We expect our first heat wave of the summer this week in the Hudson Valley. The prognosis: hottest day on Thursday with temps into the100s. This is not good news for farmers and we are preparing in ways both novel and tested, using water and shade, and harvesting tender greens before the heat comes.
I am new to all of this and remember, with some fondness, the days when heat waves simply meant that things were going to slow down for a bit. We took to the nearest watering hole and whiled away the afternoon with a lemonade and a good book. Not so much anymore. Now I worry about the field, the team, and the water supply.
A little about the water supply. We don’t have enough. Funny thing is we moved here from California, which was, at the time, in a perpetual, painful and, it seemed, unending state of drought. Bought a couple of acres not far from the Hudson River. Assumed there was sufficient water, I mean, there is literally water all around us.
Ironically, there was not. We’ve had well diggers, hydrologists and even a douser provide us with their expert opinions on where we might find a new source to augment what exists. We’ve dug an irrigation pond, and then enlarged it. We have a complicated system of water storage for our little house that demands constant attention to water conservation.
I’ve posted signs all through the house as reminders to our guests that water here is precious. Still, sometimes, the water runs out, requiring a delivery from a service somewhere up north of us which seems to have an enviable supply of fresh water at the ready for those of us unfortunate and naive enough to have purchased a home in Stuyvesant which, apparently, is well known for its erratic water supply. Of course no one told us any of this when we purchased the house.
The douser’s prognosis provides, as of this writing, the most hope. She says that red oak trees, of which we have many on the property, usually line up to a water source. So she placed her stake right in the middle of two of them and pronounced with confidence that underneath that spot, we would find water. It was a hopeful prognosis that made us feel just a little bit better at the time. No further progress has been made on this front, and the stake sits in its designated place, taunting me with the promise of the liquid gold that might lie beneath, if only I can get our wonderful well guy out to take a look.
Anyway, back to the weather. This heat will require more water. It’s good practice to water deeply before a heat wave so that plants have a reservoir of water to call on when the heat hits. For us this is expected to be Thursday, so we are planning accordingly, setting irrigation timers for an especially deep water Wednesday to allow time for absorption.
The heat also means that it’s time to get our tender greens, like lettuces and radicchio out of the field. That’s fine. They’ve been enjoying themselves out there for quite some time now, benefitting from the cool nights and warmer days that have characterized this beautiful June we’ve been having upstate.
In stark contrast to the current state of the weather, last week was perfect. A little rain, a lot of sun, plants growing beautifully, me feeling like everything was under control. But this is nature’s ruse. She taunts you with her beauty, her fleeting perfection. Then slams the door in your face just when you feel she’s beginning to soften to your moves.
Luckily, plants have a mind of their own, and at this stage in their development, they’re pretty strong and resilient. The focus now is less on tender greens, and their difficult wilting, burning and bolting temperaments, and increasingly on the solanums, the tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and squash that thrive in the peak heat of the summer.
I am so ready to welcome these hot weather soldiers who are so neatly lined up in the rows of our field, ready to throw off the most delicious moments of summer. The juicy sun ripened tomatoes, fiery and sweet peppers, and the soft and buttery grilled zucchinis and eggplants that make summer eating so colorful and carefree. They’ll all bask in the heat this week and, with a little help, will survive the heat wave that will melt the rest of us on Thursday.
I still love a good heat wave though. I prefer it, for sure, to the snows and ice of a northeast winter that make every bone in my body yearn for heat. So bring it on nature. Try me.
