Hello, and welcome back to my gardening forecast series! This week, we are stuck in a typical summertime weather pattern, with most days having a decent chance of storms as well as afternoon highs in the 90s.
Unfortunately this means everyday will see dew point temperatures in the oppressive 70s at all hours of the day. The pattern will continue to blow winds coming off of the gulf of Mexico into our region, bringing in humid air which will lead to pop up thunderstorms.
The best time to tend to gardens will be either very early in the morning or late in the evening so you can avoid being in the direct sun. Just make sure to wear bug spray!
It’s a bit blurry and hard to see, but the 3 images above are the current 50 cm soil moisture index values in Louisiana (left), Mississippi (middle), and Alabama (right).
The rain we received in May and June is certainly still visible on these maps, as many locations from the coast to roughly 150 miles inland have soil moisture index values close to 1, which indicates that the soil is completely saturated. However, the heatwave we had last week is starting to take its toll.
Many locations further north as well as some places close to the coast are beginning to see soil moisture index values decrease. There’s also a rather sharp gradient between the northern and southern halves of Alabama and Mississippi, with many areas to the north seeing values pretty close to 0, indicating that the soil is completely dry. Soil moisture indices between 0.35 and 0.75 are considered optimal for plant growth.
What This Means for Your Gardens
If you live in the area between Baton Rouge, Jackson, and Mobile, watering probably isn’t totally necessary, especially if you have a raised or in ground garden. If you live north of Jackson, Meridian, and Birmingham, some watering will likely be necessary due to the dryness of the soil around you. There’s also a pronounced area of dryness in the Louisiana delta region, near Houma.
Like I mentioned before, we’re going to be in a typical summertime weather pattern, so daily storms are likely each day this week. However, a widespread rainfall event that delivers a soaking rain doesn’t look to be in the cards, which is why some watering will likely be necessary.
