Steve, I'd like to have some of your pretty rocks to line my flowerbeds!
Seems nearly every one of us, regardless of our locale, has experienced challenging weather this year. I count myself lucky to live in an area of the country that experiences four distinct seasons, although this year added a fifth--monsoon season!
When I think about what I'd like to put up in my larder this year, there's a few crops I can't imagine going without...onions, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes. Those have to come through since they're the fundamentals. If the peaches should fail, there's always blackberries and strawberries to fall back on for pies and our morning oatmeal. I'm a bit bummed out that my apple trees didn't set this year (despite my busy bees), but the late blooming apple tree on my dad's farm is completely loaded and I'll be putting up as many of those as I can get my hands on. I always have the grocery store to fall back on...but imagine how nerve-wracking it was when people lived solely on what they grew? I'm trying to work toward more food independence for my family, but knowing you had nothing to fall back on...wouldn't that sharpen the learning curve!
Crop diversity and repetitive plantings have been the key to getting by this year. The new raised beds we put in will give me more options next year if the rain keeps me out of the big garden. And I'll probably never change my tag line on here, because it constantly reminds me to avail myself of every available opportunity to get out there and plant something, regardless if the weather is preferable or not. When the weather forecast is dotted with rain clouds, I have a hard time some days trying to choose between working the bees, working in the garden, or cleaning the house. I despise having to go anywhere when something here needs attended to. It seems just plain wrong to waste a sunny day! I usually have to begin with the one thing that is most imperative. Guess which chore gets neglected most often?
