Farmers Who Once Longed for Rain Now Swamped With Crop Problems

Farmers across the region say they are facing similar problems with the delayed crops but point out that the rainy spring and mostly mild summer is a dramatic improvement over last summer. Some farmers, including the Turners, have not yet had to irrigate their crops.

"The first spell of rain drowned out the first crop," said Charles Bowling, who was selling eggplant, beans and other produce at the La Plata farmers market Wednesday. "Then it stayed cold for so long the tomatoes are real slow in ripening. But this year, we really can't complain. Not after last year."

Chef Loic Jaffres of Café des Artistes in Leonardtown relies on local products for his dishes, which requires coordinating with at least three farmers, cooking only seasonal dishes and being ready to change menus at the last minute. Last month, he had to order most of his produce from California and Florida because local farm produce was not ready or plentiful. Lately, Jaffres said, he has been able to rely more heavily on his local suppliers.

"Whatever they bring in the morning, that's what we are making," said Jaffres, who changes his menu nearly every other day.

Some crops planted later in the season, including pumpkins, are benefiting from the moist soil and the recent hot weather and have been growing faster, said Yates Clagett, who works for the Prince George's Soil Conservation District. Each year, Clagett plants a patch of pumpkins so that his son, whose birthday is in October, can pick them with his friends right before Halloween. This year, the pumpkins might be ready as early as late September, Clagett said.

And the big vegetable harvests, the kind that help pay the tuition for the five Turner kids, will probably hit in mid-August, right when many of their high school workers return to school or their customers take last-minute vacations, Turner said. But she's hoping the delay won't cost the family too much in profits.

"I say to my husband, 'Why don't we just go to Atlantic City and gamble?'" Turner jokes. "Farming really is that kind of gamble."