This time last year, I was making jalapeno-plum jam, cinnamon-plum jam, plum mincemeat, pickled plums, plum barbecue sauce and still had enough fruit to half-fill my freezer.
Three plum trees live in the garden—two are ancient and one is about six years old. Every year since we moved here eight years ago, they have produced an unbelievable harvest of beautiful purple plums. Even the little tree last year filled a big bowl.
But not this year. The big old trees had very few plums; the little tree produced a dozen, which was more than each of the others produced.
My apple trees last year had very few blooms, possibly due to the unusual heat in June. This year the trees were resplendent with masses of blossoms. But when I stood under the tree, rapt with admiration, I noticed there were no bees. The ripening apples are mostly malformed, tiny and inedible.
Powell River Garden Club master gardener Sharon Schultz explained how when you cut an apple in half along its equator, the pattern of the flower blossom is visible. In an apple that was fertilized properly, the fruit is round with traces of all the original petals evident inside.
If it was not, the apple is misshapen with fewer traces of petals. Many folks I talked to have experienced the same phenomena.
Garden club members Cynthia Barnes and Carol Hearder share their observations.
“My cherry trees looked great as did my apple tree, which I had professionally pruned and sprayed,” said Cynthia. “Much to my dismay our small peach tree died. I am guessing from the late frost.
“The cherry tree which produced so abundantly last year produced a couple of cherries and its leaves were also affected by frost despite looking beautifully abundant with blossoms in May. It is touch and go whether it will survive. Fingers crossed.”
Carol said the weather was not good for her fruit trees, which was unfortunate.
“No Asian pears, no yellow plums and my grafted five-variety pear tree has some fruit, but most are diseased or small,” added Carol. “The apple trees which bloomed later seem to be much better.”
Like Cynthia’s cherry tree, many fruit trees were covered in blossoms in the spring but the unseasonable cold proved fatal for the bees. And a lack of bees might be the answer to garden club’s Shirley Salchert’s question: “My spaghetti squashes had lots of blossoms but didn’t set fruit. Why?”
Vitally important for sustaining food production, this year’s fruit crop failures due to lack of bees are a grim reminder of how much we depend on a healthy bee population and how fragile the web of life can be. The wildly unusual weather patterns we currently experience have adverse effects on all living things around the globe.
One small consolation is that there are no startled, plum-gorged bears suddenly lunging from the trees to the ground in front of me, frightening me half to death. But I worry that the bears might not be able to find sufficient food in the wild places they inhabit if their food sources are also being affected by lack of pollination.
The extended cool weather resulted in a wonderful abundance of peas, potatoes and blueberries. The hydrangeas have never looked more beautiful. But, to my bewilderment, cabbages and other brassicas bolted then died soon after I planted them early in the spring.
In the frustratingly cold greenhouse, plants that did not have bottom heat did not do well except for the lettuce, which found the environment just right, were lush and beautiful. Tomato plants were still woefully tiny when I planted them out in late June. I waited until the second week of July to plant beans.
Usually, our blackberry bushes are heavy with berries by mid August. But this year the berries emerged at least two weeks later than usual and dried up before ripening.
The last few years have presented challenges that make us rethink what and when to plant and how we manage our gardens. After all, gardens are a huge investment of our time, energy, and emotions—and of course, our finances.
Gardeners are used to surprises, both good and bad, when it comes to growing plants. There’s always failure and rewards that keep things interesting. But the increasingly growing unpredictability of the last few years raises a question: Is abnormal becoming the new normal?
This year’s unusually long, cold spring, followed by an extremely hot, dry summer, has made gardening less of a pleasure and more of a test of our commitment.
Watering presents challenge
Garden club member Lin Morrison’s new maxim has become: “I don’t expect my plants to thrive, just survive.”
Lin has a limited water supply; by hand she waters her plants from her main source, her pond. Supplying her plants has proved to be a daunting task, especially with the hotter, drier weather of the last couple of years.
