Minnesota: Cool summer posing challenges for gardeners

Timberjay Newspapers Online

As the month of July winds down, home gardeners across the area have become increasingly worried about their prospects for harvesting many warm weather crops.

The persistent cool weather this summer has slowed the growth of virtually all garden plants, but is posing the biggest challenge to those plants that need real heat to mature. Plants like tomatoes, peppers, squash and corn are all behind and could well run into the end of the growing season before reaching maturity.

“I doubt that some of these varieties will make it,” said Kendall Dykhuis, an educator with the St. Louis County Extension Service in Virginia. According to Dykhuis, most area gardens are about three weeks behind, at least from where they’ve been in recent summers.