Here it is two weeks from labor day. As  one ages, the time literally seems to fly by, and  you end up standing in the middle of the week wondering  how  you got there without without the ability to remember what transpired on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. This summer has been a blur, and despite the fact we lament the passage of  time that goes by  unnoticed, I  and many of my farmer friends look forward to the passage of this  particular growing season. My usual chant starting about now is ‘Bring on the frost”, but I have heard it from others  this year, long before I dared open my mouth.  By far, this  has been the most challenging season for  most of us. From the pressure from wildlife, the problematic weather( lack of  heat and sun for most of the summer) and onslaught of various plant diseases  that we are seeing for the very first time (bacterial canker, late blight).

The upside is that  demand is good this year for what we grow, mainly at the expense of home  gardeners who were ill equipped to recognize and deal with the problems facing  all of us growing  vegetables and small fruit. Their early failures have created market demand for our tomatoes, corn ,melons and I suspect fall sales of  potatoes will be brisk.  Later this week (if the weather cools down) we will start harvesting onions and red potatoes…some of the early fall storage crops. So although the first part of this week will be unusually hot, the clock on the wall is ticking and we know that the number of sweltering days are clearly numbered.  I was making up a list this morning of projects to get done before winter settles in.

Where did the time go? Weren’t we shoveling snow  away from the greenhouse doors  two weeks ago….?