Soils & Climate

This page is currently being developed and will include resources on: soil types and their impact on gardening; soil testing; GDD; Hardiness; Rainfall; and the Growing Season.  Please check back soon!

Climate

Monthly Temperature Averages for Ithaca, NY lists normal temperatures and precipitation averages for 1971-2000.  There are also links to daily and monthly climate updates recorded at 4 sites around Ithaca, on the Ithaca Climate Page (Northeast Regional Climate Center website).

Growing Degree Days (GDD) are a measure of heat accumulation used by horticulturalists to predict the date that a flower will bloom or a crop reach maturity.  Statistics for the Northeast are provided on this Cornell Atmospheric Sciences & Turf Team website.

Soil Information

Soil Texture (Cornell Agronomy Fact Sheet #29, PDF) discusses the four soil texture classifications of sands, silts, loams and clays; how they combine to make textural classifications; how soil texture is determined; and teh 5 soil management groups in New York State.

Soil Organic Matter (Cornell Agronomy Fact Sheet #41, PDF) describes types of organic matter in soil; their physical, chemical & biological benefits; farm practices that help maintain or increase soil organic matter levels; and the importance of continued monitoring of soil organic matter content.