Budding trees in Appleton, March 20, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Much of February and March saw unusually warm temperatures throughout Northeast Wisconsin, but as it turns out, Mother Nature still has some winter left up her sleeve.
Winter Weather Advisories are in place and most of the area is expected to get between three and seven inches of accumulating snow by early Friday afternoon.
With this surprise snow in the forecast, many are concerned about how it might affect plants and vegetation — especially with buds already bursting on some trees and shrubs.
“It’s still pretty early, so anything that’s coming out now is going to be really hardy and not be too affected by it,” said Brian Hans, owner of Watter Farms.
Hans said as long as there isn’t flowering, we shouldn’t have any problems. As a matter of fact, Hans said the snow in the forecast could actually be a good thing. That’s because during this time of year, snow is usually the main source of moisture for vegetation.
“We’re going to be getting some moisture. So, we really need it. Let’s face it, with the spring we’ve had, we can slow things down a little bit anyhow,” said Hans.
Hans said there are some plants you can start planting right now.
“Perennials you can plant now, some really cool crops like radishes, lettuces, spinach — all the early crops you can certainly plant now,” Hans said. “We still have maybe seven weeks of non-planting of tropical things like cucumbers, and tomatoes, etc.”
Although we had above-average warmth for the majority of winter, it’s not unusual to see colder temperatures here and there as we move through spring.
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