For those of you who are not gardeners/farmers, consumers of vegetables, or concerned about the effects of climate change, keep scrolling or just look away. For the rest, please read on.
The past two growing seasons have been a bit off weather-wise. I've made adjustments but the veggie yields are just not the same as in past years.
I picked blackberries daily just three seasons ago. In the past two years---nada.
In addition to small animals getting pushed out of their original habitats to move into our yard, and the summer wildfire smoke my garden plants have suffered from higher temperatures too soon, too much or too little rain.
So, basically #climatechange is hitting home, right in my back yard garden.
The warming average temperatures, on one hand, will make the growing period for cool weather plants more restrictive (lettuce, celery, other favorites). I tend to delay my process but I have less flexibility of timing seed starting indoors, hardening the seedlings off and then planting them in the ground.
On the other hand, with warmer temperatures, maybe a watermelon or cantaloupe might actually grow to a decent size---something that hasn't happened for me in the 10+ years that I have attempted to grow them (but I'm still trying!).
But, beyond the issues I might face in my little garden, there are plants, insects and other living creatures affected by the rising temperatures. And that worries me more. I've been paying attention to behavior of the birds and I think they know something is up. 🦅
The USDA recently released the 2023 plant hardiness zone map. It is the map used by growers to determine which plants will grow best given a region's average cold temperature range. I first noticed the change when I placed an order for some plants that will ship next spring. In the past, my orders shipped with zone 5 info. This time, plant company's web page listed zone 6. I thought that their page contained an error, or that maybe I had entered the wrong zip code. 😮 Nope.
"This week the map got its first update in more than a decade, and the outlook for many gardens looks warmer. The 2023 map is about 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the 2012 map across the contiguous U.S., says Chris Daly, director of the PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University that jointly developed the map with the USDA." (Simon, J. 'It feels like I'm not crazy.' Gardeners aren't surprised as USDA updates key map.
NPR, Nov. 17, 2023)
The image shows the difference in the Ohio/Michigan/Indiana zone during the past decade. The blue area (zone 5) in Ohio has disappeared.
