Waiting For The Rain to Come

Although day lengths have become gradually shorter ever since summer solstice back in June, there’s something about September and children returning to school, along with last week’s coincidentally cooler nights and crisp mornings, that suddenly brings home the fact that fall is upon us. Still, we should easily have another six weeks of fine weather before the rains come. The height of the local season is evident in the amount of Full Circle and other northwest produce available in our farm to table boxes, as well as on restaurant menus and farmers’ market stalls, providing plenty of delicious opportunities to support local agriculture.

Here on the farm, late August and September are when we see the highest volume of harvest rolling into the packing shed:  third and fourth planting successions of lettuce, spinach, broccoli and beans are coming, and peppers, eggplant and squash have just hit their stride. Winter storage crops such as potatoes, leeks, cabbage and root vegetables fatten for the long term and will continue to mature in the fields for as long as weather conditions permit. When it’s muddy, it’s hard to get the harvest equipment out there without compacting the soil too much (or getting stuck). There’s plenty of time before we need to worry about that, though—as you can see in this snapshot (below) of the dry, cracked dirt out here, we’re still waiting to welcome the first rain in nearly two months!

How are you faring in the warmth? Ready for rain or content with the sun? Let us know in the comments below.