LA CROSSE, Wisconsin (WXOW) - As area farmers struggle with recent drought conditions, so too are smaller-scale gardeners.
The Kane Street Community Garden says they will likely not reach their goal of 30,000 pounds of food harvested this year.
Still, the recent rain has helped some. Today the garden harvested 400 pounds of food, and organizers say they're still bringing in a good harvest.
Garden Coordinator Todd Huffman says a drought presents a host of challenges, especially looking into the fall.
"This time of year's real busy because we have to take care of what's been planted and then plant more for the fall," Huffman said. "So, we have a lot of weeding to do; you plant the seeds in water, now you're going to get a lot of weeds also. So that's an extra challenge."
The drought has affected everything from eggplants to watermelon yields. The garden has drip irrigation for some plants to offset the heat and lack of rain.
"I couldn't tell you exactly what our water bill is, but it'll be higher, that's for sure," Huffman said. "And beyond that we have had things we planted recently for the fall crops that just didn't come up as well. We kind of had poor germination on some crops which I blame on the heat and the drought."
The Kane Street Community Garden donates everything it grows directly to the community and local food pantries.
