Artichoke Lover

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Is anyone else seeing signs of an early or mild spring in their area? I’ve been noticing signs for over a week now. The dandelions started blooming the first week of January, now the oaks are starting to bud, my blackberries are actually starting to leaf out as of today. The bluebirds are nesting. And I saw a pair of barred owls nesting yesterday!
 

Artichoke Lover

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A44BE2D7-F6CB-4D47-816D-B1A88C34717B.jpeg

blackberry bush leafing out
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Dead nettle blooming
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Oak beginning to bud
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New growth on Passion flower plant
 

flowerbug

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well, it is snowing here a bit and the forecast is for colder night time temperatures for a while yet, no signs of it here.

there were some larger buds on some bushes/trees in the later fall because of the mild weather but those will likely just stay dormant now or they may get damaged by the cold and the plants will have to go to their secondary buds.
 

Artichoke Lover

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It’s been a warm winter here and continues to be. I’m significantly farther south compared to everyone that’s replied so far so It would make sense that you wouldn’t be seeing signs of spring for awhile yet even if it’s an early spring our temps are supposed to drop at the end of the month but just closer to normal range unless they change the forecast. Our springs here tend to be very unpredictable and year to year our last frost date can vary by more than a month.
 

Ridgerunner

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Our springs here tend to be very unpredictable and year to year our last frost date can vary by more than a month.

That is exactly the problem. How do you know that spring really is here and that you will not get a freeze or frost. If you plant out your garden and a late frost or freeze hits, you have a problem. But if I wait too long down here the days get to hot and spring-type crops suffer. In Arkansas what often happened to me was that and early warm-up hit and peach and plum trees bloomed out. Then a freeze would hit at a normal time and kill off all the fruit. Another year with no home grown peaches or plums. I don't know of any fruit any better than a truly ripe plum straight from the tree though some others come close. My problem there was not late freezes or frosts but early warm-ups.

I have the same issues down here. Some years March 1st is a good time to get my warm weather seeds in the ground, Some years the middle of February is better. Wait too late and stuff gets cooked.
 

digitS'

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Well, we aren't quite there yet, Artichoke Lover . Perhaps some of those goings-on will show up in a few weeks.

Freezing this morning after a few mornings last week when it wasn't. I'm fairly certain that our coldest weather over the last few months was in the final week of October. It's hard for me to believe that it is January and we still have 15 hours with no sunlight out of every 24.

The lady on teevee just said that yesterday's precipitation on the pass over the Rockies into Montana was rain instead of snow. I think that the snow pack is holding up well although for how long, I suppose we will find out. That the last of the glaciers in Glacier National Park may have melted by a predicted 2030 doesn't seem so farfetched. This January is almost identical to January 2020 which seemed the most unusually warm January in the 50 Januarys that I have been here. It was also the driest growing season ... A little anxious about the year, I could really appreciate something Average.

Steve
 

Zeedman

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A little anxious about the year, I could really appreciate something Average.
My sentiments too, although for opposite reasons. 2018 & 2019 here were very wet, both record-breaking years for precipitation... my rural garden never dried out enough to break ground. Not much sun either those years, even the things which did get planted grew poorly. Last year was a relatively normal year though, if anything just slightly sunnier & drier than normal - a very welcome change. I hope 2021 brings more of the same - @digitS' , you get first dibs on the rain. ;)
 

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