Frost depth, how deep?

[Allen]

Just curious and would like to hear from anyone out pushing deep snow around, or trying to dig in the underground under virgin snow, how hard is the ground in your area?

I was out pushing virgin snow this weekend and found the ground to be largely unfrozen under the deep snow. When I hit my foodplots area, the ground was actually muddy under the snow near Lincoln.


Anyone got some observations for me? I'd be interested in hearing from any and everyone, and please include the general location.

Thanks!

 

[Vollmer]

Was just working on a location. Was soft on top few inches, and then about a foot or less of frost. Snow insulates well. That's very little frost for the cold we had.

 

[Kurtr]

About the same down here around mobridge

 

[Auggie]

NDSU NDAWN tracks soil temps and depths. Bottineau doesn't have much frost. Most other places are frozen 50cm (~1.8ft) down.
https://ndawn.ndsu.nodak.edu/deep-soil-temperatures.html

 

[luvcatchingbass]

Just SW of Grand Forks I talked to a guy that there was little to no frost in some grassy areas that the snow insulated. Was a nasty muddy wet mess where they were working.

 

[NDwalleyes]

NE bismarck, I have an 8 foot drift the neighbor kids dug into. just under the snow was all mud.

 

[ndfinfan]

So this is a good thing moving forward with the spring melt?

 

[eyexer]

around williston if there was snow cover on it early the frost is only 6" or so. Where it was kept open it's pushing 3'.

 

[bigbrad123]

So this is a good thing moving forward with the spring melt?

I'd say that depends on how saturated the ground was prior to the snow.

 

[BrokenBackJack]

Yep if it isn't frozen some of the snow melt will soak in. Should help the subsoil moisture quite a bit come spring especially if we can get a slow thaw.

 

[db-2]

Little frost here under the snow. Not sure if this is a good thing or not for the farmers when the ground is super wet for the spring up here.
Does frost dry out ground or is it better to be unfrost to get rid of moisture for the spring? Runoff, is it better that it is frozen or not? Maybe no frost when it melts it will sink in more except some ground is already wet. I would think the ground will warm up faster this spring with no frost. db

 

[eyexer]

Little frost here under the snow. Not sure if this is a good thing or not for the farmers when the ground is super wet for the spring up here.
Does frost dry out ground or is it better to be unfrost to get rid of moisture for the spring? Runoff, is it better that it is frozen or not? Maybe no frost when it melts it will sink in more except some ground is already wet. I would think the ground will warm up faster this spring with no frost. db

sooner the frost goes out the better the ground absorbs the needed moisture. that can come with some negatives but I think positives far out weigh them.

 

[ndfinfan]

Hoping for a slow thaw this spring for sure...we don't need a spring where temps stay in the 20's late into March then all of a sudden we hit 65 degrees for 2 weeks!

 

[jdinny]

NE bismarck, I have an 8 foot drift the neighbor kids dug into. just under the snow was all mud.

spot on with my observations. starting digging a drift that is 8ft up on my house covering dryer vent etc, have been keeping the dryer vent clean all winter but decided with the nice weather to start shoveling it down/blowinf it from the house and I went to take a break took the spade and jammed it into the ground and to my surprise the grass was green and spade went into the ground very easily.

 

[db-2]

As far as sub soil moisture goes. Up here were unable for the most part to do falls work as it was to wet let alone what is in the sub soil. Then stubble holding snow and when I was a kid (straw did grow 3' high and a lot of burning as the chisel plow plug) leaving straw meant no crop the next year. db

 

[Allen]

db-2,

Where are you at in the state?

 

[Fisherman25]

If you dig under snow there is basically no frost. McLean county

 

[BDub]

Just south of Bismarck, no frost or very little.

 

[db-2]

north central next to the border db

 

[KDM]

Got water under the snow in the low spots in the yard. Guessing the frost isn't too deep either.