Thursday, July 3, 2008

Weather

I live in Toquerville, Utah. Toquerville has severe winter and spring winds that challenge the gardeners here. However, providing some protection from those early north winds will get your young tender garden through to better weather. Both here and in other desert (windy) areas, I have successfully used as wind breaks; 1. block walls, 2. pomegranate trees, and 3. Holly Oak trees.

In Toquerville, the only real wind problem, relative to gardening, is the early spring, north winds. Southerly winds during the spring and summer are light and inconsequential. Recorded top wind speeds from southerly or westerly flows are much higher in St George than in Toquerville, while recorded top wind speeds from northerly or easterly flows are much higher in Toquerville than in St George. So the period of concern for Toquerville gardeners is that period in the spring when northerly winds are still present. Many gardeners, therefore, postpone planting until the northerly winds have stopped or diminished. But with some protection from the northerly winds will allow gardeners to plan earlier in the spring, since ground temperatures allow for it.

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