The official start of summer is June 20, but the summer weather that we previewed in March seems here to stay. Here are a couple tips to keep you cool in your Western New York garden this summer, as well as other summer tips. Cucumber water is refreshing I tasted cucumber water for the first time last summer at the home of Sharon Heim and David Wahl in Buffalo. As you can see from the photo above, it makes a…...
We’ve had record-setting high temperatures in the Buffalo area. There have been long strings of warm–even hot–days. All of our spring plants are two to four weeks ahead of schedule. It felt as if summer weather was here to stay. But it’s still only March, and we knew the warm weather wouldn’t continue. In an article last week, we warned you that we would still get frost, and that happened last night. It probably won’t be our last frost this…...
by Mike Van Der Puy Climate change is here. What does that mean for gardeners and farmers in Western New York? Should we alter our growing plans? If so, how? Evidence that the climate is changing in Western New York You may have noticed migratory birds arriving earlier than they used to or see some bushes budding in January. Those are clues that the Western New York climate is slowly changing. However, we have more than anecdotal evidence that climate…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Last year at this time, spring had already arrived in the Buffalo area. The ground was thawed, the sun was shining, the air was warm and I was in my garden getting a head start on pulling weeds. It was glorious! Will we be getting another early spring this year? Probably not. “Last year was an aberration,” said Tom Paone, meterologist with the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Buffalo. We keep getting snow this month,…...
Because we’ve had a few showers lately, Western New Yorkers think their gardens have gotten enough rain. Unfortunately, “Our gardens are actually facing near drought conditions,” said Ken Re, who is in sales and is the director of marketing for Russell’s Tree and Shrub Farm in East Amherst. “In this dry weather you should be watering regularly–-every other day if you can,” he said. “If you don’t water enough, your plants are placed under stress but may not show the…...
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