How to Use a Farmer’s Almanac

Reader Contribution by Bryan Traficante and Gardeninminutes
Published on June 28, 2018
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Predicting the weather has been a mild obsession of mankind’s since the first cavemen got caught in a storm. (Okay, maybe that’s not the exact reason… but we’re making a confident assumption here). There are numerous global – even galactic – variables that affect weather, and each is affected by their own set of conditions. Furthermore, the weather isn’t restricted to any one consistent pattern, which means predictions made on historical data are far from definitive. Forecasting the weather weeks or months into the future for purposes of gardening is a bit like gambling, and sometimes the table goes cold.

However, an educated guess based on what is known about the weather – historical and regional trends, scientific research, etc. – can reveal what is most likely to happen. Going back to the gambling metaphor, a card shark using strategy and knowledge may not be able to predict the cards with absolute precision, but they can get pretty darn close. That is what a gardener’s trusty friend, Farmer’s Almanacs, do. They offer high-probability regional weather predictions that won’t always be exact but are very often in the ballpark.

Gardeners who want to successfully grow year-round need to know what climate changes they are up against. Will it be hotter or cooler than previous years? Will more or less precipitation allow me to grow during the summer? Instead of turning to a crystal ball, they use the Farmer’s Almanac.

Know the Difference between the Two

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