Phenology
By Joan Hoeckele (March 2026 Newsletter)
What is Phenology? It is observing and studying seasonal events and their correlation to the life of animals, plants, and insects. Plants can predict, through their life cycle, reoccurring events in nature. The secret is temperature and the length of daylight.
Farmers and gardeners used to watch the calendar to time their plantings. Climate change has rendered this method unreliable. Instead, we can take cues from Nature. For example, it is safe to plant peas, onion sets, and lettuce when forsythias are in bloom. Bush beans and cucumbers can go in when apple blossoms fall.
I need to give a thank you to Stephan Albert for the information on this subject. You can go to his web site: Harvest to Table Vegetable Crop Planting and Phenology for more complete information.
