Rains continued apace in September. Low pressure zones (including Hurricane Matthew) crossing the Caribbean from east to west pulled moist air in off the Pacific Ocean, dumping tons of rain across Central America and Mexico. Rivers flooded, bridges washed out, and roads collapsed. The road next to our favorite watering hole in Concepción (Bar La Guaria) collapsed on the last day of the month, closing the bar (temporarily, we hope) and very nearly swallowing it up.
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| Enormous hole next to Bar La Guaria |
Very little gardening took place at our home due to the soggy conditions. It was even a challenge to find a couple of hours of sun in order to cut the grass. Trees and shrubs are doing as well as expected, given the conditions. If it weren't for the drainage ditches dug at the beginning of August, many things would not have survived. Corn, radishes, peppers, and mustard are doing well in the raised beds in the vegetable garden. Almost all of the vegetable seeds planted in flats failed to germinate. Tomato plants are not looking good.
Total rainfall was 26.7 inches, half an inch less than August. Cumulative rainfall since we began measuring it in mid-June comes to 70 inches! The highest daily total for the month was 4.7 inches on Sept. 28. There was measurable rainfall on 28 of the 30 days.The first half of the month was quite nice, with generally sunny mornings and rain in the afternoon or evening. The sun was rarely seen during the second half of the month.
Normal rainfall in our area is 10.5 inches in August and 16.5 in September, so you can see, we are way above the average. Last year we had an El Niño, which brought warmer, drier weather. This year we are having a La Niña, which makes for cooler, wetter weather. As for the future, October is generally the rainiest month of the year.
Stay tuned, and . . . happy gardening!
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