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If you live in the Midwest or the northern US, you may have
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heard an old farmer tell you to plant your corn when oak leaves
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are the size of a squirrel's ear and that field corn should be
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knee high by the 4th of July. If you're in the southern US,
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you may have been told that when the Mesquite trees leaf out, the
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last frost has passed and it's safe to plant those warm season
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crops like tomatoes and squash. Many of these traditional old
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wives tales or farmers wisdoms about planting and gardening are
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actually based on phonology, that is the study of seasonal
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changes in plants and animals in relation to climate and weather.
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Many traditional planting rules are based on biological
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indicators when certain plants leaf out or bloom, or when
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specific animals become active. These signals reflect cumulative
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temperature trends and can help predict wind conditions are
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right for planting, pruning, or harvesting.
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Today on Just Grow Something, we'll do a breakdown of some of
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those common gardening wisdoms across different regions, why
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they work, and how they can help gardeners time their planting
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based on natural cues. We'll even check out some of the
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wisdoms from a few regions outside the US, namely
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Australia, New Zealand and the UK to see how they compare.
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Let's dig in. Hey, I'm Karen and what started
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as a small backyard garden 20 years ago turned into a lifelong
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passion for growing food. Now as a market farmer and
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horticulturist, I want to help you do the same.
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On this podcast, I am your friend in the garden, teaching
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evidence based techniques to help you grow your favorites and
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build confidence in your own garden space.
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So grab your garden journal and a cup of coffee and get ready to
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Just Grow Something. So this episode was actually by
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request from Suzanne Bennett in the Just Grow Something
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Gardening Friends Facebook group.
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So thank you Suzanne for the suggestion and other members for
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chiming in. Seconding that this would be an
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interesting episode. I can say that there are quite a
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few here that I have heard much of it having to do more with,
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like commercial row cropping, but I've picked a few from each
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region that tend to apply across the board.
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If you hear your area and I get this completely wrong, call me
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out. OK, tell me that it's not
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correct. It took a while to dig up the
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correct phenological answers for a lot of these, or to even find
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the wisdoms for some regions, so leave me a comment if I get one
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wrong or if there's one that you've heard that I don't cover
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in this episode. So we'll start with the Midwest
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and the northern US. And that first one is plant
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corn, when oak leaves are the size of a squirrel's ear.
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So this works because oak trees leaf out in response to soil
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temperature, not just air temperature.
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Corn germinates best when the soil temperatures are above
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50°F, which often coincides with the appearance of the very small
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leaves. So this avoids US planting too
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early when the cold soils could cause poor germination or seed
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rot in our corn. That second one knee high by the
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4th of July. Talking about when corn grows or
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how it's grown, essentially corn that is planted at the optimal
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time. And let's be honest, right now
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we're talking about dent corn or field corn, so the dry corn.
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So for us home growers, this might be the decorative corn or
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popcorn. OK, if we're planting that at
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the optimal time in late April to early May, then that corn
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should reach about knee high or 2 1/2 to 3 feet by the 4th of
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July. And that means it's on track for
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a full season before the frost hits.
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If it's shorter and may have planted too late, or it may have
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suffered from some poor weather or it may have lacked nutrients,
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this next one is typically from like the upper Midwest and the
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Northeast areas. And that is to wait until the
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lilacs leaf out to plant tender crops.
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So lilacs typically leaf out when consistent temperatures are
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finally there and in the garden and the frost risk has usually
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passed. So this kind of helps to figure
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out when you can plant like tomatoes and Peppers and other
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frost sensitive crops without risking whole damage.
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Now, for me, you know, in this area, that would be a little bit
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early for my tomatoes and my Peppers because I really like to
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make sure that that soil temperature has gotten really
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warm. But if all you're worried about
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is frost risk, then generally speaking, if you wait until the
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lilacs start to have their leaves, you should be OK.
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Another one is to plant potatoes when dandelions bloom.
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So this, you know, particularly in the northern US area and up
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into Canada. So dandelions bloom when soil
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temperatures reach around 50°F, and that is the ideal
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temperature for potato tuber development.
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This is going to make sure that your tubers don't rot in a cold,
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wet soil by planting them too early.
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So if we move into the southern US, we have when Mesquite trees
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leaf out, the last frost has passed.
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This is particularly in areas like Texas and the southwest.
