It’s always interesting as the year draws to a close to look back at the events of the past twelve months. Even with all the trials and disappointments of life, there’s always a reason to be grateful for the blessings we have received and perhaps we can see more clearly in retrospect the many blessings which came in disguise.
The final Get Out and Grow column for 2013 has been published and now at the end of the year it is time to take a brief look back at what this growing season was like.
Things started off cold and wet. I noted snow in the air as late as May 12 and a hard frost on May 13. We even had a touch of frost Memorial Day weekend. Things got warmer in June – but the soggy-wet conditions persisted through my peak planting time – affecting my winter squash crops in particular.
Severe storms blew through on June 2, dumping two inches of rain on my already super-soaked plantings. Some seedlings suffered and the peonies were beat to a pulp; some of the buds just rotted – they never opened.
By mid-June, things were still wet, but it was clear there was going to be a bumper crop of apples in 2013. Fruit crops – strawberries, raspberries and grapes did well in my yard this year and on the vegetable side, the corn, broccoli and peas were memorable. There’s still a few carrots out there which will find their way into a warm and comforting pot roast on a cold night in the near future.
Things settled down greatly during the second-half of the growing season and I won some major battles this year against squash bugs and vine borers – but perhaps they just drowned in the early season deluge!
I noted we had the first hard frost on October 28 – really very late for us. Now it’s time to take a cue from nature and spend a little time curled up in gardening dormancy until that growing pile of seed catalogs begins calling my name early in the new year.
12/15/13
