Being in a place that actually has winter can’t but make real how different Houston’s climate is. How our agricultural world does not just slow down and stop for four to six months a year like most of the rest of the country.
Lots of people comment how Houston can basically grow year round and while that’s true, it also comes with other realities that are less obvious and agreeable. Like what happens if you take a six month growing season and stretch it out over twelve months. It creates new seasons and growing windows over the year that are different and distinct from anywhere else. Three months of extreme heat between June and Aug where there are few if any recognizable greens and then November thru February where we don’t have much more than greens and roots vegetables.
And when do you ever stop growing and take a break?
A lot of our visitors and customers are thrown off at least initially at our seasonal offerings. Disappointed at what might not be available at that time. For me, I love that about growing in Houston. Learning season to season and year to year what Houston IS agriculturally regardless of what we we want or expect it to be. I’ve been waiting since April to have my collards and chinese cabbage back in my diet and here it will be for a few more months. It’s like seeing a good friend who’d been away for a while and will go away again soon enough. It urges me to be grateful for whatever’s coming off the farm.