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Crickets are Singing

The crickets are back and that is a sure sign of fall. Harvest has begun; may it be ever so slowly because it just can't seem to quit raining. The morning dew is heavy; it is like having a shower of rain and by 8 o'clock the grass is already wet.

    The gardeners are pushing toward the end of their production and of course by 9 o'clock it is getting dark out.

    On June 6 our town of Kenton was hit by a vicious storm. Many homes were damaged and are still waiting to hear from their insurance company. Funny how slow the insurance companies are but do not miss a beat when it comes to them taking the money out of your bank account. I had to replant most of my garden, which I did on June 12. The garden overall, has been great, but some noticeable changes from other seasons. I had 7 corn plants that were left from the storm, so I decided to leave them be and plant new seed which I had purchased in British Columbia. The seed from British Columbia has turned out great. The cobs from the plants left from the storm really do not have much taste.

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   The Peas just would not fill and were dying off. Lack of warm weather, too much rain, who knows? The tomatoes after 2 hair cuts do not seem to want to ripen and the cucumbers have not been as plentiful as other years. The potatoes are hit and miss. Only the purple skinned spuds with white on the inside have done really well. The red potatoes are a disaster, maybe 2 or 3 potatoes per hole and the Yukon potatoes are not too bad.

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    The squash and the pumpkins are growing out of control, haircuts to them. The onions which are good got picked as the ground is so wet, I feared they may rot.  My friend has his onions which are Spanish. They are soft and mushy. I encountered the same thing last year.  The Potato bugs were terrible this year. I tried all kinds of treatments and finally gave up. I have never encountered so many bugs. I wonder if they just blew in with the storm back in June? I wonder if all the storms which include wind and almost 18 inches of rain in Kenton this year are having an effect on the plants?

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   I am sure the farmers are getting anxious with all this weather, as it will not quit raining and the fields are waterlogged. Hopefully it dries up soon so the farmers can get their crop into the bin. Remember when meeting farm machinery on the roads to slow down, get over to the side of the road and give them space. They will appreciate it and remember to thank these men and women who feed the world. With input prices so high I am sure they are more than a little concerned about getting the crop off. Keep safe everyone!