Checking the National Weather Service website, the Madison area's average rainfall for April is 3.40 inches. The April 2021 rainfall total to date is 1.44 inches, nearly 2 inches below average. The last day more than a half-inch of rain fell was April 10, and the last day any measurable rain occurred was April 11, exactly 2 weeks ago. This is the second year in a row we have seen lower rainfall totals in April.
The first week of April 2021 saw not only rain, but above-average temperatures. This combination seems to have caused our local trees to leaf out earlier than usual. However, we are starting to see the effects of the lack of rain. The fire danger for the entire Driftless area, and the southern two-thirds of Wisconsin, is high, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Our farmer neighbor has put off burning a large brush pile in our pasture, and we have delayed burning as well. A visit to our inoculated Shiitake mushroom logs found only a couple of dried mushroom caps due to lack of moisture. While it is a little early for morels, the low areas of our land are very dry, with the thick moss that usually covers these areas now patchy and brown.
This weekend, we sowed seeds for our cold-hardy vegetables, including peas, onion sets, rutabagas, parsnips, and kale. We planted another variety of rhubarb, Crimson Red. Next weekend, we start to plant our orchard. These plants will need water to germinate and flourish. Looking ahead to wetter times, we completed the first of several projects to reduce our reliance on groundwater. We installed a rain barrel. Unfortunately, it only works if it rains. Hopefully we will get some April showers before the calendar flips to May.
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