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Weather, friend or foe?

© Bob Ewing

Heavy winds have moderated the Sun's power for the past week. The temperature has hovered between 28-31 degrees Celsius, but winds up to 44 klicks per hour have made that bearable, especially when they come off the Lake. Last night the wind fell silent and the clouds moved in, heavy, dark thunderheads. The lightshow lasted about 2 hours and was accompanied by rain. When I checked my garden this morning, all was fine, the tomatoe plants have begun to produce fruit and the scarlet runner beans are in full bloom. We've been picking peas for a week or so.

We've had a strange year weatherwise and I was worried that we would not get the Sun and heat that was needed if tomatoes are to thrive in the short growing season. We only get 90 frost free days, at best and it is necessary to make the most of them. There was no need to worry. The Sun has been hot and we've received enough rain to ease the watering chores. These elements, sun and rain, can make the difference between gardening success and failure.

Weather is something we cannot control but we sure do complain about it. The wise gardener takes an interest in the local weather conditions and is able to handle frost warning and other condiitons that may damage the crops. The advance knowledge that is gained from gathering weather information can make the difference between feeding your family yourself and having to buy food.

Drought causes its own problems. When Nature does not provide the water we need to nourish our gardens we must provide our own and if the dry conditions linger this becomes increasingly problematic. We'll look closer at this next week, in Water: For Sale.

Weather systems such as El Nino and La Nina create unusual conditions. If you understand the effects on your local weather these systems may have, then you are ahead of the game, which is the idea.

So, if at times it seems that I tend to go on about the weather, you now know why.

If you are concerned about pesticides and their effect on what you eat here are two sites that will give you some important information.

FoodNews

Pesticides

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