Why Volcanoes Matter to Gardeners

The year without a summer is the famous summerless year. I am familiar with it because of art historical speculation that J.M.W. Turner's paintings were influenced by the unusually colorful sunsets of that year. But why should a gardener care if we don't live 2 thousand miles from the nearest volcano?

The volcano at Redoubt Mt. in Alaska is blowing its top these days, and it will have little affect on our climate say the experts, but tropical volcanoes have much greater consequences. Check out this brief, but scientific post by Jeff Masters, meteorologist.

We're talking snow storms in June and ice floes in August here. A far away volcano could do in your tomatoes!