To plant or not to plant

I interviewed a woman in March from a south city garden center. The story was about whether we should begin planting or hold off in case of a late-season frost.

Long story short, she said not to plant, and summed it up by saying this, "Wait until after tax season to plant your flowers."

April 18th is Tax Day, but is it really time to start planting?

Hold your Horses

It's hard to imagine a late-season frost after we've already had so many warm days and nights. However, a handful of counties were under frost advisory on April 6th.

We may have another late-season frost or freeze this weekend. A strong cold front Thursday will bring near-freezing temperatures for the morning of April 23rd.

Gearing up for Warmth

Like many, I've been preparing for warmer weather and switching out the clothes in the closet. Hopefully, it wasn't too presumptuous of me, but I put away my heaviest coats, sweaters, and pants.

I posted a video of me taking the coats down on social media. Comments poured in of people asking if this meant that winter was "officially" over. Others hoped this meant we were finished with late-season cold spells. Another comment asked if I had ever heard of a Blackberry Winter.

While I've heard of it, I thought many might not have, and it would be a good topic for this post.

What is a Blackberry Winter?

According to the Old Farmers Almanac, a Blackberry Winter refers to a late-season cold spell that coincides with the blooming of blackberries. The

Missouri Department of Conservation says the phrase was popular in the Ozarks and typically occurs in May.

This wasn't the only folklore that centered around blackberries. It was believed that if it rained on May 23, there would be no blackberries to harvest. Others claimed even just a sprinkle of rain on June 2nd would ruin the harvest. The Ozarks must love their blackberries, but I wouldn't take these superstitions as fact!

Blackberry isn't the only "winter". Other winters are Redbud Winter, Dogwood Winter, Locust Winter, Cotton Britches Winter, and Whippoorwill Winter. They all describe similar things, late-season cold spells (they can happen together, or individually) that occur when different plants or trees are in bloom.

Have we ever had a Blackberry Winter?

I dived into the records on the National Weather Service website. Using data from St. Louis for the last 10 years, I saw no May freezes. I did find frosts and freezes in April, but April is not a part of the defined Blackberry Winter. This doesn't mean other areas didn't have colder temperatures, but there just isn't enough data available for all the outlying spots. In summary, for St. Louis, we haven't experienced a late-season May cold spell or freeze in the last 10 years.

Does that mean I'm safe to plant?

I would hold off! Another strong cold front will bring storms and colder air before the weekend. Or, if you do decide to plant before Sunday, prepare to cover them Saturday night.