The year 2022, which was extraordinary in many respects, has also left its mark on the grid.

Rarely have Germany's gardeners been confronted with more extreme conditions - from January to December one extreme weather followed the next.

Only a few drying specialists have found ideal conditions this gardening year.

Andrew Frey

Freelance author in the science section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday newspaper.

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The three biggest challenges for 2023 have now been officially examined, the weather statistics of the German Weather Service are available - and as we know, they don't lie.

The year 2022 has thus officially broken records: It has never been warmer or sunnier in this country in the 140-year time series of official weather records.

With 10.6 degrees Celsius, the old year surpassed the previous record holder of 2018 by two tenths of a degree, and 2022, with an estimated 2023 hours of sunshine, has replaced 2003 as the sunniest year (2021 hours of sunshine).

In addition, the evaporation rate shot up to unimagined heights in summer and unfortunately less rain fell from the sky overall.

In the end, it will probably be 670 liters per square meter on average nationwide.

This is not a negative record, but it is around 100 liters less than usual.

And so the bottom line is that there is once again a rain deficit, which was mainly caused by the summer half-year with high evaporation and far too little rain.

During these months, the thirst of the beds and lawns could be seen from the level of the rain barrels (usually empty).

Although Germany's garden lovers bravely fought the long-term drought with watering cans and sprinkler systems, the consequences for flora and fauna are still noticeable after six dry years.

And not just because there is no water.

The drought is hitting an animal rightfully known as a gardener's favorite: the earthworm.

The summers have been torture for the soil loosener for several years, sun and heat dry out the topsoil, rainwater hardly seeps into the subsoil.

But the sun-shy terrestrial does not tolerate a dry environment well.

It then withdraws to deeper layers and falls into a drought sleep there.

This ends its valuable service to the soil habitat for a long time, because nobody loosens, fertilizes and aerates the soil more sustainably than

Lumbricus terrestris

.

Only a wet and cool autumn drives the inhabitants of the earth back to the surface.

So climate change is taking its toll on the earthworm: longer periods of drought are threatening its existence, and spring is becoming far too dry more and more frequently.

As a result, the earthworm is less active and much smaller, Swiss and British scientists recently found out.

In dry summers, they shrink by a good third of their body length.

The consequences for the soil are also significant: on dry areas, the earthworm pulls less leaf litter into the soil and thus forms less stable humus.

And that in turn means that less carbon is formed in the soil – fertility decreases.

So if you can still find enough active earthworms in your garden at home, you can count yourself lucky.

Floor care is therefore announced, please only use fertilizers and sprays in doses, because they do not please the hard-working worm at all.

And if you still have wishes for 2023: Rain wouldn't be bad.