Impacts of SO Much Rain: Summer Week #7 – 7/17/24

Impacts of SO MUCH Rain

We are so touched by all of the folks who have checked in with us to make sure we are fairing okay with all of this rain! Thank you.

So what are the impacts of all this rain?

Short answer – Too much rain really isn’t great for any crop, however we are hanging in so far, but incredibly concerned about possible diseases developing on our later season crops.

Longer answer – There are LOTS of ways that too much rain impacts our farm.

The number one long term issue with too much rain, especially when it comes in these deluges, is run-off of our soil. Our soil is like a bank account. One can’t take out more than comes in, and building soil takes years. So when these huge rains come and wash our soil away, it takes future seasons’ fertility along with it. Organic agriculture is very big on protecting soil, and so we do use cover cropping to hold soil in place as best we can, but even cover crop roots are no match for 3.75 inches coming down in 3 hours. The soil washes away.

Another huge issue around too much rain is the potential for crop diseases. Bacteria and fungus love things warm and damp.  In tomatoes, for example, the main vector of disease transmission is water. So while the plants look great now, we are worried about diseases developing as the season goes on. In years past with lots of rain (2018!) we have seen tomatoes vines go black and have had very poor quality fruits. Our only means of protecting the plants are to spray copper on them, which is an organically approved treatment. But all that the copper can do is prevent disease. Once disease takes hold there are no organic treatments to prevent the diseases from rapidly spreading.

Plants don’t like having wet feet. Plants need water, but not too much. If you were to come out to the farm you would be able to see very clearly where our wettest spots are by the small, yellowing plants trying to grow there. Too much water drowns plants out and they can’t get other things they need from the soil.  It stunts their growth and therefore their yield.

The last big issue I’ll mention around rain today is just the difficulty in doing our work in efficient ways when the ground is muddy. When the ground is muddy we can’t move our vehicles and equipment through the field. We can’t move our harvest carts close to where we are working. Carts get stuck and we have to stop and push them out together. We have to walk heavy crates long distances. Everything is slower. Everything is harder.  Our boots get heavy. Muddy group is slippery and harder to walk through. It just makes for really tough working conditions for us humans.

We are very appreciative of a 10 day that shows no rain!!! Fingers crossed.