This week’s rainfall fits into what farmers say is a desired amount, reports NBC 7’s Kelvin Henry.
Much of San Diego County will receive at least a half an inch of rain this week.
The rain comes as parts of San Diego County are in varying degrees of a drought.
“A drought is really negative because most wells like mine, if you don’t have that water to recharge the aquifer, well either can go dry or you have a lot less water, so you need that recharge water coming into the ground to supply your well and keep soil moisture,” Hillcrest Farmers Market Manager Mark Larson said.
Some of the produce sold in San Diego is locally grown and depends on a good season of crops.
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“For most farmers the rain can be outstanding because it's literally free water falling from the sky so we love that because you can literally turn off irrigation for a couple days before that water hits and several days after,” Larson said.
The rain that is in the forecast fits into what farmers said is a desired rainfall amount.
“One to three inches, kind of quick, in one or two days is excellent for most farmers but when we get a prolonged rainstorm, say of five to seven days, the field can get really wet and it’s difficult to get trucks and tractors out there to harvest and if your leaves stay wet and crops stay wet it can lead to Botrytis on the plants and mildew, and it’s very difficult to harvest,” Larson said.
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The rainfall that is expected will not lift San Diego County out of drought status, but Larson and many other farmers believe it will help in their effort to sustain the produce on their farms.
