Rain rain rain and more rain!

[St. Louis gardener]

I feel for you, Brian. I really do. We got one torrential downpour this morning (a little more than 1/2 inch, according to my rain gauge), and more is headed this way this afternoon and evening. The only good thing about heavy rains is they seem to make the Japanese beetles lethargic, and even mid-afternoon, when they're supposed to be the most active, they are easy to catch. The worst thing (besides drowning my sweet peppers) is that it's difficult to judge when to spray. I hit my spinach and broccoli with homemade garlic soap yesterday, but after this morning's rain, it probably isn't doing any good. How do you judge when to reapply (organic sprays like insecticidal soap, garlic oil, etc.) when it rains this much?

[gixxerific]

STL Gardener you lucked out we got ton's of rain here. About every day for a few day's too. My tomatoes are wilting from too much water. I just wish it would dry up a little here.

Do you live in the city or outside of it?

[St. Louis gardener]

I live in U City, just west of the city limits. We did luck out today -- didn't get anymore rain after this morning's 1/2 inch. I know what you mean about the tomatoes wilting. I had that problem as recently as a week ago, but they've started to perk up now that we're only getting an inch of rain a week, instead of 3 or 4! At least my water bill will be minimal this summer!

[gixxerific]

I live in U City, just west of the city limits. We did luck out today -- didn't get anymore rain after this morning's 1/2 inch. I know what you mean about the tomatoes wilting. I had that problem as recently as a week ago, but they've started to perk up now that we're only getting an inch of rain a week, instead of 3 or 4! At least my water bill will be minimal this summer!

Cool very familiar with U-City. Glad your plants are coming around. Out by my place all the corn, bean fields, pumpkin patches, culverts and just everywhere else is like a lake. I feel for the farmers it is so wet out here. I have yet to go check my garden I worked out in the Hell heat all day I don't want to go out again. Maybe later when (if ever ) it cools off.

[St. Louis gardener]

Good luck, gixxerific. I was surprised to learn the rainfall was so much more in Wentzville than here today. And it was only in the high 80s, but tomorrow and the next several days supposed to be 95, maybe higher, with heat indices near 100. Not pleasant weather to garden, for sure! That's why I do most of my yardwork in the early morning. But when it rains during those few hours, there goes my window of opportunity. We are all at the mercy of Mother Nature. Thank goodness it is only a hobby for (most of) us, unlike the poor farmers who make their living at it.

[tomf]

It looks like people are getting to much rain or none. In Oregon we beat the record rain fall for June the other day and we had more rain, plus there are 12 more days left to go.

[BrianSkilton]

I think I am fine without rain for awhile

[tomf]

A man is visiting Oregon and Washington from Arizona and asks a kid if the sun ever comes out around here, the kid says “how would I know I am only six years oldâ€

[applestar]

DEFINITELY Vampire country. Plant a lot of garlic! Oh, wait, they said that doesn't work....

[BrianSkilton]

Well, we have a tornado warning, and more flash flood warnings for tonight. Wish me luck again guys...this isn't going to be pretty.

[tomf]

Ahh! Tornados! You can keep them!
Well it did not rain for a day and we may get 2 days of no rain.

[Decado]

Here in MN for the first 2 weeks of June we only had 1 day without rain. As a result my Cucumbers are WAY behind (only 2 true leaves on the ones planted from seed and only about a foot and a half of growth on the ones I got from the nursery.) Although mostly everything else seems to be doing good, especially the snap peas and brussels sprouts, my tomatoes are a jungle as well. Now it's sunny and in the 90's.

[Delilah]

That's amazing - I thought we had all the rain here DownUnder, so you guys UpOver must be in drought ...but maybe the whole planet has been dumping record rains in June! This was our garden/very large water feature about 10 days ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvjGAd4Al9A
(Turn your sound up to hear the whole garden trickling and babbling!)

[St. Louis gardener]

That's unbelievable. Where is all that runoff going? Not into your basement/foundation, I hope!

[LindsayArthurRTR]

Please...send some rain to sparkle city!!!

[stella1751]

Hats off to all you gardeners who deal with rain on a regular basis! A week or so ago, I had a taste of what gardening is like for you, and it wasn't pretty. When the rain comes in a downpour, it's tough to know when next to water.

A few days after our big rain, I went outside to fried pepper plants. Man, I thought they had received at least a week's worth of rain (1.5" in 2 days), but it must have all run off the top. They're fine now, but I think I'd go crazy worrying whether my plants were dry or suffering root rot.

Then there's the wet-weather diseases. I've been watching my pole beans struggle with blight since Wyoming's Great Wet. I think they're going to make it, now that we're back to business-as-usual: rain twice a month in moderate amounts. I can't imagine how you wetlanders must feel to bring a little seed to glorious maturity, only to lose it to disease.

I like my sun. I like being in control of how much water they get and when. I like not worrying that my fellows won't develop trench foot. Kudos to those of you who regularly deal with rain!

[sciencegal]

[quote="tomf"]A man is visiting Oregon and Washington from Arizona and asks a kid if the sun ever comes out around here, the kid says “how would I know I am only six years oldâ€