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  • From: Richard Moyer <ramoyer AT gmail.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Somehow we'll make it: Changes due to new USDA zoning map
  • Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 16:24:51 -0500

Rivka wrote:
"What's a far bigger problem than a change in the lowest temperature of the winter is the increase in winter days -- and often winter nights-- that are above freezing, which leads to insufficient hardening off in plants that are likely to then be damaged when the temperature does drop..."

Rivka, please consider my contrary experience:  Having lived most of my life in Zones 8, 7, then 6 (moving north in stages) let me assure you that all manner of native and naturalized plants have the genetic resources to survive, even thrive in severe fluctuations in winter temps, where it can be 70F one day and single digits 2-3 days later.  There are cues in addition to freezing temps that allow plants to become and remain dormant, including fall dryness and shorter days.  My aunts and uncles in central GA grow all manner of temperate perennials, with subtropicals thrown in for fun, places where they rarely get into the low 20s.  They eat cold hardy greens and root crops all winter long; certain of these plants are well adapted to winter temperature swings.  My 'unholy' arugula, bok choy and tatsoi look so much better without flea beetle pressure.  And the high sugars in all the greens and some roots are appreciated on our table, and those of our winter market customers.

Severe freezes in spring, after woody perennials have broken dormancy, is a different challenge, and can be more deadly.  During the great Easter Freeze of 2007, it was the Asian magnolias, Asian persimmons, etc that were killed outright.  Our native relatives came through with no to some damage, but all lived and many fruited normally that year.   Mike McConkey has noted that it's not absolute winter minimums that kill certain Asian, woody plants in his collection that can survive minus 30 to 40, but spring freezes after dormancy has broken, and new growth comes on.

Another instructive event: the (minus) -14F storm in mid-March, during '93 or '94, caused little damage to my wide collection of fruiting plants.  They knew winter was not over yet, despite growing in an area of NE TN where the ground very seldom freezes.

Brett Grohsgal in southern MD is breeding hardy brassicas to withstand single digit lows, with strong regrowth in late winter into spring.  Another example of plants with genetic resources to survive wide-ranging winter temps.   Southern Exposure and Fedco offer a selection of his best seed.

Somehow we southerners have managed to produce a lot of food, even some of it during fluctuating winter temps, in partnership with our plants and animals.

As for the bugs, yes, a mild winter can have many more survivors, and longer periods of frost free days can allow multiple generations of serious pests.  Again, we southerners and the plants under our care have been at this for many generations.  Longer seasons also allow for multiple generations of predatory insects; my tatsoi and a few mustards began to bloom today and are being worked by some small, striped flies and wasps, who I trust will soon be laying eggs in anticipation of their prey hatching out.  Robust ecosystems (whether natural or designed) are highly resilient.  Varied blooms through more and more of the year is a strategy to counter increasing bad bug pressure from milder winters.  Again, we southerners can observe resistance to severe bug pressure in nature, and we mimic it in our better managed farmscapes.

Not to celebrate mud, but we've been dealing with winter mud for millennia (and have depleted soils to show for it).  Here on Feb. 1, my stand of winter rye and peas is beautiful, ready for grazing our milk goats.  I'll take that over Phil's six more weeks of winter.  And our pastures are growing well, 63F and sunny as I write.  Year round grazing (stockpiled forages and early regrowth) can help us off the treadmill of putting up hay in the hottest weeks of the year then doling it out through the coldest.

Thanks for noting the challenges of uncommon winter weather, and the chance for me to share how we and our ecosystems enjoy it.  Our winter market customers certainly enjoyed the volume and variety of field-grown greens in Jan, and we look forward to selling more this month.

Richard Moyer
SW VA  Out to take maple syrup off the pan, as it was 20 then 22F a couple nights ago, leading to a good syrup run.









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