Still in drought here, 3.5 inches for the yr. I'd say we are half normal at best for the last 4 yrs. We went 22 months late 2010 to 2012 with 1-3 inches around town depending on how unlucky you were.

Too much rain here first half of the year, and the weeds are an increased workload.

Fruitnut that is tough growing conditions do you use a well or cistern to water?ltilton how is your crop looking? The grasshoppers and Japanese Beatles have stripped some trees 15' tall of leaves.

It's strange - everything this spring was slow and late. My only tree to fruit, the Gala apple, was slow to bloom. So I expected a late harvest.

But yesterday I saw the apples were sizing up, picked and ate one - still unripe tart but perfectly edible. And the seeds were dark at the tips.

This tree has always been harvest ripe on August 30, and now I'm wondering if it might even come in a few days earlier this very peculiar year.

Not a drought here in New England. It's just a cooler summer than usual. I heard on a radio this morning that this summer is one of the coolest ones (as far as average temp goes)we have had in MA.

Like Itilton, all my fruit trees started out 1-2 weeks later than usual in the spring. To my surprise, my early peach, PF 1, ripened almost the same date as it did last year.

I'll find out if my pears will ripe at the same time as last year or not. I hope we will have the autumn before the winter arrives.

Feels like autumn all this week.

same here...got down to the mid 40's the other night. Nice for sleeping.