January and early February have been much warmer than average, with overnight lows still occasionally reaching below freezing, but daytime highs in the 60's and 70's. In January, the Bisbee Farmer's Market gave us an all-time record for gross sales, and sales have continued to be above previous levels for this time of year.
After a very mild fall, winter has been generally mild, with overnight lows occasionally reaching below freezing. While cold weather can be problematic for pipes which may freeze and break, and cold extremities when working outside, it does solve a lot of pest problems. The grasshoppers are finally gone! Even though we use insect netting and Agribon, some hoppers always manage to get in to the beds and cause damage. Some of our crops had to be replanted several times.
Welcome to Monsoon Season! There has been record rainfall in July so far, and one storm was the most violent I have experienced since coming to Arizona in 2003. It seems that climate change is favoring us with more rain. The big storm caused a big flood, washing out part of the road that had been stable for many years, and obliterating most of the gabions amd check dams in the main gully, and the earthen dam near the well. It may take years to rebuild them all. We will use different methods and structures that will be more robust and resistant to washing out, and will start at the top boundary of the land so the flood can't build up as much momentum as it flows down. There has been rain most days so far in July, and water is still flowing half-way down the gully and going into the ground. This will help recharge the water table, which I was beginning to be concerned about, given the reduced pumping rate from the well we were seeing in June.
Due to time constraints, we will be producing the newsletter quarterly for the foreseeable future. Thanks to you all for your interest in our community.
