Welcome to Autumn! It happens every year: the daylight gets shorter, the nights get longer, we start to see our breath in the mornings, and the nighttime melody of insect song begins to quiet for the season. There are more birds taking flight, and many returning visitors on their way back south. Even the year-round critters;, deer, squirrel, chipmunk, coyote, hawk, skunk, you name it- are stocking up their pantries and they’re sprucing up their homes to be ready for the winter slumber. Yes, it happened again; autumn is here.
This time last year, I was writing to you about how dry it had been that year, the year before, too. It seemed like we were coming into a new pattern of warmer, drier starts to fall, but just when you think you know something, that’s when you find out you don’t. Such is life. This year we are coming into autumn on the wet side of things. With cooler weather and copious amounts of rain leading into fall, we are certainly in a very different place, even though the farm is right where it’s always been. How much rain you ask? Well, in September alone, the farm was the hesitant recipient of approximately 11.75 inches of rain. Overall this farm season, beginning April 1 through today, October 8, there has been a whopping 43.56 inches according to the USGS, amazing. Thinking about this, you might be wondering what the average yearly rainfall is here in Naperville, I know I was, so I’ll save you the googling and tell you that, on average, we get about 35” of total precipitation (rain and snow equivalent). With this in mind, we have gotten a whole year of rain in the past 6 months, pretty impressive. But what does that mean for the farm?
Frankly, it makes things more challenging all around. First, the rain itself limits the types and amount of work that we can do, we’re humans, and working in the rain is usually not the most uplifting experience. Secondly, the soil stays wet for a while after a rain event, especially with the large concentrated ones we have been having this year, often bringing 3-6 inches at a time. There were several times this season when our fields did not dry down enough to work for nearly 2 weeks after the previous rain. Other times, the next rains came before anything dried up from the previous storm. It’s been wild to say the least. Finally, when soils stay saturated for several days at a time, the microbes in the soil begin to deplete the oxygen as the moisture allows for rapid reproduction of those little guys. When oxygen levels decrease in the soil, anaerobic (oxygen intolerant) microbes, many of them pathogenic, start to overwhelm the aerobic (oxygen dependent) microbes and infect the roots of plants. It can be a real mess.
Luckily, the spacing between rains and amounts were such that we were able to narrowly hit many of our spring and early summer planting windows, and we had a great start to the season. However, as July rolled in, the rains became more frequent, and heavier, with back to back rain events dumping 3 inches or more at a time. This finally culminated (I hope) with multiple 5+ inch rain events in September. At some point, plants decide that enough is enough. Beginning in July, our fall planting windows kept getting pushed back, recently transplanted plugs, mainly brassicas like cabbage and kale began to struggle when the rains kept coming after we were able to plant. Our tomatoes and peppers were underwater several times, slowing down an otherwise productive season. Several plantings of spinach, arugula, and other small roots and greens were wiped out completely or knocked back from the constant flooding.
If it wasn’t for the dedicated team we have here, fearless farm crew and voracious volunteers, this season could have easily been a complete wash. But, the team pulled together, found ways to work with the windows they had, and kept at it, making an otherwise washout season into another productive summer and fall despite the challenges. Although you may see a bit less of your fall veggie friends this season, overall you should be pleasantly surprised by what our underwater farm was able to grow for you during the 2026 monsoon season. Onions, garlic, potatoes, and winter squash are on their way, and many of our fall-seeded greens and roots like carrots, beets, radish, and turnips have done quite well. Plus, we have the added protection of greenhouses for the fall season, which means that even with more rain, a majority of our fall crops are already planted and protected from the weather we may see going forward. As always, thanks to our amazing team for making the magic happen again! And thank you to all of our subscribers and supporters for helping us to make this world a better place, one carrot at a time.
Be well, and enjoy the autumn, fall colors are coming in and it looks to be a beautiful stretch for another several days, let’s hope for the best!
~Farmer Russ