Do you know the best time for farmers to plant crops? Well, this question is precisely what I was asking several years ago when I started my small farm after retiring from my corporate job. Of course, this question engenders different answers because crops and land conditions vary from one farm to another and from region to region. For example, if you look at the exact time corn crops are planted, you will discover that different countries have different corn production cycles.
In the United States, corn crops are grown in early March through June, and harvest time is from early July through December. However, in Brazil, the planting of corn crops starts in October through June, and harvest time is from March through December. From these examples, you will quickly see that planting crops varies from region to region.
Factors That Determine the Planting Season in a Region
Experts group crops into six categories: food crops, fiber crops, feed crops, oil crops, industrial crops, and ornamental crops. Given the right conditions, you can plant any crop you want to grow. But when it comes to the right time to plant a crop, many factors determine the planting season in a region, and if you are an aspiring farmer, you should know these factors to ensure that you are planting your crops at the right planting season:
Latitude and Altitude
We know that our planet is spherical and that the Earth’s surface is divided arbitrarily into latitudes. The latitude of the land or region plays a crucial role in the determination of the planting season. The growing season, for example, becomes shorter as the country becomes more distant from the equator. However, those countries that are situated near or at the equator have an all-year-round growing season.
The growing season also differs according to altitude or elevation. For example, planting season in Tibet (the so-called Roof of the World) tends to be shorter than the growing season of those living in the Fertile Crescent region. Moreover, those in Russia and Scandinavia have shorter planting seasons than those in Malaysia or the Philippines.
Temperature and Weather
Several factors determine the temperature like distance from the sea, altitude, latitude, soil, vegetation, and topographical features. Weather, of course, significantly limits the growth of the plants. It also provides the working conditions for the proper functioning of the plants.
For example, crops have their lower and upper-temperature tolerance limits for the various stages of their growth. Beyond these tolerance limits, plant growth will suffer. High plants’ development, for example, is limited between 0-60°C. On the other hand, cultivated plants have upper and lower tolerance limits between 10° to 40°C.
Planting and Growing Season
The growing season length, of course, can be measured via two methods. One method involves enumerating the days when the average temperature is beyond the threshold. Of course, the threshold is the temperature at which the crops will germinate and go on growing. This measurement differs from crop to crop.
For example, wheat may require at least 40° F (5° C) average temperature to germinate. Corn, however, will germinate at an average temperature of 50° F (10° C).
The other measurement method depends on the frost-free days—the average number of days from spring’s last frost and the autumn’s first killing frost.
Level of Moisture
Rain makes plants grow better. Yet, you may find it hard to work the soil with too much moisture. However, you would not want to work a soil that is too dry. Much soil water can cause your tractor to get stuck in the mud because wet soil compacts quickly.
Moreover, too damp a soil may mean that seeds may rot. You don’t want your seeds to be sitting in moist and cold soil for much too long. Moreover, wet soil also causes poor soil and seed contact, which is critical to proper germination.
Many grass species can proliferate in semi-arid conditions. Yet, most plants require humid conditions. So, as a farmer, it will help if you understand that the amount of moisture available can also set the limits of plant distribution and growth.
The Direction of the Wind
Another critical factor that influences the planting season is the wind. When air moves in a specific direction, it is called wind. Wind current, of course, is produced by the variation of pressure between two contiguous areas. This variation in air pressure is caused by the changes in temperature between two adjacent regions.
The change in temperature generates wind over the surface of the land. Of course, wind strength depends upon the difference between the air pressures in two adjacent areas.
The wind is crucial to planting season because it brings in water vapors and clouds. Its velocity and direction are significant to the planting season. For example, the Southwest Monsoon brings in heavy rain in South East Asia, and its onset signals the onset of the rice planting season.
Moreover, wind affects the growth of plants because it affects the rate of evapotranspiration. Other effects of wind include heat waves and cold waves.
Planting Seasons of Crops Based on Regions and Locations
As mentioned above, several factors determine the planting season in a particular region. However, to further get a good idea of the best time to plant crops, it will help if you look at the planting seasons within various continents and parts of the world.
North America
North America is a vast continent with varying temperatures and weather. Moreover, three countries make up this continent, namely, Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The continental United States lies between 49° north latitude at the Canadian-US border to 25° north at the US-Mexican border.
In Canada, the regions below the 55th Parallel up to the 45th Parallel have 4 to 5 months growing seasons, from April to early May up to September and early October. For regions from the 45th to the 35th Parallel, the growing season slightly increases in length. Below the 35th Parallel, however, the growing season is all-year-round because it has mild winters and hot summers.
In the Southwest deserted part of the U.S., the growing season runs from October to March for the summer are extremely hot. Moreover, the supply of water dictates the planting season in these regions.
Europe
Europe is also a vast continent that is divided by the Pyrenees and Alps. Dissected by these two mountain ranges, Europe comes out with two more pronounced regions: Northern European Region and Mediterranean Region.
The Mediterranean region has the Northern Mediterranean Region and the Southern Mediterranean. Moreover, the Northern Mediterranean Region is down the 45th parallel. Parts of northern France, Italy, Adriatic Sea, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romain, Crimea, and Serbia lie along the 45th Parallel. The growing season there is six months or more.
Its summers are hot, and winters are mild. The rainy season there happens from October to March with dry summer.
The Southern Mediterranean, on the other hand, has an all-year-round growing season. With its mild winter, its vegetation is mostly evergreen.
On the other hand, Northern Europe, situated on the other upper side of the 45th Parallel up to the Arctic Circle, has a shorter growing season due to its high latitude. The low angle of the Sun ranges for five months, though in Scandinavia and Russia, the growing season may last for only three months.
On the left side of Europe, there is the Atlantic Ocean, which gives Western Europe a whiff of humid ocean air. Thus, on the western side of Europe, winter is a bit mild. Inland, far from the ocean, the weather becomes colder, and planting season stays short.
Deserts and Tropics
Although tropic and the deserted parts of Northern Africa have the most Sun throughout the year, water supply still dictates the growing season in these places. The Fertile Crescents, of course, have ample water, supplied by the mighty Nile River and the Euphrates and Tigris River. So, along these great rivers, the growing season can happen throughout the year. Of course, if there is adequate irrigation in hot climates, the growing seasons are greatly extended, and the growing season may go on all-year-round.
In the tropics, the growing season can be periodically interrupted by heavy rainfall. Typhoons and Hurricanes can destroy or damage crops. Hence, the planting season in these areas is affected by rain.
South America
Another huge continent is South America, consisting of many huge countries like Brazil, Peru, Chile, and Argentina. The weather in South America, of course, vary from one region to another. The tropical rainforest of Brazil, for example, can grow crops all year round.
As harvest of soybean, for instance, in the Midwest, South America winds down, planting of soybean in Brazil continues to make progress. The planting season in Brazil and Argentina, for example, runs from mid-October up to mid-February in some areas of Argentina.
December marks the first summer month for Brazil and Argentina, which is opposed to the United States’ seasons. During summer, 87 percent of Brazil’s crops are already planted. Even in southern Brazil, or Rio Grande Do Sul, around 82 percent of crops are already planted.
Conclusion
There are no direct answers to the question mentioned above about when is the best time for farmers to plant crops, for several factors determine the planting season. For example, the region’s latitude and altitude, the temperature and weather, the topography of the place, level of moisture, wind, and many other factors play a crucial role in dictating the planting season in a region.
As a would-be farmer, it will help if you study these determining factors and figure out which type of crops are best suited for the land condition you want to farm. With proper knowledge, you can perfectly time the planting of your crops for maximum productivity.
