Tornado Season in Kansas

Hosta flattened by heavy rain

Yesterday afternoon southcentral Kansas was visited by one of its most infamous and unwelcome annual guests: a tornado.  We were blessed; Wichita got off with practically no damage, and no injuries.  Our neighbor state to the south, Oklahoma, was less fortunate.  April-June are the months with the greatest likelihood of a tornado here, though they can happen any time.

The tornado that visited Wichita was on the other end of town.  Here, we simply got heavy rain and some small hail.  After an hour sitting in shelter, the bottom line in my neighborhood was an inch and three quarters of very welcome rain and small leaves scattered everywhere.

Battered lettuce

My hostas and lettuce were flattened by the heavy rain and small hail.  I expect that the hostas will perk back up soon, but the lettuce may not.  Lettuce leaves are more fragile, plus it's a cool-weather plant, and we are coming into the hot season.

I am dedicating this planter to lettuce this year, and plan to experiment a bit.  Normally, once the hot weather comes, I give up on growing lettuce.  It is already starting to bolt with the heat.  But growing lettuce in a moveable container gives me more options.  I want to try growing it in a semi-shade spot, and see if it does better than the full sun of the regular veggie garden.