Residents of New Jersey may complain about the state’s often-extreme weather, but nothing is more vulnerable to Mother Nature than plants.
By Payal Marathe, Packet Media Group
Residents of New Jersey may complain about the state’s often-extreme weather, but nothing is more vulnerable to Mother Nature than plants.
A combination of excessive rainfall in June and a heat wave in July has caused some unexpected results on local farms and gardens. Some crops, such as peaches, are flourishing under the heat and humidity, while others, including peppers and squash, are struggling.
As Gary Mount of Terhune Orchards in Princeton explained, people “hardly notice” a one-degree increase or decrease on average, but plants respond to the smallest changes in temperature.
Though New Jersey farmers have learned to expect variable weather, Mr. Mount said this season presented unique challenges.According to the National Weather Service’s statistics for June, Trenton saw an average daily precipitation of 0.34 inches, more than double the normal 0.15 inches. The area received 10.16 inches of total precipitation for the month. The mean temperature in June, typically 70.5 degrees, increased to 71.8 degrees.
Warm temperatures continued in July, with a weeklong heat wave hitting central New Jersey on July 15. Temperatures remained above 90 degrees for several consecutive days.
”We have had worse, but this year’s been pretty stressful and we’ve had to work a lot harder to counteract some of these excesses in climate,” Mr. Mount said.
He said tomatoes and peppers are both sensitive to hot weather and high levels of precipitation. Heat can cause tomatoes to crack or cause the plants to lose flowers so they do not produce as much fruit, he explained.
Pam Ruch, landscape consultant at Morven in Princeton, said this season has been noticeably difficult for peppers. Ms. Ruch said she grows peppers in Morven’s kitchen garden, in her home garden and on a farm in Pennsylvania, and no matter where she goes the vegetable has been “looking miserable.”
Jim Giamarese of Giamarese Farm in East Brunswick said he attributes the pepper’s misfortune to sunburn.
He said one of the primary effects of the excessive rainfall in June was a shift in schedule. Many farmers were delayed in getting crops planted, which is why both tomatoes and peppers seem late this season, he said.
Pepper plants did not have enough time to grow and thus lack sufficient foliage to protect the peppers from sun damage, Mr. Giamarese explained.
He added that June’s atypical moisture was also detrimental to squash.
”Squash seem to be very diseased, and you’ll notice the price of squash is really high right now,” Mr. Giamarese said.
Ms. Ruch said she thinks the rainy season has been harmful to flowers at Morven as well.
The hibiscus soft fly has been thriving because of moisture in the air, and the larvae turns the leaves of the hibiscus plant into lace, she said, adding that the pest has never been a serious problem in the past.
Usually, the hibiscus flower is large, almost “dinner plate-sized,” but she said this year’s hibiscus have been terrible.
Ms. Ruch added that the heat has affected the Morven landscape in a major way – her volunteer group has been dwindling. When the heat index is above 100 degrees, volunteers are understandably more reluctant to come out and help maintain the grounds, she said.
Still, creative techniques have allowed farmers and gardeners to salvage plants that might otherwise have been wiped out by the extreme wetness and heat.
Mr. Mount said sweet cherries crack if they are exposed to excessive moisture during the ripening process.
Vegetables are also more vulnerable to disease when there is too much moisture in the ground, and roots can become water logged, Mr. Mount said.
To prevent these problems, farmers at Terhune plant vegetables on raised beds covered in plastic, Mr. Mount explained. But he added that they have to include an irrigation system underneath the plastic as back up in case the region experiences a dry spell and the plants get no rain from above.
Ms. Ruch said she has not yet had to turn on the irrigation at Morven because the rain has kept the lawn beautifully green, citing one positive aspect of this season’s weather – the balance of heat and rain.
The primary goal during spells of high heat is to keep plants hydrated, which has not been as difficult this summer because the rainfall in June offset some of the damage the July heat wave could have done, Ms. Ruch said.
”You probably notice driving around that lawns have stayed green even in 95 degree heat,” she said. Despite the tapered crop of peppers, tomatoes and squash this season, farmers note that this weather has been a blessing for many fruits.
Mr. Mount said peaches have been particularly sweet because they thrive under “hazy, hot and humid” conditions.
”When it gets to be unfit for man or beast, the peaches just love it,” he said.
Mr. Giamarese pointed out that melons have also been sweet and plentiful this summer.
He added that it is important to keep in mind that the Garden State’s climate leads to more flavorful fruits and vegetables.
Even though this summer has been hard on the local tomato crop, people agree that the Jersey tomato typically tastes the best, Mr. Giamarese said.
Mr. Mount said there are both “good things and bad things” associated with extreme weather, adding that local farmers tend to appreciate New Jersey’s climate despite having to work harder during harsh seasons.
Mr. Giamarese agreed that local farmers and gardeners are accustomed to hot, humid weather.
Though the recent wetness and heat were unpleasant, Mr. Giamarese said they were “just part of the growing season,” adding that farmers adjusted to the conditions and are doing their best to have a productive season regardless.