WHEATBRIDGE :: Databases for Home Gardening

PLANTING TIME:
A WEB APP THAT SAVES THE GARDEN

Behold the humble broccoli. Not everyone's favorite vegetable, but a popular garden vegetable nonetheless. Broccoli, like cauliflower, onions, and even tomatoes, can be difficult to grow in many parts of America due to high summer heat. Ideal growing temperatures for broccoli are between 65° F (18° C) and 75° F (24° C). Broccoli cultivars mature in 45 to 60 days. If the temperatures exceed 75° (24° C) broccoli will bolt or go to seed. Whatever date one chooses to plant broccoli, it should be 45 to 60 days from when the temperatures average in the 80s (27° C) or higher. Also, broccoli requires a consistent soil temperature of 68° F (20° C) for two weeks before it will sprout. Plant too early and broccoli will freeze, plant too late and it will bolt. Cauliflower, onions, tomatoes, leeks, cabbage, all these plants and more have special requirements for optimal sowing and harvesting in the home garden.

Commercial growers don't even attempt to grow plants that are not perfectly adapted to their area. That's why Greenfield, California is the broccoli capital of the world, Holtville the carrot capital, and Castroville the artichoke capital. One can grow these and other vegetables elsewhere, but their performance will not be as predictable. Hence the book 'The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden' by William Alexander (available from Amazon.com).

So broccoli and other plants can be tricky for the home gardener, and especially so for those who don't have access to MESONET soil data, average temperature data for calculating a back-off date, moisture data and weather forecasts. In the spring of 2011 we are field testing a web application and back-end database that assists gardeners in the right time to plant. The database collects MESONET data and traps for correct planting temperatures and moisture requirements. It uses limited forecast data in its calculations, so it doesn't recommend planting when a freeze is in the forecast. Simple e-mail reminders are sent to subscribers to notify them when the conditions are right for the area in which they live. Check back for updates. The results will be interesting to see.