Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Rain damages crops, but washes away salt

A hail storm that blew through Escondido a few weeks back ruined a few important crops.

Despite the rain, some locally grown blueberries (and strawberries) may be found in March.
Despite the rain, some locally grown blueberries (and strawberries) may be found in March.

It’s not news to any of us that this winter has been the wettest in roughly a decade. While San Diego area farms typically do enjoy year-round growing conditions, the parade of “atmospheric rivers” and other storms have certainly had an impact. Touching base with several farmers in the county, it’s clear that, while they’ve enjoyed the abundance of free water, the inclemency has affected the timing and quantity of crops heading into the spring.

Place

J.R. Organics

31030 Rodriguez Road, Escondido

For example, JR Organics reports the storms have kept the farmers from planting some crops, while others have been washed away or blown apart by winds. Additionally, a hail storm that blew through Escondido a few weeks back ruined a few important crops, including sugar snap peas. However, they are enthusiastic to be out of drought conditions and assure they still have full fields furnishing healthy March crops of blueberries, strawberries, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and squash.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Up in Bonsall, Adam Maciel’s organic farm (31952 Aquaduct Road) does have sugar snap peas coming in March. However, it has generally experienced delays due to not being able to transport seedlings from its greenhouses. While some of their yields have been delayed as much as a month, the family anticipates long term benefits of the heavy rains, including salt build up being washed from their soil. Despite some reduced quantities, Maciel’s stands still feature plenty of leafy greens in March, plus the likes of green garlic and dandelions, and should see summer squashes by the end of March.

While it’s strawberries are coming in on schedule, Oceanside’s Rodney Kawano Farms,on Wilshire Road in the San Luis Rey River valley, also reports a month-long slowdown. So does Good Taste Farm, though its farmers point out it wasn’t merely rain and wind slowing things down, but a lack of sun encouraging plants to sprout. Nevertheless, that doesn’t affect tree crops like citrus in the same way, so the Fallbrook growers are bringing navel and blood oranges to market, and also report leafy greens and onions on the way.

Place

Stehly Farms Organics

12630 Santa Catalina Road, Valley Center

Last year at this time, Stehly Farms was beginning to harvest hass avocados, but this season it’s holding off due to a 50 to 70-percent smaller than normal yield. However, co-owner Noel Stehly explains the rains aren’t responsible for this reduction. Rather, he attributes it to the lack of rain last year, and salt build up in the soil.

While this winter’s rain came too late to give Stehly a profitable avocado yield this year, and parts of the farm’s incoming strawberry crop were lost, Stehly says, “That’s okay, I’ll take the rain.” With cleaner soil, and cleaner water than the piped-in water he typically has to pay for, Stehly hopes to see better than average crops growing over the next three or four months. And, with luck, this year’s wet winter will lead to a more robust avocado season next year.

In the meantime, plenty of strawberries have come through in good shape, Stehly Farm shops will have gold nugget tangerines, Meyer lemons, and navel oranges through early March, with locally grown asparagus, cauliflower and broccoli showing up over the course of the month.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Navy solves San Diego homeless crisis by retiring four locally moored ships

Decommision Accomplished
Despite the rain, some locally grown blueberries (and strawberries) may be found in March.
Despite the rain, some locally grown blueberries (and strawberries) may be found in March.

It’s not news to any of us that this winter has been the wettest in roughly a decade. While San Diego area farms typically do enjoy year-round growing conditions, the parade of “atmospheric rivers” and other storms have certainly had an impact. Touching base with several farmers in the county, it’s clear that, while they’ve enjoyed the abundance of free water, the inclemency has affected the timing and quantity of crops heading into the spring.

Place

J.R. Organics

31030 Rodriguez Road, Escondido

For example, JR Organics reports the storms have kept the farmers from planting some crops, while others have been washed away or blown apart by winds. Additionally, a hail storm that blew through Escondido a few weeks back ruined a few important crops, including sugar snap peas. However, they are enthusiastic to be out of drought conditions and assure they still have full fields furnishing healthy March crops of blueberries, strawberries, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and squash.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Up in Bonsall, Adam Maciel’s organic farm (31952 Aquaduct Road) does have sugar snap peas coming in March. However, it has generally experienced delays due to not being able to transport seedlings from its greenhouses. While some of their yields have been delayed as much as a month, the family anticipates long term benefits of the heavy rains, including salt build up being washed from their soil. Despite some reduced quantities, Maciel’s stands still feature plenty of leafy greens in March, plus the likes of green garlic and dandelions, and should see summer squashes by the end of March.

While it’s strawberries are coming in on schedule, Oceanside’s Rodney Kawano Farms,on Wilshire Road in the San Luis Rey River valley, also reports a month-long slowdown. So does Good Taste Farm, though its farmers point out it wasn’t merely rain and wind slowing things down, but a lack of sun encouraging plants to sprout. Nevertheless, that doesn’t affect tree crops like citrus in the same way, so the Fallbrook growers are bringing navel and blood oranges to market, and also report leafy greens and onions on the way.

Place

Stehly Farms Organics

12630 Santa Catalina Road, Valley Center

Last year at this time, Stehly Farms was beginning to harvest hass avocados, but this season it’s holding off due to a 50 to 70-percent smaller than normal yield. However, co-owner Noel Stehly explains the rains aren’t responsible for this reduction. Rather, he attributes it to the lack of rain last year, and salt build up in the soil.

While this winter’s rain came too late to give Stehly a profitable avocado yield this year, and parts of the farm’s incoming strawberry crop were lost, Stehly says, “That’s okay, I’ll take the rain.” With cleaner soil, and cleaner water than the piped-in water he typically has to pay for, Stehly hopes to see better than average crops growing over the next three or four months. And, with luck, this year’s wet winter will lead to a more robust avocado season next year.

In the meantime, plenty of strawberries have come through in good shape, Stehly Farm shops will have gold nugget tangerines, Meyer lemons, and navel oranges through early March, with locally grown asparagus, cauliflower and broccoli showing up over the course of the month.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Half Hour Late lives up to their name at the Template

Deadhead-inflected band right at home in Ocean Beach
Next Article

OSHA rules wall falls our fault

Who, U.S.?
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.