Coldest in 80 years
Last year, vast percentages of wine grapes were wiped out by the bitter cold, says the Buffalo News. This winter, extreme temperatures of up to 30 below zero (Fahrenheit) killed off the buds in up to 60 percent of the hardier native Concord and Niagara grapes, according to Luke Haggerty, a specialist for the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program of the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Portland.
“It’s the coldest it’s been in this area for 80 years,” Haggerty said. “There’s a lot of anxiety as far as what to expect and what is coming.”
Research by Terry Bates, the director of the extension’s Lake Erie office, found a correlation exists between the amount and length of time there’s ice on Lake Erie and the calendar date when grape vines first bloom.
“If it stays cold like they’re predicting, it’ll be late and it’ll be a shorter growing season,” Bates said, not just for grapes, but fruits and vegetables too.
Thanks to Bill Burns for this link