A hard year for gardeners and farmers
November skies |
It will probably be cold enough tonight to finish off the New Guinea impatiens. They are such dedicated bloomers; they are still loaded with dozens of flowers even though they've gone through several nights that were colder than they really like. The pansies and marigolds are hardier. They should make it through tonight OK, and I will cover them tomorrow night.
A lady at work today told me that she still has tomatoes on the vine in her garden. Obviously, she has been watering her garden faithfully for months. I and a lot of other people gave up on our poor gardens a long time ago.
We've had a number of field fires in Christian County this fall due to the very dry conditions. Even though we had some rain a week or two ago, we had "Fire Weather" warnings again last week. The current weather system brought light showers as it moved in, but it was just enough rainfall to settle the dust until the sun comes back out.
At the polls last Tuesday, a neighbor told us that he has been feeding hay to his little herd of cattle for more than three months already, due to the drought. He didn't get much hay from his own fields, so he has been buying it. He'll have to buy hay all winter. He said that it takes the joy out of farming. (He meant that this year's calf crop probably won't pay this year's hay bill.)
And so another growing season is coming to its end. In the Pennyrile region of Kentucky, it's been a difficult year for farmers and gardeners. When the winter rains finally begin, it will be a good thing.
2 comments:
That is a great photo of the barn and sky. I love the little blue sky among all those dark clouds. It's time to get the sweaters out!
Hi, Stitchy. I'm wearing a jacket tomorrow morning when I have to go to work bright and early.
I read today that farmers in 91 counties in Kentucky are eligible for low interest loans through a USDA disaster relief program. On the list from our area: Christian, Caldwell, Trigg, Todd, Hopkins, and Muhlenberg counties. Also, some highway regulations and restrictions have been eased until next spring for trucks transporting hay.
Post a Comment