Normalcy
Hello class. Let’s begin today by pausing to refresh… we have a lot going on in our world, so, first, take a deep breath – inhale… and exhale… ahh… now… pretend you’re Warren G. Harding running for president of the United States in 1919. Your country had suffered through a brutal war and was still battling an epidemic. Your appeal to voters was for “a return to normalcy.”
Now, pretend you are you. There is a war going on which seriously affects the price of chocolate and pajamas, plus measles is among us. Your news is often disheartening, and it is harder to know who to believe. Leaders say abnormal absurdities so often, we might not flinch anymore. That’s not what we want as normal.
Plus, there’s another thing. This year, Fayetteville and Ft. Smith both experienced the most 100° days ever recorded during August and September. Coral reefs suffer in warmer oceans, wildfires blaze through parched fields into neighborhoods, historic atmospheric rivers are predicted to inundate California during winter, and my garden suffered mightily during summer. How about yours?
Little Rock poet John Gould Fletcher observed, “Midsummer noontide is a sky of brass;/The sun-like flame licks at the blistered earth,/And shrivels up the blades of withering grass.” Yessir, Mr. Fletcher, that was my backyard in August. For decades, scientists have been telling us weather patterns are becoming more irregular, unpredictable and sometimes drastic. If you don’t believe scientists, look at your own gardens.
During extended hot spells of 85° or higher, tomato plants use up their stored energy faster and flowers become harder to pollinate. Melon family plants produce more male flowers during hot weather leading to less fruit to share. Bean flowers produce less pollen, so fewer beans. Not only that, bees don’t like extremely hot weather either, so pollination gets spottier.
Our weather is like a bowl of water, and we have bumped against its mechanisms causing ripples and disturbances on the surface. It will take a while to settle, so our ability as gardeners to adapt is the new normalcy.
One thing gardeners can do in any weather is enrich and protect soil. There’s a world living in every inch in there, from bacteria and fungi to spiders and worms, and your success as a gardener starts with regular attention to the soil. Between now and late winter, there is time to clear out spent vegetable matter, converse with the soil about how last season went, and plan for an unpredictable summer. Every gardener has an individual style regarding soil amendments, but a blanket composed of manure, leaves, compost, grass clippings or straw on the soil all winter makes for happy neighborhoods below ground. Perennial plants in flower beds deserve this same consideration.
And you don’t have to pull up every henbit which, in spite of the cold, sprouts, spreads and even flowers. They help hold soil in place and they don’t really bother anybody. In spring, add them to compost. They served you well.
When I pore over seed catalogs during winter, I am drawn for unusual varieties, but an adjustment would be focusing on natives and heat-tolerant varieties – Ozark Purple Podded beans, muscadine grapes and Cardinal strawberries, for example.
You can also reschedule your planting routine. Times have changed. A warmer February means hardy leafy greens might go in, but an icy, bitter meteorology might mean greens wait till mid-April. Practice ballet during the winter so you’ll be flexible come spring to handle weather changes.
Watering is time-consuming during a hot spell. Water early if you can. Good for you if you have working drip lines. Regardless, regular watering settles you down and might get your dearly beloveds through to moderate weather.
Thomas Edison stated, “Hot weather is the mother of procrastination,” which reminds me of me when it’s time to water the garden on days like that.