Posted: 03.29.2011
Once again Mother Nature is slowing down any planting progress that the state's gardeners had hoped for.
Bob Tomesh, UW-Extension Horticulture specialist, tells Pam Jahnke that a year ago he had already planted potatoes and onions by mid-April, but doesn't expect that scenario this year. Tomesh, who is retiring from the UW-Extension staff, says that some growers in Wisconsin are finding success in extending and expanding their growing season with high tunnel systems, and low tunnel systems, to get plants started early. Tomesh says the premise of these tunnel systems is to use the suns warmth, and capture it in greenhouse-like systems. Because of this technology, some Wisconsin grown tomatoes might actually show up at some farmers markets by very early this spring.
Tomesh says that at one time, there were some 40 different seed companies in Wisconsin that catered specifically to the gardening needs of people in the upper midwest. Today he says most of the seed packets used come from Oregon or Washington, and are distributed on a regional basis. That's why it's critical that gardeners pay close attention to the "days required" stipulation on seed packets - to allow for Wisconsin's brief growing season.
Tomesh says that most gardeners still need to exercise patience in Wisconsin while soils warm up. Some tubers can sustain the cool, wet soils - but it's risky business he says. Instead, he suggests a couple simple ways to monitor soil temperatures. First, there's an updated website through the UW-Soils Science department that provides several different locations soil temperatures on a daily basis. Just click here for that site.
Tomesh also suggests a simple monitoring system that anyone can use to keep updated on their own soil situation. Just take a simple thermometer - any type that's long enough - and insert it in the ground about 5 inches deep - and monitor soil temperatures that way.
April is National Garden Month. Nationwide in 2009, there was a 19 percent increase in the number of people gardening - estimated at 43 million. The average garden was estimated at 600 square feet .
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