Recent Storms Giving Greenbranch Organic Farm Troubles - WMDT 47 News - Delmarva's Choice

SALISBURY, Md. - After a hot and dry summer - the Eastern Shore needed all the rain it could get.    

Or so it seemed.

"I don't even see the plants left anymore," said Ted Wycall, owner of Greenbranch Organic Farm."Yeah, they just got drowned."     

It's the beginning of September: the time when farmers are set to harvest their Fall crops.     But for Wycall's farm, that's not the case.

"We've had a lot of plantings that haven't made it this year.  First because of the heat and the drought. Second because of the heavy rains," he said.    

This month is starting to resemble a bad disaster movie. 

Since the first of this month, Salisbury has accumulated over six inches of rain.  According to the National Weather Service, the average to date for the month of September is just over one inch. Or, six times more rain than usual, leaving no time for the soil to dry.

"Disease pressure kicks up and there's mushrooms popping out of the ground everywhere," said Wycall.  "When you see that you know there's microscopic fungus spores growing everywhere."

Once the soil dries, farmers like Wycall have a limited time period to plant. 

"If we try to go too late in the season, we run the risk of [the plants] not being able to mature and become harvestable before it gets so cold that it can't grow."      

But all isn't lost for Greenbranch.

"Now that we're approaching September, we've got one more opportunity to get something established and try to end the year on a high note," said Wycall.       

That's one more shot to grow broccoli; one more chance at cultivating cabbages, kale and cauliflower.     

"You just have to hope that the next time you plant here that the rain doesn't affect it."