A Guide to the Weather for Gardeners
I live in New England, where the saying goes, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute.” Indeed, the weather can be drastically different from day to day here,…
I live in New England, where the saying goes, "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute." Indeed, the weather can be drastically different from day to day here, especially at the change of a season. In recent years we've been less able to count on regular precipitation or "normal" temperatures. It can make it tricky to know when to do key tasks in the garden, or even what to feel safe planting.
I know this trickiness isn't unique to New England. Just about anywhere that you garden, you're going to run up against challenges of weather. That's because there's no controlling it.
That's why we put together the "Harness the Weather for a Better Garden" value pack. This is a bundle of reference materials, including books and downloads, that we hand-picked to help gardeners everywhere better understand and work with nature.
For example, recently I started seeds indoors and in a few weeks I should be able to transplant my seedlings to the great outdoors. But what if a late frost threatens my tender plants? This pack includes everything you need to know about frost and freezes—just what they are, when they occur and what to do when they're predicted.
Rainfall and drought—and how they affect our plants—are covered too, including advice on how to water smarter and how to choose plants that need less of the wet stuff.
Maybe you have the sense that the climate is changing, because plants in your garden are blooming later or earlier than in years past, or because you can suddenly grow plants never before considered hardy in your area. If so, you aren't alone, and downloads in this pack discuss the phenomenon and the science of phenology, which studies such things. You'll also learn how to design your landscape to lower your home's heating and cooling bills!
Beyond weather, the pack includes Botany for Gardeners, which will help you improve your plants' health, better design your garden, propagate your own plants and more.
