Looking through some old pictures recently, I realized just how incredibly dry it is outside this spring.
The sound of water running in the nearby ditches and behind our house is clearly absent, and there seems to be plenty of crunchy brown grass showing everywhere.
Now teenagers, when my kids were little, this was the time of the year they would spend house outside, floating little boats in the running water – always amazed when it would make its way under the driveway and through the culvert, popping out on the other side.
This year, instead of boats, I think we have some sort of animal living or hiding in our culvert based on the number of tracks nearby, and a clear lack of runoff.
While it is exciting to see the garden nearly clear of snow already, and there is no doubt that I am excited to plant this year’s batch of vegetables, the dry conditions really cannot be ignored.
I am a pretty laid-back gardener, and I do not aim for perfection, but we all know that moisture is a big deal and while my garden can thrive with a few extra weeds growing between the row, a lack of water worries me more.
But, like many people before me, I will forge ahead. I will organize seeds and look forward to the start of May, hoping we get some rain mixed with the right amount of sun, hopefully avoiding any summer hailstorms, windstorms or early frost.
It is always a gamble to grow a garden in northeastern Alberta, but it is one I am willing to take.
