Well one week of nice weather and we probably all want to get out the bikinis and speedos. It's not quite that warm yet, so keep those clothes on for a while longer.
As if I needed an excuse to run over to the garden, I thought it would be a nice time to take a temperature reading after the warm weather this week and the rain last night. This would provide an accurate account of just where things stand.
Things are definitely heating up...............................
Soil Temperatures - Spring 2014 - Friday 2/21
All temperatures were taken between 4:15 and 4:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon. The sampling included 20 beds, five from each section.
Of the beds checked, our coolest was number 22 with a temperature of 54.3 degrees Fahrenheit. As anticipated, this bed would be somewhat cooler in temperature compared to others in that section due to the nice mulch layer of pine bark nuggets. The bed next-door (number 23) was a full 5 degrees warmer without any evidence of mulch on top of the soil.
Our warmest bed is number 43 in the process of preparing to improve soil structure. The temperature in this bed was 64.4 degrees Fahrenheit. It is too early to tell if one area of the garden is warmer than another as at this point readings are well mixed in each section.
After some basic math, the garden average at this time is 59.6 degrees Fahrenheit. In looking at the extended 10-day forecast, they are predicting four nights below freezing with one in the teens next week. This will take our ground temperatures back a bit. It will be interesting to see if we are able to hold on to any of the rapid gain from this week.
Happy Gardening,
Denise, Beds 25 & 29
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