What The Old Farmer's Almanac Prediction Says About Your Garden This Winter
A good homeowner knows that it's never too early to start planning how to get your garden ready for winter. Certain plants will need a good pruning or weeding, while others will need fertilizer to boost its nutrients for the next season. But wouldn't it be nice to know what the conditions will be like so you can prepare accordingly? While we do not have a crystal ball to see into the future, we do have The Old Farmer's Almanac to consult.
North America's oldest continuously published periodical recently released its 2025-2026 winter weather forecast for the U.S., and it's predicting that this winter season will be "mostly mild — with pockets of wild!" The Old Farmer's Almanac, which makes predictions for 18 U.S. weather regions, has been publishing long-range weather forecasts since 1792, when George Washington was serving his first term as president. This year, it projects that while most parts of the U.S. can look forward to a winter that is a bit dryer and less frigid than normal, some parts should brace for a season that brings colder temperatures and more precipitation than a typical winter.
A breakdown of this winter's predictions
"Most areas will experience near-normal to slightly milder temperatures, but from the Appalachians south through the Southeast and Florida, and westward across the Ohio Valley, we're predicting a colder-than-normal winter," said Carol Connare, editor of The Old Farmer's Almanac. If you live in any of those areas anticipating more freezing temperatures than normal, you may want to start prepping now for ways to protect your plants from frost. This includes creating portable mini greenhouses to shield vulnerable vegetation.
The almanac predicts that most regions of the U.S. can expect less precipitation than they would during a typical winter. However, Florida and the eastern Desert Southwest (i.e., parts of New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California) could get more rain than usual, while the Carolinas, southern Appalachians, eastern Ohio Valley, and southern Rockies could experience more snow. And while cities like Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. can expect a milder and dry winter, they could have a White Christmas to look forward to.
Whether you enjoy experiencing a winter wonderland or could happily do without it, if you're in one of those regions forecast for extra snow, know that there are benefits and downsides to snow on your lawn. While too much of the white powder can interfere with circulation on your lawn, it can also act as a shield to protect your grass from the more destructive winter elements.
How accurate is it?
The Old Farmer's Almanac is published every fall, so how can folks at this old-school periodical make long-term predictions? The staff say they examine three areas when making long-range weather calls: solar science, the study of the sun's surface and atmosphere; climatology, the study of how weather patterns change over time; and meteorology, the study of the atmosphere and how it affects the weather.
The Old Farmer's Almanac claims their weather forecasts are 80% accurate on average. According to the almanac, that statistic is determined by whether staff correctly predict a departure from normal seasonal precipitation and temperature patterns in at least one city per region. However, a study conducted by the University of Illinois found that just 51.9% of monthly precipitation forecasts and 50.7% of monthly temperature forecasts by the periodical were accurate. This would suggest it's a coin toss as to whether their forecasts will come to fruition. Still, many farmers continue to consult and love The Old Farmer's Almanac for its insights and, that's who the periodical says it is writing for. "We don't think of ourselves as a weather company," Connare told Scientific American in 2023. "We think about ourselves as for the farmer."