Alix Ingber: Rain, Rain, Rain at the Sweet Briar Community Garden

This has been a really unusual year for us. Ever since our first garden season in 2002 we have struggled yearly with drought. This year we have had lots of rain, and it’s been fun to watch how the garden responds. Crops are shooting up. We are harvesting tons of snap peas, a few zucchinis have appeared, and the pole beans are going wild. Garlic has been harvested, leaving room to plant winter squash.

Pole beans, May 18

Pole beans, June 16

Zucchini, May 18

Zucchini, June 16

Garlic, June 6

Harvested garlic, June 16

The evening of June 9 we had a huge hail storm. There was some damage, but not nearly as much as there might have been.

Hailstones on the deck behind my house

We started an experimental melon patch this year, and the melons love the rain (maybe that’s why they’re called watermelons). Tomato plants are already getting out of control, and some carrots and beets are ready to harvest.

There have been surprises — some more welcome than others. Potatoes planted last year have suddenly reappeared this year, with some staggering results. On the other hand, the cole crops (broccoli, kale, chinese cabbage, etc.) and spinach have grown too fast, and have bolted early. Fortunately, these can be replanted as fall crops, so we’ll have another chance.

Our community workdays have been busy. The rain has taken the wire grass to new heights (and depths) and we continue to dig the roots out of the mud. This year we are concentrating on our strawberry patch. While we got the area terraced and the plants did pretty well this year, we are working on an area of weeds that seems to resist all our efforts. At least the ground is soft, and we continue to hope that we’ll eventually get all of the wire grass cleared out.

Scott continues to work on the water lines. Two “water trees” have already been set up, making it easier for people to connect their hoses and water their plants while leaving the pathways clear for mowing. —Alix Ingber

Alix Ingber, who has taught Spanish at Sweet Briar College since 1980, is a Buildings & Grounds guest blogger who is contributing occasional updates on this season’s progress at the Sweet Briar Community Garden. You can read her previous updates here.