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Mesquite trees are highly sensitive to soil and air
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temperatures and they will only leaf out when the chance of
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frost is extremely low. So this is usually used by, you
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know, farmers and ranchers as a reliable indicator to plant warm
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season crops. So this might be tomatoes or
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squash or beans. Speaking of beans, in the
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southeastern US, it could be plant beans when pecan trees
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start to bud. So pecan trees are really slow
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to wake up and they will only bud when temperatures are
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consistently warm. So this is going to signal that
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the soil is warm enough for beans to germinate properly.
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And yes, I said pecan. Don't come at me with that pecan
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stuff, OK? It's a pecan.
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I'm just saying I'll start a war with you right now.
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Another one in the southeastern US would be when the dogwoods
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bloom, it's time to plant corn. And that means it's time to put
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out those warm season crops. So Dogwood trees bloom when
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daytime temperatures are consistently warm.
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Usually this is around mid spring.
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And so of course, this is going to coincide with the optimal
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planting conditions for things like corn and tomatoes and
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Peppers. Then we get into like the
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northeastern US and New England, some of those are so peas when
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daffodils bloom. So daffodils bloom when soil
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temperatures reach around 45 to 50°F.
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And so that is perfect for cool season crops like your peas and
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your lettuce and your spinach. So this keeps us from planting
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them too early when the the soil is really, really cold and wet
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or waiting until it's too late and it's too warm for allowing
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those crops. Another one for like New England
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and also up in the Canada would be when Maple trees start to
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leaf out, it's safe to plant carrots and beets.
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This kind of works out in the same way.
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The timing of when maples leaf out coincides with when the soil
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has warmed up enough for root crop seeds to germinate.
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So again, this is going to help us planting and you know, soil
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that is too cold and avoid that slow germination from the cold
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soil. If we get into the Pacific
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Northwest and the West Coast, when apple trees bloom, it's
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time to start those warm season crops.
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So apple blossoms open when average temperatures reach
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around 60°F. We're talking air temperatures
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here now. So that is signaling that is
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warm enough for tomatoes or Peppers or squashes to go in the
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ground. And this is going to help us
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avoid the risk of a late frost. Another one would be a plant,
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lettuce and greens when the forsythia blooms.
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And you know, forsythia blooms in the early spring, usually
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when temperatures, the air temperatures are around 40 to
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45°F. So this would be a good time for
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cool weather crops in more milder climates to be able to
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plant like things like lettuce and spinach and kale.
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And then there are some things that are just kind of, you know,
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general North American or even worldwide sort of gardening
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wisdoms. One of those is to plant by the
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moon cycles. Now, this has not been
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scientifically proven, but there are a lot of farmers and
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gardeners who believe that the gravitational pull of the moon
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effects soil moisture. So the idea behind this is the
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waxing moon, right? So when it's in that new to full
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stage is best for planting above ground crops like tomatoes and
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lettuces, the waning moon. So your full moon to the new
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moon that is best for planting root crops like potatoes and
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carrots. So again, this is, you know,
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anecdotal, but what we're really looking at is like, OK, plant
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during consistent warm temperatures and proper soil
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moisture. That's what really matters.
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However you can figure that out is great.
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Another one of these wisdoms is, you know, if you have 3
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consecutive 50°F nights, that that means that it's safe to
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plant warm season crops. OK, This is used really broadly
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and it's used more in like temperate climates.
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And yes, you know, if you have your warm season crops like
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tomatoes and Peppers, they really need soil temperatures
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that are above 55°F for really good root growth.
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So if your night time temperatures are staying at or
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above 50°F, then yeah, your soil has likely warmed enough to
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start supporting those tender plants.
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But that doesn't mean that, OK, three consecutive nights and all
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of a sudden it's safe. Because I can tell you we have
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had three consecutive nights of 50°F weather here in West
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Central Missouri recently, and we're actually technically in a
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Blizzard warning right now. So seriously, some of these
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things just don't make sense. Another one would be if the oak
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trees are full of acorns, expect a harsh winter.
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This one probably doesn't work. OK.
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Oak trees are going to produce varying acorn amounts based on
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the seasonal conditions. And so I get it, high acorn
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production, you know, thinking that you're going to predict
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winter weather with that. If you have high acorn
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production, it's usually linked to drought stress or prior
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seasonal conditions, not necessarily predicting winter
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weather. So this one might be fun, but I
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don't think acorn production is a very reliable predictor of how
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you know severe your winter is going to be.
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Planter Box direct.com. So there are a lot of
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fascinating planting wisdoms also from other countries that
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we here in the US might listen to.
