After the Rain: A Kentucky Garden Comes Back to Life

Something happens to Kentucky after a long rain. The air changes first — that deep, earthy smell rises up from the soil, and you know before you even look outside that the world is different than it was yesterday. After months of drought that gripped nearly the entire state, we finally got that smell back. And with it came everything else.

I've been watching the yard and garden closely the past few days, and what I'm seeing is nothing short of a resurrection.

The mushrooms showed up first.

They always do. A single rainstorm can trigger mushrooms to pop up seemingly overnight here in Kentucky, especially when temperatures sit in that sweet spot between 60 and 80 degrees. Sure enough, within a day of the soaking rains, wood ear mushrooms were flushing out across an old stump out back — those distinctive, ear-shaped clusters that seem to materialize from nowhere. Mushrooms are nature's recyclers, the visible sign of a fungal network that's been quietly living in the soil all along, waiting for the right conditions to surface. After a drought like this one, seeing them appear feels almost like the ground exhaling.

Far from being a nuisance, mushrooms often indicate that the soil contains healthy fungal networks called mycelium — beneficial organisms that help break down nutrients and form partnerships with plant roots, improving the overall health of the garden. Wood ears in particular are a welcome find — edible, mild, and a sure sign the old stump is doing exactly what old stumps are supposed to do.

Then the black cherries leafed out.

I've got some black cherry seedlings I've been keeping an eye on, and the drought had them looking stubborn and still. But after a few days of steady rain, they finally pushed out leaves — that bright, almost translucent green that new growth has before it hardens off. There's something especially satisfying about a tree seedling deciding it's ready to live. These little ones had been holding their breath for weeks.

The herbs bounced back.

The cilantro and oregano were hanging on. Cilantro especially is a fussy plant in dry heat — it wants to bolt and give up the moment it's stressed. But with the rain came a visible shift: stems straightened, leaves broadened, and the beds smell incredible again. Fresh oregano after a soaking rain has one of the best scents in any garden. Both are looking lush and productive again, which is a relief heading into the growing season.

And the strawberries — finally.

This is the one I'd been most worried about. Our part of Kentucky picked up 4 to 5 inches of rain over just the past several days, and the strawberry bed shows it. Berries that had been small and slow to develop are plumping up now, and the plants themselves have that deep green color that tells you they're happy. There's nothing quite like a homegrown strawberry at peak ripeness, and after the drought we've had, these are going to taste like they earned it.

It would be naive to say the drought is completely behind us — experts are clear that one good stretch of rain restores topsoil moisture and raises stream levels, but won't fully erase months of deficit. More rain is still in the forecast, and that's the best possible news.

But right now, walking the yard and finding wood ear on the stump, watching the black cherry seedlings unfurl their first real leaves, pinching a sprig of oregano just to smell it, and seeing the strawberries finally swell — it's hard not to feel grateful. Kentucky's land is resilient. It just needed a drink.