This has been my toughest year, ever, in the garden. Here I reflect on it a little……yes, I am a bit despondent, a bit down hearted but I’m still finding the positives! My heart goes out to all of you who are also having a tough year and feeling demoralised at this point. We’ll sit with these feelings a while……then put on our big girl pants again and get back on with things.
I’m afraid that climate change is already affecting us gardeners. Here in Northern California, we have had both unusually cold and unusually hot weather this year and it looks like it’s going to be a drought year again. The only thing I can think of to do differently is to plant more, hoping that enough will survive, and plant the most drought resistant varieties I can. There are, of course, favorites that I am loathe to give up and I will try to continue growing at least some of these, babying them as much as possible. I have a hard time getting mulch, as I don’t have a car, so I will be trying some techniques I learned in permaculture class to retain moisture in the soil, i.e., planting beneficial plants (nutrient, pollinator attractants) between crop plants to keep the ground covered as much as possible and only watering late afternoon/evening. Any area not devoted to crops will get fava beans or daikon radish planted in it to keep it covered, keep my heavy clay broken up and the winds from drying it out..
Sounds like some very good ideas…..I think we will all need to start adapting and doing things differently….. 🙂