Do serious gardeners then monitor average soil temperature?
They should, if they want to get the most out of the garden, specifically the vegetable garden. I want to be able to pack as many vegetables as possible into my garden. Timing is very important. Gaging soil temperature. Two years ago my garden was so infested with Japanese Beetles that their droppings were noticeable on my deck? It was repulsive and I wondered if the lack of soil frost several years in a row led to the infestation. Am I right in this thinking and what other pest changes are observed? Interesting. Japanese beetles are the only pest for which I’ve noticed significant changes over the years. I used to have almost none of them, 5 years ago I had some, and nowadays I have plenty. I am not an entomologist but my guess is that the generally increased infestations are due to warmer weather. Year to year variations in infestations are keyed to summer rains, among other non-temperature factors. I worry that the growing local food movement in northern states could be set back sev