“All other garden chores had to make way for the needs of watering, most of which was dipped from the pond and doled out to each plant,” explained Lin. “By now my plants know full well whom I love the most, because they always received extra rations. Even the vegetables which grow close to the pond water table were stressed and doing poorly. Normally they would need no watering once seedlings were established, but not this year, nor the last couple.”
Finding the right balance between overwatering and underwatering has always been a challenge for gardeners. Letting the soil dry out between waterings stimulates resilience in plants as they develop strong healthy roots to seek available moisture. But, care must be taken, especially in extreme heat when plants can become overstressed.
Overwatering results in lazy plants that have minimal chances of survival should adverse conditions set in, even in short duration. Knowledge of which plants need more water while others can get by with less, and how to deal with increasing temperatures, is usually gained by trial and error. Different soils require different amounts of water as some soils hold water longer, while others percolate much more quickly.
“Desperate times call for inventiveness; I developed strategies to help deal with this extreme weather,” said Lin. “Sheer curtains were draped over the tomatoes and roses. I laid wood mulch around plants to cool the soil and retain some modicum of moisture. One extra benefit from the mulch was how water now percolated through to the soil, rather than run off the dusty surface.
Lin maximized water conservation, making sure water went to the plants that needed it.
“Troughs were scooped around plants to contain water and pierced cans and planters sunk into the soil directed water to the roots,” she added. “I watered at the crack of dawn. In our household, dishes have always been rinsed first, then washed in a dish pan. This water is dumped into the planters closest to the house, soap and all. The plants don’t complain.”
Beat the heat
Lin cautions that not only plants are adversely affected by the heat.
“Humans suffer, too; heat exhaustion is a real thing, and dangerous,” she warned. “At times it felt that no amount of drinking water could replenish what was lost in the heat. I swear my plants thought it was raining as I dripped sweat on them.
“I know I pushed myself too hard in the heat as I tried to get water to the most endangered plants. When you actually feel sick to your stomach, your heart is pounding, and your face is beet red, you know it is time to stop…an hour ago.”
Letting our lawns dry out in the summer rather than wasting precious water on them has become common practice; they will become green again after a couple of rainfalls. But having to decide which of the plants we’ve nourished and cared for will live and which to let die is a heartbreaking choice that has become a reality for some. Lin’s approach to managing her garden reflects a hospital emergency room situation.
“This kind of weather necessitates survival mode; forget lush green growth,” she said. “I triaged our plants. Grass would recover, so I let it dry out, concentrating on the most vulnerable and valuable plants. That was mainly trees and shrubs; both the newly planted and the long established.
“Most perennial flowers would recover, so they received a minimum of water to stay alive. Annuals are a lesser investment, they have just the one year’s growth, so I let those go. Next year is next year.”
Not all crop failures are due to inclement weather, as Sharon discovered with her potatoes.
“I have had good success with growing potatoes in bags so this year I expanded - more bags and a few larger fabric bags with two to three plants in each,” she explained. “Those larger fabric bags started out really well. The potatoes loved the cooler spring and early summer. Then the potatoes started to die off suddenly.
“When I harvested, the production of the plants was less than previous years and there was a smell of ammonia...and some cat poop...larger bags were the neighbourhood cats’ litter box.”
So her plans for next year?
“Oh, well, next year it’s back to the smaller bags and one plant per bag.”
Carol said the wet spring and two months of intense heat this year were good for the blooming plants.
“My Crape myrtle was extremely prolific with its brilliant colour,” she added.
Amazingly, despite their slow start followed by the intense dry heat, the tomatoes I planted turned out to be my biggest success. I planted them in richly composted soil and watered them very little but did provide a thick layer of chopped straw mulch which helped keep the soil cooler.
I also enjoyed success with my favourite Bishop’s crown peppers that I grew in the greenhouse.
As summer draws to an end, we make plans for next year’s garden as we harvest this season’s bounty. Garlic is put aside ready for planting next month. Flower and tomato seeds are collected and stored.