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So here's a few examples that I found from Australia, New
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Zealand and the UK, along with the science behind why they
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work. Again, this took some digging,
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so if any of what I say is inaccurate according to where
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you live, please tell me. And if you have some common ones
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that I missed, please comment and let me know that too.
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This first one was from Australia in the more temperate
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and kind of Mediterranean climates in Australia, and it's
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so pumpkins after the first Big Spring rain.
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So in much of Australia, particularly the southern
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states, the first significant spring rain pretty much signals
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the end of the really cold nights, an increase in the soil
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moisture, which would make it perfect for like warm season
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crops like pumpkins and squash and cucumbers.
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So I mean, if you're planting after a good rain, this is also
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going to help reduce transplant shock and that's going to help
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get those plants off to a strong start.
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So you could see how this would work.
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This one is more from more southern Australia.
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When the waddles bloom, spring is on the way.
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Now waddle trees are an Acacia species and they bloom in the
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late winter to the early spring. So that is going to mark a
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little bit of a seasonal shift. So a lot of gardeners going to
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use this as a cue to start those warm season crops indoors or
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maybe to start preparing their garden beds.
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I can get behind that one. Another one from Australia,
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never prune stone fruit trees in winter, only in summer.
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So pruning fruit trees, stone fruit trees, so we're talking
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things like Peaches and nectarines and plums in the
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winter time in Australia is actually going to increase the
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risk of fungal diseases, particularly Peach leaf curl and
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die back in the very humid region.
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So if you're doing it in the summer after the leaves have
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fully leafed out, it's going to reduce the disease risk and help
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Direct Energy into fruit production.
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This is completely different than what we do here in the
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Midwest. Pruning is generally best done
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in the late winter or in the early spring.
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So this is, you know, advice that I was not familiar with and
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really had to kind of dig into. So if this is something that you
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have heard and you have practiced this, you know, let me
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know. If I'm completely wrong, let me
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know. But this was kind of the
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information that I that I dug up.
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Now, if we jump over to New Zealand, we have some things
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that I'm going to have a hard time pronouncing.
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OK, the first one is sow peas when the cow high blooms.
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OK, so this is the cow high tree, which is a Sephora
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species. They generally bloom in the
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early spring. And so this is going to signal
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that the soil temperatures should be warm enough for pea
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seeds to germinate. Once again, this is going to
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avoid sowing it too early. And that wet soil, you know,
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could absolutely cause slow germination or rotting seeds.
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So wait until the cow high, and I'm hope that I'm pronouncing
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that right, cow high tree. Another one for I guess both New
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Zealand and Australia would be to plant garlic on the shortest
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day, harvest on the longest day. That works here also, although
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we kind of tend to, you know, shift that a little bit based on
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our frosts. So if you're in the southern
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hemisphere, the shortest day of the year is usually around June
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21st. And that marks the ideal time to
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plant garlic because you need that cold exposure to form
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proper bulbs. And then you're going to want to
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harvest on the longest day, which is around December 21st.
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And that aligns usually with the garlic maturing as the days are
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getting hotter and drier. And that helps to cure the bulbs
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properly for storage. The exact same thing works here
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in the Northern hemisphere, but we're just swapping those dates.
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So we're planting around December 21st and we're
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harvesting around June 21st. Now, depending on where you are,
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and this could be both Northern and Southern hemisphere, it's
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going to depend on your soil conditions at the time that the
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longest day of the year comes around.
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So often times you might be, you know, December 21st, your ground
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might be frozen solid. So if you have to plant it
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earlier than that, then there's no harm, no foul on that.
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So you should be planting around the time that it works best for
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your soil conditions. So that wisdom of plant on the
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shortest day and harvest on the longest day, it makes sense
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until it doesn't, right? So the next one is from coastal
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New Zealand, and I'm really hoping that I'm going to
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pronounce this correctly. If Pahu.
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Oh, gosh. OK, let me do this again.
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Pahu tukawa. I really hope I'm doing this
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right. If pahu tukawa flowers bloom
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early, expect a hot, dry suburb. All the New Zealanders are
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laughing at me right now. The Bahuka Pahu Pahu Tukawa
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tree, OK, This is the Metro Sediris Excelsior.
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That's the Latin name for it. It is known as New Zealand's
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Christmas tree. And so it flowers in the early
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summer. And so some people believe that
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if it's you've got an early bloom, so late spring instead of
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the early summer, then that means that warmer conditions are
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coming sooner, which could indicate a longer, drier summer.
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So this is classic phonology. You know, the plant is
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responding to climatic cues, and that also may impact your
00:17:09
seasonal weather. So, OK, somebody from New
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Zealand, please tell me if I pronounce that properly.
