Ready to Bug Out - FarmingForumSite.com

mommagoose · #1 08-10-2009, 01:19 AM

I am about to make a pot of coffee. We have been having one thunderstorm after another since 6PM. I ran outside a few minutes ago and there is 4 inches in the rain guage. The NOAA prediction is for another 2 inches before 3 AM. The last time this happened Wiley Brook tore out all of our Market Garden. My husband is out checking on the animals right now, checking our flood wall and the swail we built after the last flash flood in 2006. I hope they hold. If we make it through the flash flood then we will have about 24 hours before the Susquehanna will get to us. It has been raining even harder upstream from us. I am hoping I will be able to pull a lot of onions before the river gets them. The sick tomatoes and pumpkins are at the lowest point right next to the Brook. The onions are on the highest ground. It is going to be a long 4 hours until daybreak.
Linda

bull · #2 08-10-2009, 07:22 AM

Linda, I feel your pain, sound like you could be worse off than, I was with the rainfall..... Luckily I don't have a real river to contend with...
Best of luck!!!!!!!! Bull....

bull · #3 08-10-2009, 03:43 PM

Linda how are you guys I'm looking at the radar west of binghamton and it looks to be hitting the holy crap meter !!! Where are you located !!!

bull · #4 08-10-2009, 08:47 PM

the storm on radar at 1715 hrs shows a dark purple and pink color right on your doorstep !!!! Duck !!!

Murray in ME · #5 08-10-2009, 11:46 PM

Wow! That's not good. I hope you're okay Linda.

mommagoose · #6 08-11-2009, 10:07 PM

Sorry I did not get back to you sooner. We are 17 miles North East of Binghamton , just off from I-88 Five miles from Afton which got a total of 5 inches of rain. Luckily the local weather guy was wrong and we only got another 3/4 of an inch after 3 am.We ended up with 4 1/2 Inches of rain . The River is at the top of its banks but hasn't spilled over. It is still rising but much slower than it was. I think it will be alright. The tomato and pepper plastic is all mud and the mud is up about 2 inches on the tomato stakes but water was all gone when I went down to pick yesterday. We managed to pick 5 bushels of cucumbers between thunder storms last night. Several more storms passed through today but thank goodness there was no significant accumulation.
Every time we get a lot of rain, I still have flash backs to 2006. I guess I am never going to get over that devestation. To see all your neighbors homes underwater and your house the only one not underwater for miles does something to you perminently. We spent our entire savings reworking the banks of Wiley Brook running through our property so the Market Garden IS our retirement. Scary.
Linda

bull · #7 08-12-2009, 07:06 AM

Well,i guess prayers do work !! Thank god !!! glad to her you ":made it thru the rain:" here's to drying out!!!

I was actually having to water until last night, then we got another series of down pours,haven't checked the rain gauge yet!!

Still foggy and misty here at 8am with thunder storn warning for the afternoon...

We now have a new challange, a bear showed up the night before last and check out some corn..... no real damage and he-she piled up their mess !!
first thought it was a deer until I found three piles...

Murray in ME · #8 08-13-2009, 12:32 AM

I'm glad you're okay.

portersorganicfarm · #9 08-13-2009, 01:21 AM

Hi Linda,
I live about 2 hours west of you in Steuben County and we are getting rain every day almost. I have an Organic dairy as well as a Organic garden. Cows doing great but garden is slow. Lots of beans, carrots and beets but the corn isn't doing to good.
Sorry to hear of your problems but keep the chin high. There is a reason for every thing that happens. I wish you the best and will pray for a break in the weather.
boop

mommagoose · #10 08-13-2009, 08:10 AM

Thanks for the encouragement everyone. Sometimes I wonder why I am doing this, but then I remember the 10 years of pure hell working at IBM. This is my calling

, even when nothing seems to be cooperating, farming is the best choice for me.
I checked my onions last night and my Candy's are ready to harvest. A lot of people are complaining about their onions not looking very good because of the wet weather but because my soil is sandier, my onions are healthy and delicious.
My Tuesday and Friday Market has been very slow this year. The City of Binghamton moved their bus hub which was on the same street as the market. We have a lot less foot traffic and people do not want to carry bags of produce three blocks to the new bus hub. Soo I have a new strategy to get as much sales as I can from the few people shopping at the market. I bring as much variety as I can. This week I have 3 quarts of Okra to add to the mix. I am picking : Green Tomatoes( I still have 100 plants left) , baby eggplant, jalepenos, giant marconi peppers, tomatillos , Candy Onions, Red candy Apple Onions, radishes, savoy and green cabbage, Romano Beans , snow peas, summer squash, English cucumbers, slicers, pickles, swiss chard, Dill, Basil, parsley, cilantro and garlic. I have printed up some recipes that use a lot of my produce which does generate more sales too.
I rearranged my stand to fit 18 feet of table space under my 10x10 awning. That way I do not have to pay another $150 for a double parking space. In difficult times like this , you need to be really creative and willing to try new things to get peoples attention.
Got to run, this is a picking day and my baby girls 30th birthday. Hubby's birthday is Monday and I haven't taken time to do any shopping. Looks like Gift Cards will be on the adjenda.
Linda