We reassess what and where we planted, drawing from this year’s experience to plan things differently next year.
Cynthia’s experience reflects the unique relationship gardeners have with their gardens and plants. The right amount of light, soil condition and heat are other major factors to consider for healthy plant growth.
“The corn and squash will not amount to much as the bed where they were planted did not get enough sun; I started with one garden bed but now I have three,” said Cynthia. “The original bed did well at first, especially with kale, but it has become more shaded over the years so I will have to restrict the plantings there somewhat.”
Cynthia planted special sweet-pea seeds, but none of them sprouted.
“They were in a new area that was not particularly fertile,” she added. “I am going to improve this new area and transfer our lovely yellow day lilies into it as they have taken over in their former spot. I am determined to improve the soil in the flower beds next year with lots of manure.”
Something Cynthia has discovered is that basil is best grown in her greenhouse. Her beans and potatoes did well, but her biggest success was watermelon.
Experience is the greatest teacher. Trial and error, combined with a little background knowledge of how to keep everything healthy and happy, are paramount for success.
There's always next season
Getting our gardens ready for winter does not mean a lot of work. Weeds have mercifully slowed down to the point where we finally have them almost eradicated. Corrugated cardboard, chopped vegetable matter and leaves can be piled directly on top of the soil and the weeds and left for the winter, fertilizing the soil in the process, and leaving it wonderfully loamy and light for spring planting.
In fact, leaves are one of the best sources for compost, and they are free! Every fall I see someone in the school yard across the street raking up maple and beech leaves to take for her garden.
Don’t use walnut leaves though. Like cedar, plants do not generally grow under them. Instead of compost, they can be placed in areas such as walkways or between raised beds to keep weeds down.
Leaves can just stay where they fall. Lots of little beneficial critters live under them and are grateful if you leave them undisturbed.
Not all plants need to be harvested before winter. Potatoes, beets, parsnips, leeks and carrots are just a few that can just stay in the ground until needed. Leaving seed heads on dead plants makes the garden look untidy but that’s okay. They provide winter feed and protection for the birds.
By late fall, I’ve finally found my long-lost gardening tools that, no matter how many times I promise myself that I will be mindful of where I put them, I leave somewhere to disappear into the weeds.
Fall gives us a chance to look back over the growing season and start thinking about the next. Of course, all gardeners keep a journal, right? This way, there’s an invaluable record to refer to when determining plans for our gardens: what was planted when, how long to germinate, temperature, weather, et cetera.
Actually, many of us start one early in the year when it’s too cold to act on our excitement and dreams for the next growing season, but soon forget all about it. Or we plan to start one…
My mom, Pauline, has been a gardener for more than eight decades. She kept a garden journal for years and always encouraged me to keep a garden journal of my own.
Pauline knows every inch of her garden and what would grow best where. She has always known what to do and how to do it. One day, maybe next year, I might get past March…
Everything we do in the garden in the fall attests to our faith that there is another growing season to look forward to, no matter what. Developing flexible garden management techniques is now a common approach to protect growing plants in an increasingly unstable climate.
Over the last few years we have dealt with unseasonably cold and hot spells, wind storms and long periods of drought interspersed with short, apocalyptic rainfalls. And this year, an absence of bees and other pollinators at critical times.
Some plants thrive surprisingly well despite a changing environment, while others fail. As garden club members, we share a wealth of information gained from different things we’ve tried: what works, what doesn’t.
Inspiration and invention make gardening interesting and fun. By developing resilience in plants, we become resilient ourselves. There is always an accomplishment that drives us and keeps us looking forward to the future.
By the time summer ends, we are ready to see the end of the growing season. All that weeding, watering, nurturing, encouraging, especially in the heat, takes its toll on our energy and patience. Cynthia sums up how many of us feel by the end of August.
“Yesterday I felt ready to throw in the towel as it is so much work to maintain our yard,” she lamented. “But come winter I will likely feel differently.”
We know she will. Because we all do!
Lesley Mosely is president of Powell River Garden Club.
