It’s been a tough year for growers. Especially those of us that haven’t experienced a Summer as dry as this one. The Southwest is clearly in a drought and Colorado is on fire due to lack of rain. Here in Zone 5, we’re suffering from denial. Apparently, we’re not officially in a drought even though my neighborhood only had 2 storms this month. This is the price we pay for a short, mild winter. No snow means no thaw. No thaw means no floods. No floods mean no rain. This is probably what farmers at the Good Food Conference were afraid of in March.
This year we’re part of a CSA (community-supported agriculture) though Heritage Prairie Farm and their newsletter has a more accurate take on what we’re experiencing:
This time last year I remember being bogged down in rain so bad the crops were being washed away through the field and going from record low temps to above average heat seemingly overnight. This year could not be more different. The field is bone dry. We are irrigating 24/7 just to keep things alive… For the month of June we normally expect about 4 inches of rain. So far this month we have had half an inch of rain. Vegetables need about one inch of rain per week, preferably not all at once. – Nate and the Farm Crew
This season will test our mettle. During the Good Food Conference, Michael Gorman said that drought was a major factor that led to the end of the Back to the Land Movement of the 1970s. Hopefully we can gain from their wisdom this time around and keep this thing going through this dry spell.
One last thing, this video introduces Mr. Toad. He lives in The Original Garden and hunts slugs at night. He’s shy but you’ll see more of him in weeks to come.
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