they interviewed farmers on the news tonight for a piece about the weather. no one knows how to complain about shitty weather like a farmer--obviously, no one appreciates the awfulness of uncommonly cold temperatures and rain like someone whose livelihood depends on sunshine, warmth and soil that isn’t rottensoggy.
according to the news story most crops are about three to four weeks behind schedule, which shortens the overall growing season considerably and threatens a lot of peoples’ harvests as well as food prices and the economy in this state where agriculture is such a huge deal.
i can’t stand this weather. both yesterday and today it was hideous, it even snowed a little last night. inside i have 50 tomato plants, 15 peppers, half a dozen eggplants, tomatillos, ground cherries, etc etc...clinging desperately to the windows, outgrowing their cups...outside i haven’t even prepared most of the beds. it’s not that the weather is *severely* cold, it’s just annoyingly cold. stalled in the 50s when we should have solid 60s and 70s during the day.
the creek started filling on the 19th. a few days later i waded in to secure the pump i use to water my garden. fucksake it was cold. my feet went dead numb. come to think of it, i probably shouldn’t use that water on my plants yet. i just realized i tortured myself for no reason.
happier garden news: i have around a dozen baby tomatoes growing on one plant.
strawberries continue to tough out the chilly weather.
oregon grapes are in bloom:
so are blueberries,
and bleeding hearts...
anyone play the card game hearts? you know the phrase, “hearts have been broken”...i have a new phrase for the time in spring right after these flowers bloom: “hearts have been bled.”
over at the yardshare/fiefdom jason and i prepared the third bed and planted our root veggies this week. beets: pronto, chioggia and early wonder; carrots: little finger and red core chantenay; and some purple potatoes. the onions and cabbage we planted there have sprouted.
his alley garden is getting cuter by the day.
and so is his garden helper, sammychong!
