need RAIN!) slightly cooler than average summer I have made the following vegetable choices:

• Spring
• Bloomsdale and Galilee Spinach: Both stand up to the heat better than most varieties.  The idea of bringing in a spinach that grows in the mideast is based on my expectation of a rough spring.  Bloomsdale gets planted now, Galilee in a month.
• Bright Lights Swiss Chard:  The leaves and colorful stems are tasty and useful in salads or sauteed like spinach.
• Buttercrunch Lettuce: We really love this lettuce.  Crunchy and sweet.
• Alfresco Blend Salad Greens:  Most people I know rarely eat salad.  It is EASY to grow and when harvest to plate is immediate the taste is unbelievable!  Amazing amount of food for 2-3 square feet of space.
• Jericho Romaine Lettuce:  We have missed the taste and texture of Romaine Lettuce.  I understand that this variety's tolerance of weather conditions reaches Biblical proportions! :>)
• Summer - Seedlings being planted this week.
• Siletz Tomato: Early season F1 Hybrid tomato which does not require bees or other pollination to set fruit.  This variety is intended to provide a tomato harvest in June before the mid and late season maters are ready.  The plant stands up to cool spring weather very well.
• Homestead Tomato: My main all-purpose mid-season tomato.  Last summer we averaged 6-10 tomatoes per day from late June to early August with a peak of 29 in one day!  All from 4 plants.  I have a small garden and the 4 ft height works out really well.  
• Whatever Craig LeHoullier offers:  My limited space forces me to only be able to have a few full-size varieties.  Those of you who have been to Tomatopalooza or followed my pictures and coverage know that Craig's work to preserve the genetic diversity of varieties which span generation is immensely valuable!  Craig is also involved in a global effort to breed new Dwarf Tomato varieties.
• Partenon Squash: This hybrid is expensive but can both stand up to cooler temperatures (May) and set fruit without pollinators.  My plan to beat the squash bugs is to get seedlings going extra-early and use the 3 strongest plants.  Those of us who do not use pesticides have a terrible time growing squash.  I plan to revert to an open-pollinated type in 2012 if spring and early summer look more moderate.
• Indian River Winter Pumpkin - Bug resistant vines produce the most awesome pumpkins we have ever tasted!  We were eating RAW pieces last fall.  I saved seeds after determining that they were heirloom.
• Malabar Spinach:  A completely edible vining plant.  When the Galilee Spinach gives out then this takes over. 
• Armenian Cucumbers:  I wanted to try something different.  Cucumbers always seem to do well in my garden.  These are related to melons and have a milder taste and thin skin. 
• Stevia:  I am going to attempt to grow some stevia.  This mint relative imparts a sweet taste to food and beverages.  Bruised leaves can make a "sugar tea" which can be used with fruit punch or lemonade.
• Others:  Basil, Bush Beans, Nasturtiums (bugs hate this plant.  great addition to salads).  Cayenne, Serrano, and Jalapeno pepper.  GARLIC!!! (Easy to grow!). Maybe a chocolate mint plant or other herbs.

The big theme this year to is overcome a roller-coaster spring and early summer.  If we can experience some decent rainfall this spring then the opportunity exists for a nice summer ...albeit.. with a bad hurricane season.  No west QBO to limit storm growth and keep them out to sea like last year!

Another Weekend, Another frost

Time to protect the pepper bushes once again.  Frost the next couple of nights will be the product of very dry air, common in November and not a polar or arctic blast.  Frosty mornings will give way to sunny skies and 65-70 degrees Saturday and Sunday. 

Dry air cools quickly once the sun sets and by morning 30-35 degrees colder than the previous day's highs are not that uncommon.  November is the driest month of the year in Raleigh, NC.  The length of nighttime plays a role also as we approach the darkest 2 months (Nov 21-Jan 21).

After another week of mild dry weather there is expected to be a major weather pattern change for the week of Thanksgiving.  This GFS forecast from NCEP depicts a cold high pressure system damming air down the Eastern Seaboard.  Such a pattern will certainly be colder than average and is one that would favor precipitation as warm air aloft would tend to overrun.

GFS Forecasts wedge of cold air dominating the eastern seaboard.
Source: NCEP Central Operations