If you’ve been paying attention to the weather across the United States this past week, you may have noticed that most of the eastern U. S. is experiencing extremely hot temperatures, especially when you factor in the effects of humidity. At the same time, in the western U. S., it has been snowing in the mountains, even though it is almost July! In this week’s blog post we will look at why this pattern of hot and cold conditions occurs so often and what is causing it.… Continue reading this article “Fire and Ice: Why the East is baking while the West is freezing”
Introducing Hamutahl Cohen: from bug-phobic to bug-lover
I wish I could say I grew up with an innate fascination for the insect world—that I was one of those kids who spent hours flipping over rocks to marvel at beetles and ants. But the truth is, growing up in urban Los Angeles, I rarely interacted with nature at all. And insects? I was terrified of them. I was the last person to volunteer for anything involving creepy crawlies.
That all changed in college. I enrolled in an introductory environmental science class, and one guest lecture changed the course of my life.… Continue reading this article “Introducing Hamutahl Cohen: from bug-phobic to bug-lover”
Gardening in high places
I am traveling in Colorado this week, so my thoughts naturally turned towards the mountains. Mountains affect gardening in a number of ways, many of which include a weather or climate component. They also provide some special challenges for gardeners because of the harsh conditions and short growing seasons that are often found in and near mountainous terrain.
How the mountains affect weather and climate
It is said that mountains create their own weather, and there is a lot of truth to that.… Continue reading this article “Gardening in high places”
An Ode to the Dandelion:
Deciphering fact from fiction for one of the most infamous plants in the world.
Dandelions can be a bit of a polarizing subject for gardeners. Some absolutely love them, while others may despise seeing these bright yellow bursts of unconformity in an otherwise ‘pristine’ lawn and garden landscape. Many often find themselves somewhere in the middle of this spectrum. Dandelions are also used as a symbol for resilience–growing despite all odds in some very harsh and unforgiving environments–often ones where few cultivated plants would successfully grow.… Continue reading this article “An Ode to the Dandelion:”
The end of La Niña and what we expect in this summer 2025
In the last few weeks NOAA has declared the end of the weak La Niña that has been present in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the return to neutral conditions. I want to take time today to discuss what it means for our summer growing season in the United States. I will also provide some links to guidance for how it might affect conditions in other parts of the world for our non-US readers.
Why do we keep track of La Niña and El Niño?
… Continue reading this article “The end of La Niña and what we expect in this summer 2025”“Can’t start a fire without a spark”
There are many popular songs about fire. Those of you who are fans of Bruce Springsteen will recognize these lyrics from “Dancing in the Dark”. They popped into my head when I was driving home from Asheville NC to Athens GA this past weekend and noticed plumes of wildfires punctuating the air along the highway. That inspired me to write this post on wildfires, which are affecting the Southeast this spring but also affects many areas of the United States and the world too, especially when those areas are in drought.… Continue reading this article ““Can’t start a fire without a spark””
Hitting rock bottom
“Put rocks in the bottom of pots for drainage” is one of the most pervasive gardening myths, because it makes intuitive sense (as discussed in this earlier post). Understanding the science behind capillary barriers (what gardeners call perched water tables) is not only more mentally satisfying than the faulty belief but it can help you avoid other gardening practices and products that inhibit water movement within the soil (see earlier posts here, here, here, and here).… Continue reading this article “Hitting rock bottom”
Digging into spring planting: The importance of soil temperature and moisture
It’s that time of year again (unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere). Gardeners everywhere north of the tropics are thinking about what to plant and when to plant it. Everyone has their own method for determining when to put seeds in the ground outdoors. Many of them are tied to particular calendar dates or to holidays like Easter or phases of the moon. A few are even tied to sayings handed down from grandparents.… Continue reading this article “Digging into spring planting: The importance of soil temperature and moisture”
Compost, raised beds, and unexpected finds
Like many home gardeners, we maintain a compost bin (a lovely 3-bin system built by my husband). I don’t need very much compost as the only organic matter I add to our landscapes is an arborist wood chip mulch. We do have a couple of raised beds for veggies and I do need organic matter for potted plants, so our compost goes there.… Continue reading this article “Compost, raised beds, and unexpected finds”
Is snow really “poor man’s fertilizer?”
I’ve been thinking about snow and winter precipitation a lot this week as Georgia digs out from a record snowfall that hit the southern part of the state with amounts of up to 9 inches. This is the second snow event this winter, something that does not happen very often here, although I know it is much more common in many other parts of the country and the world. The heavy snow band stretched all the way from eastern Texas to eastern Virginia up the East Coast, bringing record snow amounts to many areas along the path, including a very heavy snowfall in New Orleans.… Continue reading this article “Is snow really “poor man’s fertilizer?””