By KYM LADD HARTZ
Winter changing to spring was very smooth. Everything was perfect, unlike last spring when winter kept coming around when you least expected it and killing off new spring buds. No, this spring was as well as you could expect it to be. The plants were growing big. We were keeping up on the weeds and our planting schedule. In fact, it was so good that we found ourselves with nothing to do because we already had it done. In the past we felt that there were always a million and one things to get done but not enough hours in a day to do it all.
But not this spring! It was going great — that was until the rains came. And kept coming. And kept coming. Pretty soon our wonderful year was going down hill fast, and there was nothing we could do but watch all our hard work and money start wilting and soon dying. It was inevitable. We had water standing in low spots for weeks. We lost half of everything. What wasn’t drowning in water was being taken over by weeds or eaten by hungry deer! The weeds were the only thing that flourished in all the rain. Even with (drainage) tile, the ground was so saturated you sank a foot deep and couldn’t even think about getting the cultivating tractor down the rows. It seemed like we were getting rain every day.
In the last few weeks our luck has been turning around and just in time too. We feared it wouldn’t dry out in time to get our fall crops in the ground before it was too late. The plants that were almost lost are starting to perk back up and put out new buds. That’s a blessing, but we have to give our biggest credit this season to all the market goers out there who continue to support us local vendors week after week. Without them we farmers wouldn’t have any hope left this season to keep us going. We are so grateful that people are understanding, and they know every one of us farmers has had a rough year. They don’t complain about the split carrots or buggy beans, they praise us on a job well done, they tell us how tasty it all is.
Even the Peoria RiverFront Market has been affected by all the rain and flooding. We’ve had markets for 2 ½ months, and only half of them were in the original location. But rain or shine, the market is always bustling with people. I am impressed with how many customers we have even on rainy days. We are grateful for these people as we depend on them. We are thankful that they choose to come to the market for fresh wholesome food on rainy days when they could be standing in a dry line at their local food store. It’s amazing!
Farmers markets are becoming popular as more and more people want to be healthier and know where their food comes from. Hopefully we can keep attendance up through the fall to help make up for the loss of produce this spring. Local Food Matters!
Kym farms 10 ½ acres without industrial chemicals in rural Stark County west of Wyoming with her husband Lyndon and dogs Brees and Buddy. Brees, her black lab, often sits behind the Hartz Produce tables at Peoria RiverFront Market and observes the scene. Kym and Lyndon Hartz will sell fall and winter produce at the farmers market at Unity Point Health Methodist Atrium Building, 900 Main St., from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 8 & 22; Nov. 5 & 19; and Dec. 3 & 17.