warm winter

while some may say we have had beautiful weather, i disagree. we have had a warm winter. not just a mild winter with little snow and cool temperatures, but warm. we have seen days in the 50s, even 60s, on a regular basis. if it gets down to 20 degrees, it doesn't stay there long. we have had two snow storms, both with minimal consequences. people may love this weather, but farmers do not.

yes, it is nicer weather for doing outside chores, and for picking produce for market that is growing outside and going to market, but what about the long term effects of this warm winter? what is going to happen come spring?

there is no snow, which means no snow melt come spring. spring will be drier and groundwater isn't going to have a chance to replenish itself. that could really hurt us when the dry summer hits us. if there is no rain, and minimal groundwater over the summer, how are our crops going to get watered?

we always have insect issues on the farm, but spring is a time to start over because so many bugs die in the winter. some can survive the cold and snow, but not most. with this being such a warm winter, those bugs are surviving and are going to be out looking for food early in the year. there will be more bugs and more species to deal with this year. that is going to hurt our crops and take more time for us to deal with when we have other things to do.

weeds are also always an issue. but again, spring is a time to start over. weeds have died over the winter and their seeds in the ground are dormant. not this year. most weeds may have died, but their seeds are just waiting for the chance to grow. and many weed plants have just gone dormant, their roots are still intact. we have had frost, but the ground is not frozen. insects, weed plant roots and their seeds can easily survive.

all of these warm sunny days signals spring which signals a time to grow. perennials think it is time to push their way through the ground. i saw crocus with buds this morning walking through the city. i am very concerned about the perennials we have on the farm - mainly asparagus, strawberries and rhubarb. if they start pushing up now, then we get hit hard by cold or snow, they are likely to die. and who knows if they would come up again. and even if we don't get any really cold weather, if they start growing now, they will be ready to harvest by 1 april. our markets haven't started their regular schedule by april and we would have nowhere to sell the product.

all around, this unusually warm winter is not a good thing, despite people saying on facebook 'how beautiful it is outside today.' there are long term, negative consequences that could come from this. now, it is still the very beginning of february. we could still get some very cold weather and snow. and let's hope we do.