Inconsistent winter affects Delmarva crops

It's hard not to notice the weather this winter.  From the unseasonably warm February to the brutal March the Delmarva peninsula has faced thus far.  All of this can have a big impact on agriculture.

According to Jarrod Miller, educator at University of Maryland, the only crop on the ground currently is wheat.  And that is not one of the big money making crops.

The abnormally warm February may have caused some fruit trees to blossom early. 

"If any fruit trees have gotten ahead of themselves and began to flower out and the temps get in the low 20s, you could see, or if it gets down to 18, (you could see) maybe 90 percent losses of buds.  If they've flowered and it gets down to 28 degrees, you can start to kill off flowers and then you will see less fruit on trees," Miller said.

He went on to say most trees only have buds and will only be damaged if temperatures dip below 22 degrees.

One area of concern is the potential for diseases or insects that might have survived the winter because of the warm February.  The only way to tell the extent of the damage is to wait for mid-summer.

As for homeowners looking to plant their gardens, Miller says wait until mid-April or May when the chances of a freeze become minimal.

"For farmers, one of the reasons we recommend corn is planted after April 15 is we know the chance of a freeze is less in this region. Most people we will recommend wait until mid-April or May and give it some time.  So a late freeze doesn't come through because you don't want to be planting anything right now," Miller said.