For many people in the Miami, Roseisle and Rosebank area, a lot of damage was dealt this Saturday afternoon by hail, strong winds and rain. I was in my large garden at the time when all of the sudden the mosquitoes stopped biting, the air went calm and the sky went dark. I didn't think much of it and as it started to rain, I thought to myself that I have worked in worse weather than this before. So I continued. As a small white object landed directly on a beet I was working on, absolutely demolishing it, I began to be concerned. Then almost in an instant the balls of ice rained down harder and harder until all I could see in front of me as I was running was a wall of falling ice and the ground turning white. I felt sick to my stomach for my plants that I have put so much energy and time into as I ran to my car and was forced to drive home.
As I came back about an hour later, the storm had cleared, and everyone was checking out the damage including farmers, people in town and everyone in the area. Farmers’ fields showed the biggest devastating blow as wheat fields were severely lodged, corn was ripped to shreds and canola leaves had what looked like bullet holes. I drove through town and saw branches everywhere on the streets with everyone checking the status of their now not so pretty flower beds and backyard gardens. I believe Roseisle may have got the worst of the hail though with hail the size of tennis balls. Most cars, trucks and trailers had huge unsightly dents. I heard that Rosebank and other homes in the area had the siding of houses ripped off by the apparent tornado and 100km/hr winds. Check out the full newspaper article here: http://www.pembinavalleyonline.com/local/44853-pembina-valley-under-tornado-warnings-again
I will be checking back at my garden within the next few days to see how it’s doing. Today it seemed relatively okay but definitely set back. The most damage was seen in corn, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, beets and carrots. Some might bounce back but it’s too early to tell. The weeds are not really helping. I have been ears deep in portulaca for weeks now and it’s not letting up (which is why I haven’t been blogging or doing much of anything else). If anyone is up for helping me, even for a few hours, let me know because it’s a lot for just one person to keep up with…
But I’m trying to bee positive. The benefits of diversification are shown in this situation because as the bees are hail proof, the veggies are not. I took a look at the bee colonies today and they look absolutely fantastic. The dearth period is now over, the canola is flowering, the bees are happy and I’m happy. The bees are shooting out of the hive like missiles on a mission and bumbling back heavy with pollen sacs and stomachs full of goodies. I did some final adjustments on the hive to increase air circulation, comfort and efficiency and now they should be good for the season until harvest!
More updates will be given as the real damage starts to show in the veggies. I'm keeping hopeful and staying optimistic for all of the farmers out there that have lost a great deal of the hard work put into their crops this season. It’s devastating. I felt bad for my one acre, I can imagine how rotten it must feel to have hundreds of acres put under this stress. I also feel sorry for the backyard gardeners and the landscaping enthusiasts. These people were simply just trying insert a little beauty into their lives or produce a couple tomatoes to show off their green thumb. Don’t lose heart, this wasn't your fault, you’re not a worse gardener because of it and please just keep your chin up because it can always be worse.
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