The Toughest Season Yet: How Climate Change is Impacting Our Local Food Production

It's been an incredibly tough season for us here at the garden. We've been hit with persistent rain followed by extreme heat, a combination that has unfortunately led to a significant increase in weeds. These persistent weeds are now directly competing with our crops, making it incredibly difficult for our plants to thrive.

This situation has really made us pause and realize that we are living through climate change. Compared to previous years, while rain is always beneficial for all living things, its sporadic nature now seems to do more harm than good, confusing our plants' natural cycles. For example, when we have wet weather suddenly followed by temperatures rising over 90° F, it creates a humid heat that wilts our vegetables. This kind of climate also significantly increases the probability of pests that can rot our produce, prevent fruit production, or lead to damaged fruit.

This is exactly what happened to our peaches. In past years, we've faced challenges growing peaches without the use of pesticides, as it's already a bit of a tricky effort without the use of chemicals. But this year was particularly devastating: our peaches rotted on the tree, infecting others and resulting in no healthy fruit. Now, at the beginning of July, we have no peaches left, as they've all been damaged.

Similarly, our spinach didn't develop leaves as expected; instead, it bolted, producing seed stalks and skipping several crucial growth stages. This unbearable weather has also slowed down our daily seasonal tasks, like weeding. Weeding takes time, patience, and strategy, especially when our vegetables are still developing, and the conditions have made it even more challenging.

We're doing our best to adapt and overcome these hurdles, but it's clear that the climate is changing, and it's directly impacting our ability to grow healthy food for our community. That's why we need your support. When we have more hands helping, the less time it takes to have a weed-free garden.

We invite you to come join us during our community workday, on Sunday July 20th from 10 am to 1 pm at 80 Church Bridgeton, NJ, and lend your support so that we can bring fresh, local, culturally relevant, and accessible produce to the community.

What are your thoughts on how climate change is affecting local agriculture in your area?