robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

In a couple of months time we will be exceeding your ideal temp by 10 to 20 degrees or more with fairly low humidity. I grew up in Western Kentucky and remember the plowing, planting etc of each type of crop or garden vegetable on my Grandparent's farm or my Great Grandfathers 2+ acre garden in town. Gotta love small towns where the lots were laid out in the 19th century, huge lots and yards and his house had a double lot.

Our youngest, Jasmine, is at UVA Medical School. That first big snow storm that hit Virginia in early Dec was a bit of climate shock for her. She went to the library early to study and at the end of the day as she was leaving she found warnings to not drive if she lived close but leave her car in the lot and walk (4 blocks for her). She had a happy surprised ball walking home, did a selfies video and put it on FaceBook. She even saw a big rig skid and do a partial jackknife (now she knows why they said leave the car and walk). Then when she saw her own video she was surprised and then delighted that she had snow flakes in her hair like big white sprinkles.

Swamp-Cork Loc: Lanexa, Virginia

I would think that the growing zone around UVA would be Zone 7A and now we reside in Zone 7B and probably about 50 to 70 miles from Zone 8A. Our family resided on a 76-acre farm about 20 miles east of UVA until I was about 10-11 years old when we moved to a smaller home located on about five acres in the Richmond Va. area and remember the climate being quite a bit more humid than our former location. Like you, we always had a large garden and dad always planted corn and something green to provide hay for the animals... After several lows in the 50's, we are now back to normal lows of the '20s to mid-'30s along with frost! I've heard mentioned that many years some of our worst winter weather occurs in late February to mid-March and not uncommon to see a little snow, but usually doesn't stick around long! We are really not frost proof until about May and lately seem to then go almost directly into summer! This is my first venture online after cataract removal on my right eye and will have the surgery on my left eye on the ninth of April and what an improvement already. Take care!

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Good luck with that surgery, I have the early stages of cataracts and may need the surgery if I live long enough.

My home town is very humid. Western Kentucky and surrounded by lots of rivers, lakes etc. Ohio, Mississippi and to the east the two huge reservoirs on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers that stretch south into Tennessee. All that water changes the climate and moderates the temperatures. Snow storms coming down from Canada change to rain in Southern Illinois and back to snow about the Tennessee line. I have seen days of 95 degrees and 95% humidity with thunderstorms all day when I still lived there.

Swamp-Cork Loc: Lanexa, Virginia

Sounds familiar, Robert and we live along the Chickahominy River which flows into the James about 10 miles downriver near Jamestown and we are about an hour drive from the Chesapeake Bay, so summer conditions are very similar to what you described, along with an occasional Nor'easter which comes down the coast. Take care, Corky!