Greetings from Athens, GA! I am happy to join the group of contributors to the Garden Professors blog. My name is Pam Knox, and I am an agricultural climatologist in Extension at the University of Georgia as well as the Director of the UGA Weather Network and a former State Climatologist from Wisconsin. While I … Continue reading The weather where you are
Since my last post, the news has been full of one weather disaster after another. Wildfires in Maui. The remains of Hurricane Hilary moving north into California and other parts of the western USA with moisture even streaming as far east as Wisconsin. Record-breaking heat and humidity across most of the continental USA and severe … Continue reading Preparing your landscape for extreme weather
I started writing for The Garden Professors a little over a year ago. My very first posting was on “The weather where you are.” In that article, I described some simple ways to measure the microclimates around your yard using some simple hand instruments. But many of you are already well past that and have … Continue reading Measuring the weather in your garden
For those of us in the Southeastern United States, this past week has been a whirlwind of preparation for Hurricane Helene, followed by the terrifying storm itself and now, for some people, months of clean-up and houses, yards, and gardens that may never be the same. My post this week (I did not get to … Continue reading Getting ready for an extreme weather event
Early in August, Hurricane Debby made landfall in the Big Bend of Florida’s Gulf Coast, crossed into Georgia east of Valdosta, and moved leisurely northeast. The remains of Debby crossed the coast, briefly moved over the Atlantic Ocean before turning northwest and making another landfall northeast of Charleston then headed north into New England. While … Continue reading How would your garden handle a 12-inch rainfall?
Last month I discussed the forecast for the Atlantic tropical season and pointed out that it is likely to be an active one. As I write this, there has already been one named storm (Alberto, which went into Mexico but dropped a lot of rain in southern Texas) and two more areas of potential development … Continue reading Tropical storms and hurricanes and how they affect your gardens and properties
In many publications and garden resources you see the suggestion to remove flower buds to improve establishment of new fruit and vegetable plants. This advice is shared for both woody and perennial plants like fruit trees and strawberries and for annuals like tomatoes and peppers. And whenever you see someone stating this as gospel, you … Continue reading This bud (removal) is for you: Does early flower removal aid plant establishment in fruiting plants like tomatoes?
Earlier this spring, I posted an article about seasonal climate forecasting and noted that we expected to see the development of an El Niño after three years of La Niña conditions ended in March 2023. And sure enough, an El Niño was declared in August 2023 and has been strengthening ever since. It has a … Continue reading What a strong El Niño means for winter weather and our gardens
Over the last month, I have seen many stories related to smoke from Canadian wildfires drifting down into the eastern United States, causing muted sunsets as well as terrible air quality. Even my mom up in Michigan told me how bad the air is up there this week and friends in Wisconsin have told me … Continue reading Smoke gets in your eyes…and in your garden!
As a continuance of my Kenny Roger’s themed article last month on sowing and planting at appropriate soil temperatures, I thought this month I’d approach “Know when to sow ‘em, know when to plant ‘em” in a different way. When it comes growing vegetables and herbs, many new (and even experienced) gardeners are confused as … Continue reading You gotta know what to sow and what to plant: Veggies and Herbs
