Tennessee farmers say they’re planting as much as three weeks ahead of schedule because of unseasonably warm weather. The Nashville farmers market is preparing for the first fruits to come early.
Tables at Howell
Howell’s Produce stand is still stuck selling vegetables trucked in from Florida. But manager Daniel May says tomatoes are already in the ground at the Howell farm in Fairview.
“It really helps us because it’s an earlier season for tomatoes to come in, and that’s really what people come down to look for is homegrown tomatoes. It helps the profit margin.”
May says tomatoes could be ready by the first of June.
Joyce Dunn of Springfield says she’s excited for the early season. She says store-bought tomatoes won’t do for her husband.
“He loves salad, but he likes tomatoes in his salads, so now we’ll get to eat salads earlier this year.”
Farmers across the state report getting a jump start in the field. The latest survey from the USDA says winter wheat is developing 10 days ahead of the normal pace and corn farmers have pushed up planting by a week. Extension agents in Middle and West Tennessee say last week’s dry weather was good for planting but that many counties could now use some rain.
The month that just ended was the warmest March on record across Tennessee. The National Weather Service says the average daily temperature was more than 10 degrees above normal.
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