From the looks of produce stands - lined with tomatoes in hues of yellow, red and green, stacked with ears of corn and holding bushels of hot peppers and green beans - it would appear that the farmers selling at Capitol Market have had a thriving growing season.
But looks can be deceiving.
"Everything was looking great, and then the rain set in," said Andy Crihfield, co-owner of John Crihfield Farms and Greenhouses in Roane County, on Tuesday morning at the downtown Charleston farmers market.
Crihfield's family crops were hit hard - many of them drowning - from large amounts of rainfall in parts of June and throughout most of July.
He relays the damage like an Army colonel in a war - listing off the number of crops planted, the amount successfully brought to harvest and the number of plants killed.
"I planted 5,000 hot banana pepper plants and maybe 500 were OK. I planted 3,000 sweet banana peppers, and every single one was lost."
Not only did Andy's planted crops suffer, but the water-logged ground affected when he could plant his second and third round of crops, which delayed his overall planting schedule and hurt his ability to provide his customers with a reliable and consistent variety of produce throughout the summer.
Andy's uncle, Ron Crihfield, who was set up at a separate stand, said at times he just didn't have certain crops to bring in.
"I've been here some days and didn't have any beans at all."
Ron said his banana peppers, both hot and sweet, were extremely hard hit and that's affected his third planting of tomatoes, squash and more.
Another grower at the market, Sandy Parsons, estimated that 60 percent of her family's produce were lost this year, all due to the rain.
That doesn't necessarily mean sales have decreased.
Ron reported higher stand sales for this year because home growers have also been affected negatively as well.
"The majority of the farmers had a challenge with the weather - but there were a few pockets not hurt as bad," said Tom McConnell, Program Leader of the West Virginia University Extension Small Farm Center.
Because weather patterns and elevation vary throughout different regions of the state, McConnell said it's impossible to speak accurately for all market gardeners. But he said the majority of the large volume produce growers, an estimated 850 to 1,000 in the state, have been affected.
The Charleston area has received an additional six inches of rain so far this year. It's received 36.39 inches, compared to its annual average of 30.35 inches between January 1 and Aug. 25, according to the National Weather Service Office in Charleston.
In July, Charleston received 7.81 inches of rain, 2.87 inches over the average amount for the month.
"We had five or six weeks there that it rained at least three or four times a week, sometimes raining every day," Ron said.
Larger amounts of rain delayed planting, and for the plants already in the ground, it placed stress on the wet roots, McConnell said.
"Basically the plant suffocates."
He added that a wet summer also encourages weeds to grow.
"When you have problems with weeds, then you have problems with air movement," McConnell said. And lack of air movement in plants creates an environment that is more likely to encourage blight.
One horrible irony is that when farmers plant large enough fields to turn for a commercial market, it's too much land to try and de-weed by hand. The wet ground also makes it impossible to run farming equipment.
"It's really been a humdinger," McConnell said.
On the other hand, the tall, vibrant pasture fields spanning across rolling West Virginia hillsides appear to have prospered.
"The pasture guys have been in seventh heaven. There's more grass, and more grass for cattle. But the catch is making the hay," McConnell said, "When it's so wet, you don't get enough drying days."
A shortage of drying days can affect the quality of the hay as well as the timeline for farmers to complete a second cutting of their hay.
As he moves his red heirloom tomatoes to fill in holes on his stand, Ron said he's lost count of the number of years that he's farmed his 20 acres in Kenna, West Virginia.
For as long as he's been growing crops and raising cattle, he can't remember a growing season that's been so inhospitable.
"It's probably been the worst season I've ever had so far," Ron said.
It's responses like that that worry McConnell and his team.
"It takes a lot of nerve for folks to overcome their fear of risk to increase their plantings ... then you have a year like this.
"I worry about the frustration involved with this and what it's done to folks' plans for the future. It really damages their enthusiasm for next year."
Reach Anna Patrick at anna.patrick@wvgazette.com or 304-348-4881.