Wet weather affecting crops

The wet weather is having only slight effects on the crops at Two Toad Farm. Due to the gentle slopes and fairly well drained soil (Beckett), there is no puddling of water. The wetness is causing some loss of young, tender leaves of salad mix, the bottoms of some pac chois, and making slugs a problem for the farm for the first time ever (in my entire farming/gardening career). Another slight problem is that the peas are not sweetening up as they should. They are growing well, but without the sun, they are not producing as much sugar as they could (varieties like sugar Anne, sugar sprint, and sugar snap are usually very sweet).

Some new allies have emerged from the soil this week. Bee assassins catch and eat cabbage moths and other flying pests. Unfortunately they also eat my honey bees, but hopefully they stick to slower flyers. I hope they eat the grasshoppers.

Broccoli is coming for the CSA next week, and summer squashes are starting to size up, we’ll keep an eye on those). I will also be vigilant in the tomatoes watching for signs of early blight that devistated so many tomatoes accross Maine last year.

Keep thinking sunshine,

jp