Crazy Weather Affecting Plant Growth

It used to be that you could predict the weather by the seasons. Especially here in Georgia. Even though I moved to the northern part of the state, it's still Georgia. Maybe it's the climate change, but the past few years it's been insane. You can't predict nothing.

In the past three years we've had...

• 100+ days of drought.
• A category 1 hurricane hit us in these mountains.
• Torrential downpours, flooding, washed out roads, etc even in these mountains.
• Snow and ice in March and April.
• Unseasonably late cold snaps.
• Unseasonably late or no seasonal changes (a two day spring and fall)

This year alone, it's the normal expected temperature for a few days or maybe a week, and then it's be cold again. Our poor garden doesn't know what's going on either.  It's supposed to be summer. But yet, the weather went from a normal highs in the 80s & 90s to a high of maybe 70 for a week, and then back again.

My heat loving veges like tomatoes, okra, squashes, peppers, eggplant, and melons are happily dancing in the sun producing flowers and fruit one week to having their leaves curl up and dying off the next. We experienced gardeners are left scratching our heads at a loss of what to do, what to plant, and praying that we get a crop this year. Others, who just started gardening this year, are wondering if the "new age of victory gardens" is a cruel joke and are disheartened.

I mean normally by now, I'm in shorts and tank tops, and praying for a cool breeze. I still haven't packed up my flannel shirts in various thicknesses. Every time I wash them all intent on packing them away, the weather turns cooler again and I'm grabbing them again. It's the end of June already!

Does this mean we are facing a later longer fall season? Your guess is as good as mine. There is no second guessing Mother Nature. Of course, with greenhouses you could combat some of this unpredictability. If this month was any indicator, I would have raised or lowered the vent sides four times or replaced the plastic with shade cloth and back again. My corn (and other plants) will be knee high by the 4th of July but will be stunted in growth with this weather.

Bees and other pollinating insects do not like the cooler temperature either. Many a morning (earlier than 9AM), I'm finding bumble bees in my garden on the ground too cold to fly. I'll gently pick them u in my gloved hand to warm them. Once they are warmed, they'll fly away and get busy. If they don't work, we don't eat. Yes, it's taking my life in my hand to do this. I've already stated in here that I'm highly allergic to bees on this blog, but if they get too cold, they'll die and I need them. The sun has been up a few hours already, but they are still too cold to fly. It's summer fer God's sake! Luckily the smaller bees and wasps that frequent our garden are busily working on my green beans, peas, and other vegetables that are flowering. And yes, even though it's almost July, my English peas are still growing and flowering! My lettuces and spinach still haven't bolted yet. I'm still waiting for my potatoes to flower. I should have harvested them by now. At this rate, it will be time to plant my fall rotation of cooler weather  crops again by the time these spring garden plants die off and are fully harvested. Is that insane or what?

I know it's the same all over the country because I read other bloggers. Except for maybe Florida, Texas, or California... farmers are complaining. Meanwhile, my orchard grass needs to be cut, dried, and baled. We don't have rabbits anymore that will need to eat it. Sigh! The only high point in gardening this year is a mute point. Only the

her blog

grass crops are doing well. We really don't eat the grasses, but we may have to learn. As much rain as we've had I should have planted the upland rices like Leigh over at 5 Acres and a Dream did, but I didn't. Isn't hindsight wonderful?! But it all goes back to how unpredictable the weather has been.

 
Well enough complaining and back to work in the garden and the critters. We've had a total of two of Mel's hens get loose and are now part of Big Red's harem. I have no idea where they are laying their eggs and I'm not about to challenge him again to get them back with the rest of the girls. It took me almost three weeks for the puncture wounds to heal from our last battle.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Cockeyed Jo