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That was a heck of a pohoutukawa.
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I think that's what it is. All right.
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I'm usually pretty good at things.
00:17:21
And then if we move over to the UK, we look at Great Britain or
00:17:25
UK and Ireland plant potatoes when the black thorn blossoms.
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So black thorn is a Prunus spinosa.
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They flower in the early to mid spring, which is around March to
00:17:37
April. This is going to coincide with
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the time when soil temperatures generally reach around 45°F or 7
00:17:43
Celsius and that is the minimum needed for potatoes to sprout.
00:17:47
So this is a good sign. It helps us to avoid the
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planting too early. We don't want those tubers to
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rot in the cold wet soil. So we wait until the black
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foreign flowers. Perfect.
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Another one would be so carrots when the ash trees bud, So ash
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trees bud a little bit later than a lot of other trees,
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usually not until the spring temperatures like to start to
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stabilize. So that generally means that the
00:18:10
soil is warm enough for carrot seeds to germinate quickly.
00:18:15
We all know carrots are Divas. They can take like 3 weeks to to
00:18:19
to sprout sometimes. So if we can get them to sprout
00:18:22
faster, this is going to reduce the risk of slow, weak
00:18:26
germination in a soil that is maybe too cold.
00:18:29
And if that happens, then we, you know, we get forked or
00:18:32
stunted carrots. So if we wait until the ash
00:18:35
trees have budded act, then it should be warm enough for those
00:18:38
carrot seeds to germinate quickly.
00:18:40
Another one involving ash is if oak before ash, we're in for a
00:18:45
splash. If ash before oak, we're in for
00:18:49
a soak. So this is basically suggesting
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that if the oak trees leaf out before the ash trees, then it
00:18:58
will be a drier summer. But if the ash trees leaf out
00:19:01
first, then we're expecting a wet summer.
00:19:04
So, I mean, this works because A, we already talked about the
00:19:08
ash trees budding out later than many of the other trees, but oak
00:19:12
trees tend to respond to temperature, while ash trees
00:19:17
tend to be more sensitive to soil moisture.
00:19:21
So if you have a warm, dry spring, that is going to
00:19:25
encourage the oaks to leaf out early.
00:19:28
But if you have a wealth spring, that's going to slow those oaks
00:19:31
down and it's going to let those ash trees emerge first.
00:19:34
I mean, this isn't perfect, but it is a good example of how
00:19:37
trees respond to climatic changes.
00:19:39
So this one's maybe 5050. I don't know about this one.
00:19:42
And then finally we have plant beans when the Hawthorne blooms.
00:19:47
So Hawthorne is also known as Mayflower and it generally
00:19:50
blooms in wait for it may, right.
00:19:53
So this is signaling that the conditions are warm enough for
00:19:56
beans. Beans need soil temperatures
00:19:58
that are generally above 50°F or 10 Celsius, and that usually
00:20:02
aligns with Hawthorne flowering. OK, so no matter where you are
00:20:09
in the world, there is going to be some local folklore about how
00:20:13
and when to plant certain things based on the activities of other
00:20:17
plants or even animals. We didn't even get into the
00:20:19
whole animal Kingdom thing, right?
00:20:21
This wisdom is often passed down through generations.
00:20:24
The timing of these things is not based on a calendar, so even
00:20:29
as our climate shifts warmer or cooler in certain areas, these
00:20:34
indicators are going to remain the same.
00:20:37
So modern weather forecasts can help us to plan, but nature's
00:20:43
signals are going to actually remain.
00:20:44
One of the best guides for gardeners.
00:20:48
By using phonology, which is watching the timing of the plant
00:20:51
in the animal activity, we can actually get region specific
00:20:57
planting cues based on actual weather patterns rather than
00:21:01
dates on a calendar or forecasts from weather gurus.
00:21:04
We just have to be able to decipher which is actually,
00:21:07
actually accurate and which isn't.
00:21:09
So the next time you see oak leaves emerging or forsythia
00:21:14
blooming, take note. It might just be time to start
00:21:17
planting. Thanks again to Suzanne for
00:21:20
suggesting this topic. If you have a topic you'd like
00:21:22
me to cover, reach out to me through socials or in the
00:21:24
comments of an episode, or through e-mail from my website,
00:21:28
justgrowsomething.com. I would love to hear it.
00:21:31
Until next time, my gardening friends, keep on cultivating
00:21:33
that dream garden, and we'll talk again soon.