One of the local meteorologists said on last night's weather forecast that this winter was shaping up very much like the winter of 1982. Unseasonably warm December, very warm around Christmas Day. Not much snow, either. Highs for the 24th-26th are forecast to be for 50-53 degrees. As in 1982, we're in a strong El Nino winter.
I remember the winter of 1982 very well. We had 62 (!!) degrees on Christmas Day. This was in Eastport, MI, at the north end of Torch Lake. (Yes, I know how lucky I was to live there.) I think some of my mom's crocuses had come up. There was no snow on the ground, and we had very little snow by the end of the year.
Well, reality reared its ugly head. Winter came a-roarin' back. Cold, cold, cold. The ground, not insulated by several inches of snow, froze hard, fast, and deep. Winter dragged on, and we had snow on Memorial Day.
I was in college, and in April, my mom wrote me that the local orchard had put a notice in the local paper, saying that they had lost ALL of their peach trees, and would not have any peaches for six years. I remember seeing the empty space where that orchard had been.
I think I might put a pile of leaves around my baby cherry trees. The trunks are already protected from mice. Any northern climate fruit tree growers think this is a good or bad idea? I'd like to hear anyone's thoughts.
I remember the winter of 1982 very well. We had 62 (!!) degrees on Christmas Day. This was in Eastport, MI, at the north end of Torch Lake. (Yes, I know how lucky I was to live there.) I think some of my mom's crocuses had come up. There was no snow on the ground, and we had very little snow by the end of the year.
Well, reality reared its ugly head. Winter came a-roarin' back. Cold, cold, cold. The ground, not insulated by several inches of snow, froze hard, fast, and deep. Winter dragged on, and we had snow on Memorial Day.
I was in college, and in April, my mom wrote me that the local orchard had put a notice in the local paper, saying that they had lost ALL of their peach trees, and would not have any peaches for six years. I remember seeing the empty space where that orchard had been.
I think I might put a pile of leaves around my baby cherry trees. The trunks are already protected from mice. Any northern climate fruit tree growers think this is a good or bad idea? I'd like to hear anyone's thoughts.