Growing Season

There is an old saying that states, “you don’t miss your water until the well runs dry.” This saying holds especially true when you are a farmer. When there is plentiful rain during the growing season everything goes well, your plants are lush and full of life and everything looks promising for a good harvest.

Then there is the other extreme, no water to be had. The creeks and stream begin to slow to a trickle, large cracks appear in the ground, and the young corn plants begin to curl and so wither in the summer heat. This is the time when you become very aware of just how essential your water is, especially now when you are without it.

This spring when our rainfall was above normal, we gave little thought to the abundance of rain. Now that our fields are parched, much of our time is spent watering to insure seedlings get off to a good start.

On numerous occasions I have carried five gallon buckets of water out to the field to water tomato and pepper plants, which were recently set out. Carrying five gallon buckets of water for a distance makes you thankful for the times when rain is plentiful.

John Coykendall, Master Gardener