‘Tis the Season
This weekend, the temps in Boise rose well over 100 degrees. When the heat hits, Boiseans flock to the river and the mountains for relief, and the tomatoes and peppers that have just hit their stride slow their roll. Our peak summer temperatures also trigger thoughts around town about fall planting, as if we can will the cool weather into being. A lot of my clients and gardener friends start talking about what they plan to plant next year, and it always surprises me that they skip right over our garden plans for the rest of this year. That’s what I want to talk about today: Boise’s planting seasons.
Let’s talk temps.
I don’t plant according to my zone very often (hey hey 7a!). While it can be a good guide, the USDA’s plant hardiness zones cater to farmers, not kitchen gardeners. Instead, I like to plant according to the temperatures. Across the world, there are four seasons. These aren’t the traditional ones you’re thinking of (Winter, spring, summer and fall … all you have to do is call … ) These are Cold, Cool, Warm, Hot. The cold season is defined by high temperatures below 32 degrees, while the cool season includes high temps between 35 and 65 degrees. Warm season temperatures range between 65 and 85 degrees, while hot season temps are highs above 85.
It’s a running joke around town that you can see all for seasons on one day! In Boise, Idaho, we’re lucky to only have three actual planting seasons. Our average high temps according to the U.S. Climate data website tell us that we have five months in the cool zone, four months in the warm zone and two months in the hot zone. See the chart below for how that plays out monthly.
As we enter into August, we’ve got one more month of hot temps, but the worst is certainly over. We’ll start dipping back into the low 90s this week, and from there, the cooler nighters and shorter days will make it easier on our plants. This also means we can start planting seeds for warm and cool weather crops. We have two solid months in the warm season before our cool winter weather sets in. I like to spend August planning my fall garden and prepping for it. That means finding good options for frost covers and plotting out what I’d like to have in my garden beds to get me through the winter. For me, that’s plenty of greens, root crops and herbs for fall and winter stews, salads and chilis.
Next week, the blog will have a complete guide to seasonal planting in Boise. You won’t believe what you can grow here! If you’d like help planning out your fall and winter garden and how to grow year round in your space, book a consult with me today. I’ve got limited spots left in August (8/24-8/31) to get you prepped for fall. If you’ve been waiting to book, now’s the time.
Fall is also the perfect time to plan for your spring garden. The bulk of our precipitation falls in fall and winter, and raised beds love to have time in the freeze and thaw for proper drainage. If you want to expand your garden or change your layout for 2021, I’m only taking four more installation clients for the year. Book your time with me today to get a design and plan in place.