I feel like the weather is the main topic of conversation in Ohio this year. It always has its vagaries, but this year just seems extreme. We have had so much rain that I feel like I live in a rainforest. Looking at some of the “flower” beds, the crop of Canadian thistle has become incredibly lush. The last rainstorm cooled things off a bit and I believe I might be able to tackle that job this week. It certainly needs attention.
Work
July is often a month where I feel overwhelmed, but this is proving to be more challenging than usual. At least I haven’t experienced the flooding that many in my area have- after drenching rains of up to four inches. The State is saturated and rivers and streams are overflowing, fields have standing water.
I guess I don’t have much to complain about with my burgeoning weeds. It does give a whole new meaning to “When it rains, it pours”, however.
Such lush, succulent growth in conditions of high heat and moisture usually means a bumper crop of pests and diseases. That will be something we who tend the garden will be watching for!
How are things looking in your neck of the woods?
Crops
The mini farm report
The farmers in my area had at least gotten their wheat crops in, and the golden stubble in the fields contrasts with what I saw in the more northern part of the state over the fourth of July. The wheat stood in the fields and with all this rain I wonder whether they are taking losses.
On a brighter note, sweet corn is abundantly available at the farm market, and I intend to buy some this week. It isn’t a plant crop I grow anymore: it takes lots of space and work and is rarely worth it for me- I live in corn country and it is widely available. But when I did plant sweet corn, the Silver Queen, Butter & Sugar, and Illini Gold were the varieties I liked. Nothing is more quintessentially summer than fresh corn on the cob, cooked for a few minutes and then slathered in butter.
The field corn in this region looks magnificent and is starting to tassle.
My late planted Swiss chard is thriving.
Newsletter News
By the way, did you like the first newsletter? The second one is in the works, and should go out towards the end of this month. Are there topics you would like to see covered in a garden newsletter? Feel free to mention them in the comments. I had fun writing that first one.
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© 2013 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal by Ilona E. An excellent blog.
