RUMFORD — For farmer David Kimball, this growing season is the worst one in his 40 or 50 years of gardening.

“Corn is virtually nonexistent, and everything is late because of cold and rain. And some lost their tomatoes to the blight. This is the poorest garden we’ve ever had,” he said.

The season has been a challenge, said Annette Marin, owner of No View Farm on the South Rumford Road.

“I’m thankful I grow undercover. Those plants do the best,” she said. “Summer squash, zucchini and cucumbers are just starting to kick in, and the green beans are late.”

On the more positive side, she said such cold-hardy vegetables as broccoli, turnips and onions are doing the best. Salad greens are also quite successful this year. But the winter squash never got a good start, she said. Kimball added that beets, too, are doing well.

Gail Cutting, Mexico, owner of Grandma’s House Bakery and Garden and market master for the River Valley Farmers Market, also said that produce is coming in late, with chard and other salad greens among the best producers.

“Tomatoes are very difficult. They are coming in sporadically. The late blight arrived on June 24 (which is early),” she said.

Many that have grown in the area are unusually small.

The late blight, caused by a fungus that is encouraged by wet weather, kills the leaves, and often affects the fruits, as well. Sometimes, the fruit of the tomato plant suffer sun-scald because of the lack of plant leaf cover.

She said some of the vendors have sold Backyard Beauties which are tomatoes grown in a Madison greenhouse.

“We don’t buy from out-of-state, but people are wanting tomatoes,” she said. “Cucumbers are at a premium.”

Her experience shows that although late, summer squash and zucchini are doing well, and she even picked a watermelon and cantaloupe recently.

Kimball agreed that cucumbers are a longtime coming, while carrots appear to be doing well.

A successful garden is also dependent on the type of soil.

“I’m on river valley soil so there’s better drain-off,” Marin said.

Varying reports have come in on potatoes. Kimball said they are doing well, while Marin said the tops have been killed, but the potatoes themselves are abundant.

Despite the less than ideal growing season, Cutting said the farmers market, which is held each Friday at the Labonville parking lot in Mexico, has been very busy and continues to add new vendors, which in turn, provides a greater variety of products.

And for Kimball, although he’s having a difficult growing year, he never gives up.

“We’ll try again next year,” he said.

eadams@sunjournal.com

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