July has been a slog. The long-term forecast remains remarkably consistent — either steady rain giving way to showers on most days, or thundershowers evolving to a steady rain. Unrelenting precipitation, coupled with high humidity and dense haze from Quebec wildfires, and 80-plus-degree temperatures 12 of the first 20 days of the month, have transformed the landscape into a rain forest.

While many vegetable crops are struggling to hit full production, the weeds are having a heyday, carpeting every available inch of bare soil. Weeds are opportunists, and the pigweed, lambs quarter and crabgrass thrive by sapping nutrients from cultivated plants. They also play host to aphids, fungi, rust and myriad other pests in a summer as humid as this one.

(0) comments

Welcome to the discussion.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.