April is the Cruelest Month?

My rhubarb loves it and so do my lettuces. But I must admit, I'm a bit sick of the rain. And the wind. And the endless shades of grey. I'm sick of soggy shoes, frizzy hair, and having to wear a raincoat. Sick of sliding in the mud when I'm down at the lottie. Where is the sun? I want to put on sunscreen and sunglasses. There might be May flowers out there, but the rain doesn't seem to stop for long enough to allow me to enjoy them.

How is all of this rain going to affect the growing season? Like I said, my moisture-loving crops are doing fine. But I can't imagine this will be a good year for apples. The blossom on my apple trees was blown and battered by the wind and rain and my bees have had a terrible time of getting out of the hive in this weather (and the blossom of apple trees is insect-pollinated). And I know it's still a little early to be worrying about corn, tomatoes, and squash (by June, this could all have been a bad dream), but I admit it, I'm worried. The forecast for the rest of May is similar to that of April, if maybe less extreme in its severity. But still unseasonably cold and wet.

Here are some photos of my plot taken after a rainstorm in April:

Here are some of other plots on the site:



  



This weather is good for ducks. And rhubarb.