The expression “too much of a good thing” could not be truer this summer, as seemingly constant rain showers drench Newtown and threaten to submerge local gardens.

As a result, area farmers are experiencing one of the most difficult growing seasons in years as harvests are becoming compromised from constant saturation. A little bit of water from mother nature can be helpful, but the thunderstorms and constant humidity have brought little relief for outdoor crops that also need some drying time.

Shortt’s Farm and Garden Center, an organic farm at 52 Riverside Road, has felt the weather’s impact from the very start of its growing season. A cool spring resulted in a late tomato season, which owners Jim and Sue Shortt predict will be further shortened because of the rain.

“We take care of our soil, we put a lot of compost down in the spring, we add fertilizer, but if the plant isn’t able to have sun and air movement and is too soggy, then it can’t do what it needs to do to grow,” Ms Shortt said.

Mr Shortt agreed, adding, “The dryer conditions, the better.”

The weather’s negative effects on the quality of the produce can be seen in splits and cracks, stunted growth, and fungus.

“People want their produce to look perfect, and if it doesn’t, they don’t buy it, or you’ll get a much lower price for it,” Ms Shortt explained. “Something that looks perfectly fine one minute, in this humidity, in an hour it can change.”

The Shortts family participates in a variety of local farmers’ markets, including one at Fairfield Hills, where Ms Shortt has served as market master for three years.

Unfortunately, what should be the busiest time for the market has become one of the slowest.

“The perception is that once it’s raining, we all pack up and leave, and that’s just not the case. Unless tents are flying across the lawn, we’re not leaving,” Ms Shortt said.

She has yet to cancel a farmers’ market in Newtown, but at other locations the weather has gotten so bad that the Shortts had no choice but to pack up early.

“For a farmer, you have six months to make your income, so you’re just not getting it back [if the market is cancelled],” Ms Shortt said. Vendors typically will wait out passing storms in their cars on site, and unless the thunderstorms are predicted to persist for the entirety of the market, they are determined to stay.

“Come to the Farmer’s Market rain or shine,” she said. “We’ll be there.”

Daffodil Hill Growers

Danielle Gosselin of Daffodil Hill Growers in Southbury was at the August 21 Farmers Market at Fairfield Hills. She told The Newtown Bee that this season’s turbulent weather started with a devastating May 15 storm that produced macrobursts and several tornadoes.

“With the tornado, we had some damage done to our equipment, and we lost our greenhouse,” she explained. “We had our first planting of tomatoes in what we call our ‘high tunnel,’ and that got ripped [open].”

The farm was hit so hard that the owner's residence even suffered structural damage, and workers were unable to access some areas of the property for planting. Then, when they were able to get back on their feet, the Gosselins faced an abundance of rain that affected tomato growth.

“It took a really long time for things to come up,” Ms Gosselin said.

Still, despite setbacks, they have continued to come each week to the Farmers Market at Fairfield Hills and offered a wide assortment of produce.

Daily Fare

Set up on the other side of the farmers’ market site was Marissa Amundsen of Daily Fare Bakery & Cafe in Bethel.

Though her business does not produce produce, she said poor weather has impacted sales of her baked goods when taking them to local markets.

“If we bake it and it doesn’t sell, it goes bad,” she said. “It’s been a wet, wet summer. We’ve had to cut out early a few times, but we try to hang as long as we can. We pack lighter if we see the weather reports are going to be bad, so we don’t waste as much in the end.”

With fewer turning out on rainy days compared to sunny ones, vendors tend to limit quantities of whatever they bring out in hopes of avoiding wasting so many ingredients or products.

“If you have vegetables, you have to be here, otherwise you are taking a loss regardless,” Ms Amundsen said. “With us, we don’t necessarily have to take a loss, because we just don’t go. It’s a different decision-making process.”

Waldingfield Farm

Quincy Horan of Waldingfield Farm in Washington has been a longtime vendor of Newtown’s farmers’ market. Since mid-July, he estimates his farm received 22 inches of rain, which he says is “way too much.”

“It’s affected our yields, everything starts to rot, all the fungal spores and the mildew come, and there’s really nothing you can do,” he said.

The precipitation also affected his planting schedules and interrupted his weeding and harvesting.

More so, he is seeing the negative impact the weather has had on the attendance at the Farmers' Market at Fairfield Hills. He hopes more people will come out to support the local farmers working hard to provide them with an alternative to supermarket purchases.

No matter the weather, he says, “We keep marching on and try to persevere.”

The Farmers’ Market at Fairfield Hills runs every Tuesday until mid-October from 2 to 6:30 pm. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/farmersmarketatfairfieldhills.