Cool and dry in Toronto – a strange gardening season
I don’t know what’s going on, but this summer is just a non-starter here in Toronto.
We’re several degree’s below the normal average this month and it’s been cloudy and overcast for most of June and July. Plus … even though most days forecast rain, we’ve only had a little bit in our area … well, up until last night and today that is!
You might remember that I started this growing season talking about how we were having a warmer than normal early spring and how my plants were ahead by two to three weeks … yeah, well forget that now! I’d say most of my plants are behind by two weeks now.
My roses have only flowered once and are slow to develop new buds this month (although a few roses have had some repeat blooms).
The sunflowers … they’re only maybe three feet high and haven’t really developed flower heads yet!
The cosmo’s, cleomes, daisies etc are just beginning to bloom … sporadically.
I have green tomatoes on the plants, but they don’t seem to be growing all that much … and my cherry tomatoes and tiny toms have totally stalled and have yet to produce any tomatoes! I can usually count on my tiny tomatoes before my regular sized ones!
I barely saw any strawberries in June … of course it’s possible that the birds, squirrels and even my dog might have got to them before me! We do have raspberries that are starting to mature now though … so maybe with this rain and hopefully some true summer heat (next week?) the berries and all the flowers will come along.
Actually I’m sure the rain will help – as I said it’s been dry in our area … even though I know it’s rained in other areas of Toronto … still the weather people say we’ve had a lot less rain than we normally do in July as well … so it’s cool and dry.
How are things in your area? Is your garden a little behind because of cool weather or is your garden delightful?
![Characterization of slow-growing root nodule bacteria from Inga oerstediana in organic coffee agroecosystems in Chiapas, Mexico [An article from: Applied Soil Ecology]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QW64A11FL._SL75_.jpg "Characterization of slow-growing root nodule bacteria from Inga oerstediana in organic coffee agroecosystems in Chiapas, Mexico [An article from: Applied Soil Ecology]")
July 26th, 2009 at 10:07 am
In our area it has been pretty average. The early warmth set our apple blossoms too soon and we lost one trees worth of fruit to frost. But everything else is looking ok. This year I have been reading up on how to dry herbs. I have dried both parsley and basil it well be interesting to see how it over winters.
July 26th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Everything here is green and “lush.” Even the grass, which would usually be turning brown about now. We’ve received enough rain and cool weather that things are growing very well.
I’ve just posted my Green Thumb Sunday post.
August 2nd, 2009 at 8:50 pm
[...] hot and humid as it usually is!) and that’s helping the plants make up for what’s been a cold summer! We haven’t had tons of rain, but when it does rain it rains a [...]
April 25th, 2011 at 3:45 am
Hi!
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