I was watching a video on YouTube that other day. The gardener said that 2025 has been one of the worst gardening year in his experience. I was like, “really?” I wondered if it was only because of the bad weather he’s experienced or whether there were other factors involved.
Watching the video made me begin to reflect on my 2025 gardening journey so far. It’s been a relatively dry year. Spring was shorter than normal as temperatures quickly went up, resulting in an especially short pea season before it got fried in the sun. I also had to battle an infestation of aphids, which I think it’s finally under control. Even with all that, I wouldn’t call it a bad gardening year, at least not when there are at least 4 months left to go in the season.
Then came the wind.
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and it’s been said it’ll repeat until Tuesday. The wind always comes at around 7 PM. As I’m writing this on Sunday, however, the has not come. Thank God!
30 mile-per-hour gusts whipped across my yard toward the cucumber plants. The PVC trellis with concrete rebar that I hammered in swung back. Quickly, I grabbed it, to prevent it from toppling and uprooting the cucumber plants. Within seconds, the next gust crashed over like a wave. Once again, I grabbed onto the PVC pipe like my life depended on it.
When I moved into my current neighborhood 14 years ago, I was not told of the wind but in all honesty, there were any wind events back then. When the major wind event of 2010 happened, with 100 mile-per-hour wind caused major damages to roofs, fences, cars, and power lines, I was told that this only happens every 10 years or so.
Guess what?
It’s been happening more in the last 5 years that I had to repair and upgrade my hoop and trellises regularly to prevent the wind. 40 to 50 mile-per-hour wind is becoming a regular thing here and it’s annoying as hell.
You want to know the worst part?
This is either a sign that the mountain is shifting, allowing the wind to come through, or it’s a sign of climate change. I think it’s both but if you are to ask my mom about it, she will scoff at the notion that climate change exists.
This is Another Story 
I am lucky to live in a region that’s safe from any natural disaster threats. But last couple of years we had really hot summers and mild winters which is something I could complain about.
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It’s the same here – long hot summers and mild winters. The world is definitely changing.
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When I think that it might get even worse, hotter summers and warmer winters I start feeling unwell.
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I can’t imagine I can take any seasons hotter than that.
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Me neither, but that doesn’t mean it ain’t gonna happen.
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Been very cool here this year. I think you saw my post about the epic June 21st 2-hour storm that blew over the area. Got a foot of snow over the pass at 9,000 feet. But I’ve seen much bigger events.
I’ve lived here long enough to have a feel for the Pacific “El Nino”, “La Nina” oscillations. When we get these cooler summers, the Jet Stream stays farther south, and pushes the hot weather to the northeast. But that also means cold fronts will cross, making those winds (and awesome squalls over the mountains). The climate is certainly changing, and we probably have some influence. But climate isn’t weather; and I think there’s been a lot of over-hype. There will always be someplace setting a record. But cherry-picking the fliers from the shotgun pattern doesn’t describe the aim.
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Judging on the gardening zone for my area, it used to be zone 5 and now it’s zone 7a, which proves Earth is warming up. However, this summer has been cooler than some of the previous summer, at least in my part, despite there have been some hotter days.
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