Is it Fall Yet?

The very nasty heat wave that has been sitting over the District of Columbia, bringing August to October all over again, has finally lifted. At precisely 2:13 am it was no longer necessary to sleep outside the sheets. I know, because I was awakened by a sudden chill wafting through the open bedroom window and looked at the clock to note the time of this propitious moment.

We should have been feeling a bit of crispness in the air and temperatures in the 70s. Instead, we've been baking in 90-degree heat. It's difficult to be a motivated urban farmer in these conditions. The plants don't like it either. I'm convinced that my turnips and rutabagas have simply refused to germinate. I'm on my second plantings of arugula and mizuna--the first flush of seedlings just burned up. The lettuces have been looking like they want to bolt and go to seed.

The forecast now is for much cooler temperatures during the day and down into the 40s at night. It is a welcome relief to be experiencing autumn at last.