“Has anyone started their tomato seeds yet?”
I’m in SW Wisconsin, Zone 4/5. I start mine indoors Mid-March, then when they have 2 sets of adult leaves I transplant them and move them to my Greenhouse to finish off, keeping an eye on the nighttime temps because it’s still pretty cold here at night in April. We had April SNOW last year.
Everyone remember we’re in a Solar Minimum now for the next year or so, NOT to be confused with a GRAND Solar Minimum which would result in a Mini Ice Age. The last time that happened, though, was in the 1700’s.
Consider changing some of your plant varieties (Tomatoes and Peppers and other heat-loving crops) to short-season ones this year (and maybe next), just in case. It’s especially important for we Northern Gardeners!
Understanding Solar Maximum and Minimum:
https://www.ntd.com/understanding-solar-maximum-and-minimum_432749.html
It is good to make the distinction. However, the regular 11 yr. cycle continues even during a Grand Solar Minimum.
Discussion is ongoing regarding a grand solar minimum such as the Dalton or Maunder Minimum and cycles of around 400 years, which coincide with increased volcanic and seismic activity- Which I find very interesting.
A few excerpts and links for any one interested in reading about the differences between the regular solar minimum 11 yr. cycle and the grand solar minimum are below.
“During the 20th and early 21st centuries, Earth’s inhabitants have enjoyed an epoch of very high solar activity that is rare or unique in the context of the last several thousand years.
The higher solar activity and warmer temperatures have allowed the planet to briefly emerge from the depths of the successive solar minima periods and “Little Ice Age” cooling that lasted from the 1300s to the early 1900s.
Unfortunately, solar scientists have increasingly been forecasting a return to a solar minimum period in the coming decades, as well as the concomitant cooler temperatures.” ...snip...
https://principia-scientific.org/modern-solar-grand-maximum-ends-little-ice-age-cooling-coming
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Why a ‘Super’ Grand Solar Minimum Is Upon Us | PSI Intl
https://principia-scientific.org/why-a-super-grand-solar-minimum-is-upon-us/
Professor Valentina Zharkova explains and confirms why a “Super” Grand Solar Minimum is upon us: “If the world was looking for an Epiphany moment, this should be it.” Professor Zharkova gave a presentation of her Climate and the Solar Magnetic Field hypothesis at the Global Warming Policy Foundation in October, 2018.
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Solar Minimum Approaching | A Mini Ice Age? | Old Farmer’s ...
https://www.almanac.com/news/astronomy/astronomy/solar-minimum-approaching-mini-ice-age
But if this strange recent solar activity means that another Maunder Minimum is nearly upon us, as a few solar researchers believe, the global cooling would be mitigating Earth’s warming at the best possible time. However, if we do have a “Maunder Minimum,” it would not be a return to the “Little Ice Age.”
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Is a mini ICE AGE on the way? Scientists warn the sun will ...
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3156594/Is-mini-ICE-AGE-way-Scientists-warn-sun-sleep-2020-cause-temperatures-plummet.html
Is a mini ICE AGE on the way? Scientists warn the sun will ‘go to sleep’ in 2030 and could cause temperatures to plummet. New study claims to have cracked predicting solar cycles
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Keyword: zharkova
https://www.freerepublic.com/tag/zharkova/index
She has been attacked savagely for her theory that the weakened solar magnetosphere during a Grand Solar Minimum is the main factor in driving global cooling on Earth, but she is increasingly being vindicated as global cooling progresses. Recently, Professor Zharkova gave a lecture to the Global Warming Policy Foundation.