With rainfall totals ranging from 2-3 inches in lowlands & 4-6 inches in the headwaters just this week, we’re bracing for a very wet summer. Forecasts show the wet pattern continuing through the remainder of June. It looks like rivers in the valley will remain below flood stage but rise enough to cause more crop damage. June will be warmer than normal with thunderstorms, July will be a bit drier but August has a chance of La Nina bringing cool temperatures. So what does this mean for the farm? Greenhouse production! This week on the farm we planted the early producing corn transplants outside & managed to keep them out of the flooded section of field. The potatoes are not in the best spot though, & we’ve had to pull them & replant a few times to keep them from rotting. On the bright side, the mustard greens in the greenhouse are doing well because they thrive in wet grey weather & the greenhouse structure protects them from flooding downpours.
Gardening tip: In extremely wet conditions directly seeded crops will flood, causing rot. To avoid significant crop loss- plant healthy large transplants into raised beds composed of well draining compost & bark mulch.
We’re planning on feeding extra to the honeybees next week since the blackberries aren’t flowering yet & it’s been way too cold for them. They’ve been flying during brief sun breaks but generally they just huddle at the front door of their hives, so we’re definitely concerned. On a positive note we’ve installed 33 hives so we should have enough for a good honey harvest in late summer.
The livestock are just as depressed as we are about the constant rain, but we’re doing our best to keep them well fed & dry. Even the coyotes & skunks are trying to seek shelter from the weather! We recently discovered a skunk family in the barn trying to get into the organic feed bins so there’s been quite an increase in pests like rodents & crows.
Our biogas digester is too cold to produce fuel right now, but by July we should have an update- stay tuned……:)
