June 6, 2016

Avalanche column

June 2, 2016

With a recent weather event there were some fellow gardeners that were unfortunate and were in the path of what I like to refer to as “hard water”. With hail, intensity and duration determine survivability.

It really is important to realize and to be aware that spring in west Texas is our hail season. These hail producing storms that start here often go on off to East Texas where they not only produce hail but tornados too. It is just a lot of unsettled weather. At least our summer thunder storms “normally” do not produce hail but more likely have driving rain and wind. For me this is much preferable to “hard water”

There are precautions one can take to minimize the damage from a hail storm. Hail storms intensity and duration could be compared to: instead of being hit by a train going 60 MPH to being hit by a half ton pickup doing 30. It all looks bad.

Spring IS hail season. All spring storms have the potential to produce hail.

I find myself glued to weather forecasts most of the year but during hail season especially so. IT IS the best way to be prepared for the potential hail storm. I personally like the NOAA internet weather site and especially like the weather narrative that can be found at the bottom of the page after the weeks visual forecast.

Personally if I find that I am going to be away all day and there is a chance of precipitation predicted, the garden is covered with anything that I can cover it with. The plants will be less stressed from darkness all day than to be run through a meat grinder for a portion of the day.

If you are one that does not particularly like drama or do not wish to risk the chances of having your garden beaten back to the Stone Age, there is another option. We have an amazingly long growing season, in excess of 200 days. A person starting with transplants can have a decent garden if they plant around the first of July. Most years hail season is over by this time, emphasis on “most years”.

Myself I like to get my garden in at the very earliest possible date. With the use of agriculture fabric I have been able to weather most anything that has been thrown at me here in Far West Texas. I am an Optimist that this can be done. I will say that I can answer the one question that must be answered if you chose to push the seasons. The quicker you can answer the question affirmatively, will determine how suited you are to season extension.

The question:  “are you willing to lose your whole garden and start from scratch?” For me is without hesitation YES!