Journey North Tulip Planting Day

We got the last of our Red Emperor tulip bulbs planted on November 21st.  It is a little late to get them in the ground.  We are counting on a few days that will be warm enough for the bulbs to begin growing roots over the winter.

We planted the bulbs according to the experiment's protocol.  That means we are following the same set of rules as everyone else that is planting these bulbs as part of the Journey North experiment.  This ensures that we have a fair test of the the factor we are looking at: how does geographical location affect when spring arrives?

We measured how deep we were planting the bulbs--7 inches. We also used the yardsticks to make sure they were all the same distance apart--4".

We used all of the water that we had left in our rainbarrels to water the tulips in well.  We will cover the beds with straw mulch for the winter. This protects the bulbs from excessive freezing and thawing.

After that we just have to be patient and wait.
When will spring arrive in Newark?  Scroll down to see when last year's bulbs emerged in the garden and make your prediction for 2014!

When will spring arrive in Newark?

What? you say, it's not even Thanksgiving and already you want to know when spring will arrive?!?

Well, we think spring in fall because this is the time for planting tulips and other bulbs. And as we have the last few years we will be participating in the "citizen science" project Journey North. 

Along with kids in schools all over the northern hemisphere we will plant Red Emperor tulips and record when they emerge and bloom.

"We are the pupils of the 5th Form from the Lycum #1557 in Zelenograd, Moscow, RUSSIA. On September 23rd, we planted 57 tulips." 

In order for it to be a "fair test" we will be following the same scientific protocol as other test gardens.  That means we plant the same variety of tulips, the same depth in the soil, the same distance apart, etc.  

Beginning very early in 2014, we will see other test gardens reporting their tulips as emerged, and then blooming.  You can see an animation of the "journey north" of spring on the map here.

All of this reporting gives us information about weather, climate and how those things affect plant development. It's really pretty cool.

Earth Day Festival in the Courtyard Garden

Has spring sprung in Newark?

Friday was March 1st the first day of Meteorological Spring!  What it is that you ask? Most of us are familiar with Astronomical Spring, March 20, the vernal equinox, when we see we see a balance of night and day.  But Meteorological Spring begins when the three coldest months of the year, December, January and February are behind us and the temperatures start to rise.
Friday was a perfect taste of this with a not-quite-balmy 48 degree Fahrenheit temperature.

 We also know that spring is on its way because our Journey North experimental tulips have emerged from the ground.

The Red Emperor tulips are showing about 2 inches of leaf tip, so they probably poked out a week ago but have been buried under at thick layer of straw mulch.

Learn more about this citizen scientist project at http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tulip/index.html

 Greater Newark Conservancy's new Director of Education, Jarred Shaw help us search for emerging tulips.

Everyone pitched in to help get the garden cleaned up and ready for spring.  
We filled the compost bin to overflowing with fall leaves that remained in the garden.