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Best Gardening Weather?!

The gardening season is upon us. For some regions, the plants are already starting to sprout. In the more northern areas of the country, seeds, transplants, and plans are in the works.

Weather is such an important part of gardening. Ideally, the absolute perfect gardening weather would be sunny days, temperatures in the 70s, and rain two nights a week. What wouldn’t thrive in weather like that (albeit some may find it boring)?

Yet as we all know the weather isn’t perfect anywhere. The Farmers’ Almanac has, in the past, picked the “Top Ten Weather Cities” in the US. But as many have pointed out, our list was very subjective as it considered sunny, warm, and rain-free days as the top criteria.

There are colder weather vegetables and warmer weather vegetables that thrive obviously in different conditions, but generally speaking, what state do you think has the best gardening weather?

Here are a few to consider:

New Jersey is known as the “garden state,” and has been touted for having some of the tastiest tomatoes and corn. Yet the summers can be very humid, and the growing season short if the weather doesn’t cooperate.

Florida is warm year-round, but the summers can be scorchers, making watering a challenge.

Some point to California’s weather and growing season as ideal. Yet others point to the very dry seasons they’ve been experiencing lately.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, in 2006 the following states had the most farms: Texas, Missouri, Tennessee & Kentucky (tie), and Oklahoma. So are they the best weather-states for a backyard garden? Seems like there are some very severe weather conditions in Oklahoma and Texas. Tennessee and Kentucky do have mild winters.

Some of the states that made it to the Farmers’ Almanac “best weather cities” list include:
Arizona – but who wants to pick weeds when temperatures are so hot and humid?
Nevada – who has time to garden here?
Texas —many areas have abundant sunshine and mild winters.
New Mexico—has many cities with abundant sunshine, low humidity, but very little precipitation.
California –three cities in this state made the list, but many are very dry with little precipitation to keep plants watered.

Cast your Vote!
We can’t list all 50 states so here are a few of states we believe have great gardening weather. If you want to vote for a different state, email us at questions@farmersalmanac.com

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