Garden Disaster

In January of 2012, I wrote a blog entry about the severe drought we were having here in Oklahoma.  

Reflections on the Drought

Later that spring, the rains came and we were officially out of the drought for several months.  But, the rains stopped and the drought again crept into our part of the state so that by January of 2013 we were back in a severe drought.

During those dry times, we struggled to keep the garden alive and producing.  I dreamed of rain and lakes and rivers full of water.  Well, my dreams became a reality this spring when Oklahoma received record-making rainfall.  Here's a Mesonet map of the rainfall totals that have fallen in the state in the past 90 days.

 Unfortunately, this has caused more problems for us than the drought.  It was so wet for so long that we didn't get our crops planted in a timely manner.  Many of our potatoes rotted in the ground.  And, worst of all for me personally, the raised beds that I normally take care of got overtaken by weeds.  Here is an embarrassing picture of what it looks like.

Normally, I would have mulched the beds with leaves before the weeds got such a foothold, but this spring it was wet and muddy and I just didn't get it done.  Now, the weather is hot and humid and I've found that I cannot handle the heat this summer, so I've sort of given up for now.  Maybe I'll try a fall garden.  As Scarlet O'Hara would say "Tomorrow is another day!"

I am trying to be optimistic and put a positive spin on this whole deal.  I planted some Mexican Sunflowers that are beautiful, towering above the weeds and holding their own.

If you look closely, they are covered with butterflies and bumblebees..

I also have a lot of Thai Basil that came up volunteer from plants I planted last year.  Although, I don't use this herb much, I like to grow it for the pretty purple flower stalks it produces.

So, all is not lost and life goes on.  That is the nice thing about gardening, tomorrow is another day!