How are Ottawa farmers—and crops—faring in the midst of this summer’s extreme weather?

Aug 22, 2023

The crew at Jardins Bergeron Gardens spent last Friday digging up 20,000 Spanish onions by hand after a deluge of rain swamped the fields of the market garden near Navan.

To be a farmer is to know the meaning of “it’s always something.” First, there was a late frost, followed by a hot, dry spring. Then it started to rain and didn’t stop, threatening crops that grow close to the ground. There have been damaging winds and hail. To top it off, the days have been cloudy and the nights have been cool.

“This violent weather causes splash-back on plants,” said Tammy Bannon, owner of Veggie Trail Farms on Richmond Road. The dirt on the plants and the continual dampness are what causes virus in tomatoes and powdery mildew in cucurbit varieties like squash and cucumbers, she said. Meanwhile, the potatoes are in mud and the sweet potatoes are prone to crack with this much rain, but they’re not ready to bring in.

“If that’s not bad enough, you can’t even get into the field due to the mud,” Bannon said. “It’s been rough, but we have lots of produce coming in from the field.”

Only halfway through August 2023, the city has already surpassed the average August rainfall of about 85 millimetres. For some crops, the deluge can be a boon. For others a bust. But this year’s extreme — and unpredictable — weather has consistently been the root cause of numerous headaches for farmers.

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