|
Post by littleminnie on Jan 16, 2014 0:09:18 GMT -5
Yes we have plenty of snow this year! My garden bench has been covered for weeks.
|
|
|
Post by blackox on Jan 16, 2014 18:56:44 GMT -5
Like Joseph said fires here are named after when and where they happen.
After a few days of nice 50*F temperatures it's back to freezing with snow. At least shouldn't see anymore sub-zero weather before spring.
|
|
|
Post by steev on Jan 16, 2014 20:45:09 GMT -5
Too late to worry about "late planting" here; I'm into "restricted planting". There will be more fallow beds than last year. Oh, well, I'll mulch them heavily for weed control and try to promote the rotting of the mulch by adding nitrogen, just in case it rains.
Phoo! I'm so glad I don't make my living as a farmer; really, that's one very tough row to hoe, and so meagerly respected, these days, it seems. I fear it may actually require social/environmental collapse to re-calibrate people to what is really important and necessary.
Hello! Sorry to distract you from your computer/smart phone, but you've got fuck-all to eat for the next two months! If you're still here then, I'll bring you some greens; don't thank me!
|
|
|
Post by steev on Jan 17, 2014 21:31:23 GMT -5
Checking the weather report for the farm, I note the radar claims there's precipitation out in the Central Valley. Whoopee! Looks like at least a 100 square foot storm!
It is reported that the past week has been the warmest January week on record, and that 2013 was the driest year in California records.
When I'm in charge, the weather will just trundle along taking care of business, not drawing undesirable attention.
|
|
|
Post by freeholder on Jan 18, 2014 23:11:26 GMT -5
It's been more or less normal temperatures here, maybe a little warmer than usual, but definitely way too dry. The farmers and ranchers in the region (Klamath County, OR) were not able to irrigate last summer unless they had their own wells and sometimes not even then (many are on irrigation projects that were built up to a hundred years ago). I hate to think what the restrictions are going to be this year if we don't get a bunch of snow between now and spring.
Kathleen
|
|
|
Post by synergy on Jan 19, 2014 0:25:34 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by olddog on Jan 19, 2014 17:45:46 GMT -5
Ha, Steve, you are so right!
Here it is so dry, when we (or the mutts) walk, dust flies, and swirls up into the air, it is hard to make a cake with volume measurements,etc. There is such dryness, spitting is like rainfall, ! Just hope we do not have another 80 year drought like back years ago, in the big C.state. OUr rainfall this year so far, since September is less than one inch, I believe.
|
|
|
Post by steev on Jan 19, 2014 22:27:16 GMT -5
Aside from the dryness, things are very usual on the farm. My early-blooming Babcock peach started popping out around the Ides of January, as usual (I may never see a peach from that tree, seems the bloom always gets frosted); the other Babcock blooms ~4 weeks later and bears fruit.
I can find not a single new sprout of anything, except where I've watered.
|
|
|
Post by billw on Jan 20, 2014 1:54:39 GMT -5
I grew up in California with the droughts of the 70s and 80s. It wasn't so bad when we lived on the central coast, but Fresno was rough. I didn't think much of 110 degrees and blowing dust when I was a kid, but now I'm pretty unhappy when it hits 80. I'm very happy to live now where drought is still measured in inches of rain per month.
This has been a weird January though! Mostly dry with daytime highs in the 50s with no end in sight. Those are summer temperatures.
|
|
|
Post by bunkie on Jan 20, 2014 10:41:31 GMT -5
We've been socked in with a heavy fog for several days now, temps in the 20Fs and frost everywhere. Sure do miss the sun...or even some more snow!
|
|
|
Post by flowerweaver on Jan 20, 2014 21:23:39 GMT -5
Unbelievably, the polar vortex visited us in southwest Texas, keeping us below freezing for three days. The crops were cold hardy and everything made it through fine with the help of row covers.
Today it was 80F/27C--I can't remember a January day being this warm. It makes me afraid of how hot it will get this spring and summer. We haven't seen more than a trace of rain which means less wildflowers and having to supplement the honeybees. I see signs of spring yet there's supposedly two months before our last frost. I'm thinking I better push planting up by a month. Last year--even with shade cloth--it got too hot too fast and half my tomatoes didn't set. Obviously I need to be selecting/developing plants that can take the extremes.
|
|
|
Post by philagardener on Jan 22, 2014 7:07:55 GMT -5
This morning in Philadelphia we have over 10 inches of freshly fallen snow and a temp of 6F. This winter is proving quite a roller coaster!
|
|
|
Post by 12540dumont on Jan 22, 2014 17:45:21 GMT -5
Not a drop of rain in sight. Dryer than a popcorn fart here. The trees are whistling for dogs to come by.
So the Guv finally noticed and declared an emergency drought. What does this mean? So Cal will take the water from No Cal and everyone will get water restrictions.
Planning ahead I'm going to fallow 1/2 of the farm.
It's January and I usually plant these crops: Broccoli Cabbage Cauliflower Favas (Maybe a half row?) Chard TPS (I think I'm going to skip these altogether this year) Leeks Onions Peas Grains (No) Tomatoes Trees Rhubarb (No)
So I think I'll only do one row of Broc/Cauli/Cabbage combined, one row of leeks/onions combined. I'm currently evaluating whether I should put all the greens in one row and just keep succession planting them.
Hard to know what to do.
|
|
|
Post by steev on Jan 22, 2014 20:53:56 GMT -5
I'm only going to plant what I can water once weekly, weakly.
I started enough Brassicas to plant ~an acre; don't think I'll set out more than 300 row-feet, if that; guess most of those puppies will be salad greens.
One nasty result of the drought will be that there is nothing for the rodents to eat other than what I plant.
Yes, NorCal's water will go to SoCal, so they can grow lettuce, water their lawns, and fill their pools. As in past droughts, NorCal's lawns will go brown, its toilets will go yellow (we really need to get over our repression about pissing in the back yard), and our cars will go un-washed. Personally, I'm so environmentally sensitive and responsible that I've not washed my truck thrice since I bought it in '89.
|
|
|
Post by templeton on Jan 22, 2014 21:04:22 GMT -5
...we really need to get over our repression about pissing in the back yard... Yeah, most of my citrus are in the front yard, the poor Eureka lemon out the back really suffers... T
|
|