Last week, during a late season heat wave I had to keep reminding myself what month it was. It was so hot outside that if I wasn’t selling pumpkins at the farmers market, I would have thought it was July.
Many customers commented on how this year’s weather had been weird and that they were not having a good growing season in their garden. But that last year’s weather had been great and their garden had produced more and looked better.
I hear the same comments every year. But I think it has more to do with people’s perception and less to do with actual weather. Autumn is a time for reflection and the summer’s gardening trials and tribulations are still fresh on the growers mind. With more distance you tend to only recall the successes; the new crop variety you discovered, mornings spent in the garden, abundant harvest, and delicious home-grown meals.
With gardening and farming every season is a fresh start, a chance to learn from earlier mistakes and get one step closer to your ideal. At the beginning of every season I remind myself that the weather will not be what I expect, that I don’t fully control what happens in my field, and that this year is unique never to be repeat exactly the same again.