I'm pretty happy not to be gardening on a large scale this season. The weather has been hot, cold, then hot again, but more than anything it has been dry. Over the years I have hoped for dry weather early in the season, followed by moderate rains on a weekly basis. Believe it or not, on several occasions during the last 20 years this scenario has actually happened. However, more often than not, a wet spring has been followed by a hot, dry summer. Fortunately, the heavy clay loam soils i have worked with hold the spring deluges to quench summer crops' thirst. This year there is no spring surplus and without supplemental irrigation, the harbingers of summer will suffer. Even that quintessential spring crop, spinach, is bolting due to hot, dry conditions. Farming and gardening in the era of climate change is not for the faint of heart.
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