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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] tracking soil temps

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  • From: Road's End Farm <organic87 AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] tracking soil temps
  • Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:33:45 -0400


On Jul 21, 2009, at 9:20 AM, Marcy Nameth wrote:

<x-tad-smaller>The temps vary widely during the day and during cold spells and I was just thinking that it wouldn’t be very reliable to use when I read under corn to use the 9:00 a.m. soil temp.</x-tad-smaller>
<x-tad-smaller>Johnny’s points out that it also makes a big difference if you’re using untreated (vs treated) seeds.</x-tad-smaller>
<x-tad-smaller>My thermometer has a 5” probe and I put it all the way in.  I’m sure depth makes a difference too and I may have been too deep.   Does anyone else know?</x-tad-smaller>
<x-tad-smaller>
</x-tad-smaller>

I think you're supposed to use the temperature from about 4" down; but am not sure. I am sure you don't use the surface temperature, though, or go extremely deep ; just not sure whether it's supposed to be 3" or 4" or 5".

In addition to the treated/untreated seed differences, some varieties are much more cold tolerant than others. Provider green bean, for instance, will come up in quite cold soil, though slowly; but the yellow beans I've tried need warm soil, over 60º (at 4" deep around 9 AM.)

-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale



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