What is the relationship between growing season and climate in the Southeast region?

Answer 1

The climate of the Southeastern United States generally has its last freeze earlier in the spring and its first freeze later in the fall than the more northern states. This enables it to grow vegetables that ripen earlier in the spring and later in the fall than the rest of the nation. At one time this was a tremendous advantage. However, with the growth of large chain stores, contractors in California have pretty much taken over supplying the nation's vegetables. California can grow them year round. However, a referendum just about put California out of the chicken and hog growing business. The Southeast can grow two crops a year to feed those animals. Also much of the land in the Southeast has been put into fast growing trees. Oregon has about 5% of its usable forest left. When that is harvested, the Southeast will be the part of the country that provides the nation with trees. It is the only part of the nation that can consistently provide the nation with a continually usable source of usable lumber. With a much longer growing season than the north and trees with the correct shape for lumber, those trees should serve the needs of the nation for a long time to come.