Spring appears to be arriving early across almost the entire Southeast, from San Antonio to Atlanta to Washington, DC, and is likely to keep rolling north according to a new set of scientifically backed maps produced by the USA National Phenology Network (NPN).
However, university Extension experts say fruit growers need not panic. After two months of unusually warm conditions throughout Indiana, state climatologists based at Purdue University believe temperatures will slowly return to seasonal norms over the next month, which is good news for fruit growers and home gardeners concerned that their plants might be emerging too quickly.
“There is a lot more weather to come before we know what the fruit crop outlook will be, but as of right now things are in good shape and, in fact, a bit more chilling is needed for some fruit crops,” said Bruce Bordelon, Professor of Horticulture and Purdue Extension Viticulture and Small Fruit Specialist.
Fruit production is an increasingly important part of Indiana’s agriculture industry. The state ranks 10th nationally in blueberry production at 3.6 million pounds annually and produces 26 million pounds of apples per year, ranking 20th in the country.
source: growingproduce.com
