How OrtoClima Works
OrtoClima helps you understand when it makes sense to sow, transplant, or wait in your municipality. It does not give one fixed date for everyone: it looks at the typical local climate and compares it with the needs of each crop.
The goal is to make vegetable-garden planning easier. Instead of checking separate tables for temperatures, frost, and harvest timing, you get practical guidance already adapted to the place you selected.
A practical example
If you look up tomatoes in Naples in May, OrtoClima checks whether nights are usually mild enough, whether frost risk is already low, and whether there is enough useful time before the strongest summer heat. That comparison becomes a recommended window, a riskier window, or a suggestion to wait.
The same reasoning changes from crop to crop. Radishes can be quick and tolerate different conditions from peppers; a coastal town can have different risks from a municipality farther inland or at higher elevation.
What you will find
- windows for direct sowing and transplanting;
- estimated harvest periods;
- notes on cold, frost, heat, and difficult seasons;
- simple crop profiles that explain what each crop needs.
Where the guidance comes from
OrtoClima starts from public, checkable sources, then turns them into practical guidance with simple rules about crop needs.
- ISTAT, statistical codes for territorial administrative units: municipality registry, ISTAT codes, provinces, and regions.
- ISTAT, main geographic statistics for municipalities: Altimetria Comuni al 31 dicembre 2021 and Fasce altimetriche Comuni al 31 dicembre 2021.
- NASA POWER Daily API: historical climate series used for temperatures, rainfall, and local seasonal indicators.
- GeoNames export dump: representative geographic position and population data used to connect municipalities to weather points.
- OrtoClima crop rules: internal thresholds for sowing, transplanting, harvest timing, and risk handling.
The ISTAT altimetry data uses 2021 municipal geography and NASADEM_HGTv001-derived terrain statistics. It describes the municipality context, not the exact microclimate of an individual garden.
For formulas, thresholds, and data limits, see the Method page.
The pages do not replace local experience or observing your own garden. Use them as a compass: if the soil is still cold and wet, waiting can be better; if you grow in a sheltered, sunny spot, you may have a few days of advantage.
Contact
For questions about the project or content management, contact [email protected].