My theme choice this week. Just Now. I know you were thinking I was gonna put up a baby lamb picture
and that certainly would have worked especially today.
Barely through with my oatmeal and Bet hauls me out into the cold and the “just now” snow, to help with the “just now” lambs. I took lots of pictures, the two of us had fun working together, surprisingly enough we don’t work side by side all that often.
I’ll, or maybe Bet will, tell you more about them, but for now, just now, I want to tell about why I chose “just now” as a topic this week.
Phenological Events
I’ve written about phenological events before, not often, even though it is one of my favorite subjects. I wish we, growers of vegetation, had more phenological data at our fingertips for our individual areas, I find it all far more reliable that a square on a calendar.
Phenology is the study of plant and animal behavior related to the immediate climate. It isn’t a long range predictor but more telling of current situations. My horses don’t grow thick hair in autumn because the following winter is going to be long and harsh, they grow thick hair because that particular autumn’s weather is chillier day and night and longer in duration. That would be more of a predictor of an early killing frost that the amount of snow fall two months into the future.
Thick horse hair would be a good predictor of not getting enough autumn growth on your overwinter produce like onions and cole crops to take them into their winter months.
Spring plantings are far more dependable based on phenology rather than a date on the calendar. Rarely do plants get too early of a jump on things. Because it isn’t as simple as a day or two at a certain temperature, nothing as tender as that would be a good predictor for here. It has far more to do with circumstances building on one another, the soil being warm enough, dry or wet enough, mineral and nutrient releases of significant amounts that cause growth and/or breaks from dormancy.
Determining My Legacy
The sorry thing is, I keep rotten records. I came to this understanding of phenology as a better predictor of planting times a long time ago and there are some things that really stand out in my mind that I go by because I’ve watched for thirty odd years of ardent gardening. Unfortunately, I’ve not made many notes, not even the things I just sort of instinctively know nor have I explored and documented further. But I know with full faith that there is far more to watch and go by that just a few things.
So I’ve determined, along with leaving behind a beautiful farm, with crop and livestock space and cared for wild margins, to leave behind better records of phenological events and what they mean crop wise. So this year I will be attempting to turn this careening out of control bus of documentation around. The only thing that will cause me to fail would be an actual bus running me over during the next five years, before I have enough experimentation and documenting down to be of any use. And that’s a bus I don’t plan on catchin’.
Indian Plum and Daffodils
Indian Plum is one of our earliest bloomers here at VF&G, a trustworthy native. I know that when Indian Plum begins to leaf out and the buds are just swelling and first popping, I can plant my peas. I’ve done that.
And now a week later, just now, I have my first narcissus bloom pushin out of its spathe. Late winter has arrived.
Just amazing Lanny, and very educational – to me anyway.
Your 1st shoots are very encouraging to know spring is on its way, also with your Lambs too, spring in the air.
A good header this week of your farm and the one solitary daffodil (looks like) poking through the wet ground. Too early for daffs yet here, although the snowdrops are starting to make an appearance.
Love the narcissus and the lambs, Lanny. Too early for any flowers here, but it’s nice to see they are starting to appear elsewhere.
well i can tell you right now that if i had a baby lamb i’d have photos of it on my blog. every day!
smiles, bee
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Me too, If I had a new baby lamb I would be showing it off! You can use your blog for recording some Phenology..like what happens in sequence and the dates..like my Robins..and the ice going out and the arrival of the Loons and when certain plants bloom…one wildflower leads to the next around here. You could make a spot on your sidebar or just make notes at the end of your blogpost. Are your eyes all better?? Didya find an old pair of specks to wear?
You’ve got my mind racing. As one who has raised millions of plants (corn and soybeans mostly) every year since the 60’s and one who had a father who would oft say things like Bob suchandsuch always said, “You plant water melons on May 1st if you want a good crop.” Many old timers said the potatos absolutely had to be planted on Good Friday (I think that was a moon thing) and the first week of May was the best time to start planting corn. Earlier than that would make it susceptible to a late frost.
Now our hybrids demand that we be done planting corn in April and soybeans too which most elderly warned you shouldn’t start until May 10th.
There are close records kept by the Universities (Nebraska and Iowa State) and all commercial seed companies about the proper planting date. Missing it by a week or two can sometimes mean the loss of 20 bushels per acre. Take 20 X $6 times 500 or 1000 acres of corn and pretty soon you’re talking about $. The funny thing is that perfect planting date moves around each year from April 10th to May 1st and they don’t come up with it untill the growing season is over and the yields are in.
All said…prayer seems to be the most reliable source. If not for a good crop then for the wisdom to be ‘okay’ with what happened.
btw. The morel mushrooms start when the wild dogwoods begin to bloom. My theory however is that there is no use to start looking for them until the first week of May. That’s why I don’t get upset with the dozens of folks (some complete strangers) going thru our timber ground looking in April. They usually give up by May.
The experts always said cut the alfalfa at 50% bloom. Dad always said we’re going to put up hay May 25th, June 25th, July 25th and August 25th. That worked too.
At the age of 60, I now know enough to be very dangerous to myself.
Sorry, I didn’t mean to try and take over your blog.
Love the new life in your blog this week, from the narcissus poking through top the lambs. Very educational as usual thanks for telling me about phenalogical teaching.
Lanny: That post was so educational with your look at late winter. We would call it early Spring here in Ohio. Love the look of the greenery in your header.
I used to think I was a good gardener – now I’ve realized – I was a fortunate gardener in the places I lived. My attempts at vegetable growing here in North Texas have been abysmal – last year’s container garden was infested by fire ants and no organic or even healthy way to rid containers of fire ants – must use poisons, get rid of the container soil and start anew (with wide barrier of poison around container areas).