At some point, if you spend enough time in the garden, you become a geek about something. Maybe you focus on Dahlias, white gardens, composting, propagation, lawn seed varieties, or one of my favorites… Weather.
Anyone who has read this newsletter knows that I try to keep everyone up to speed on where we have been and what is in store. It isn’t just because I love to look at and interpret numbers, but weather has more impact on our gardens than any other factor. Rain, sun, temperature, and wind can create amenable conditions for a successful season in the gardens or they can wreck havoc! As we have seen over the past four years, we have endured drought, rising heat in the summer, inconsistent weather in Winter, and significant wind/rain events.
You read my appeals last Summer and Fall to add supplemental water to your plants, large and small. This Spring, we are seeing the result of another drought on our plants, and the accumulation of droughts is causing significant challenges for many of our large and important shade trees.
Paying attention to the weather over the week, the season, and multiple years can be helpful to ensure the health of your garden, which includes many plants that would take decades to replace and a significant investment. Disease and insect challenges are often the result of stress from temperature and precipitation extremes.
To be aware of the weather doesn’t require a Masters in Atmospheric Science, like Mike Iacono at Blue Hill Observatory, or hours of research. I rely upon four things that provide the information I need.
- Blue Hill Observatory
- Netatmo Smart Home Weather Station
- U.S. Drought Monitor
- Weather Channel App on my phone
Blue Hill Observatory
For 140 years, Blue Hill has been recording weather data and I love pouring over their monthly and long-term graphs on temperature, precipitation and many other factors. Below is their 2024 year-end summary, by Mike Iacono, that puts it all in one graphic, that highlights some important details. I love looking at graphics like this, just like I poured over road maps on trips as a kid before there were iPhones.
- Last year was the third warmest on record, even with the high only being 94º
- We had 6″ more precipitation than the mean, despite being 8″ below the mean from July-November, which is why we are still in Moderate Drought in many parts of New England.
- We had 3.4″ of rain on 12/11, which was after most plants had gone dormant for the season.
Paying attention in the week and month is important, but taking a broader perspective can provide important insights.
Netatmo Smart Home Weather Station
This is a simple, wireless system that allows you to buy the components you want. I change the batteries and clean the outside units once a year. Great, online interface.
U.S. Drought Monitor
While it feels like it has been a wet Spring, we are still Abnormally Dry or in Moderate Drought through much of New England. Things are improving, but we are not out of the woods. The map is clickable and you can get down to pretty good detail on a state and county detail.
Weather Channel App on my phone
Helps to provide decent forecasting for up to two weeks and radar to tell me when to go inside!
If you want to subscribe for free to my more detailed newsletter, please go to the following link: The Barker, a newsletter for gardeners in New England.
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