On Tue, 10 Jun 2003 00:01:29 -0400, "istartedi"
wrote:


Could it be that all this rain has left the corn stalks unusually tender,
juicy, and attractive to critters? If that's the case, I'll feel a lot
better about trying this again next year. We have plenty of squirrels, the
neighbors cats get into the yard, and there is a chipmonk that is seen
frequently. Rabbits, raccoons, possum, foxes, and deer live around here too
but they rarely leave the parks. I've been thinking that during a normal
season the stalks would have been tough and inedible by now.

Just for the heck of it I surfed to some of the professional corn growers
sites. It's somewhat comforting to know that eastern US corn growers are
also having problems with the rain.


We're in Pennsylvania. Local farmers have now replanted
their corn THREE times as the seed has rotted in the ground
or the corn has come up weak, spindly, and yellow.

This year has - so far - been an absolute gardening and
agriculture disaster here. We've had about 8 weeks with
almost constant rain - never a flash-flood type of rain, but
rain each day.

People can't plant their gardens which are full of standing
water. Farmers can't plant their fields, or when they do,
the seed rots from the wetness.

Please don't be discouraged by this year. I've gardened for
about 30 years, and I've never seen a spring like this
before.

Pat