growing season

views updated Jun 11 2018

growing season In seasonal climates, the period of rapid growth. Various definitions are used. In Britain, the growing season is the period when the mean temperature exceeds 6°C, though there is no agreement whether daily, weekly, or monthly means should be used, or whether these should be of ground or air temperatures. In the USA, the growing season is defined as the period between the last killing frost of spring and the first killing frost of autumn, a killing frost usually being regarded as one recorded on a thermometer exposed in a standard way in a Stevenson's screen.

growing season

views updated Jun 08 2018

growing season In seasonal climates, the period of rapid growth. Various definitions are used. In Britain, the growing season is the period when the mean temperature exceeds 6°C, though there is no agreement whether daily, weekly, or monthly means should be used, or whether these should be of ground or air temperatures. In the USA the growing season is defined as the period between the last killing frost of spring and the first killing frost of autumn, a killing frost usually being regarded as one recorded on a thermometer exposed in a standard way in a Stevenson screen.