Planting out in soggy weather

[mazmezroz]

Anyone else's attempts at trying to bring their plots under control being thwarted by the rain??? Have just spent a very soggy morning trying to catch up with some jobs, but have finally been defeated. Loads of weeds growing away happily amongst my crops, but I just haven't got round them all to hoe them out cosof this weather.
Despite wellies and waterproof, I feel very soggy, soaked and cold.

Have tomatoes desperately waiting to go out, along with beans, sweet peas and cucumbers. Is it OK to plant them in such cold, wet conditions????

Also, many of my new little seedlings have mysteriously disappeared. Is it the wet weather? Are they just rotting?????

Feel v. fed up!

[Beccy]

I suspect your new little seedlings may have been eaten by slugs, where were they?

It is horrid here and I know how you feel. Have a nice hot bath with a hot drink to hand and dream of summer, it will come some year .

[Jenny Green]

It's pretty frustrating isn't it? But then as one of Old Herbaceous' sayings goes - there's always some kind of weather (or something like that). I've planted out a few things that are getting eaten by slugs in my normally pretty slug free garden. Nothing important though. Just some extra companion planting I couldn't find room for.
It's still a bit early for some things anyway. I won't be putting out my tomatoes for another 2/3 weeks (the peas are in the way for one thing!) The year's young yet. I'm sure we'll be rewarded for this spell with some beautiful June weather. I don't really mind rain at this time of year - better rain than drought. I just wish the wind would drop before some of my perennials are completely flattened.

[Allan]

The usual advice given about combating weeds is to keep on hoeing. The current weather makes one realise the shortcoming of that advice. I can't use weedkiller either until there is a dry day.
However it's nice to see my new-ish rain collection system filling up all my various waterbutts to the brim. I only wish that I had completed Stage 2 where surplus water becomes available for the loo, the water costs mount up when you are on the meter, every drop used in the garden costs nearly 4 times as much as at the farm because you pay sewerage charges on it even though it doesn't go down the drain.
Allan

[oldherbaceous]

mazmezroz, its been a real pigs breakfast here this arfternoon, very heavy showers but the worst is the really strong winds. The tomatoes don't mind the wet, and as long as it does not freeze they are fine.
But like a lot of things they hate the wind.
When i planted my toms out wednesday, i dug out eight inch holes and planted them in the bottom of these as it gives them a suprising amount of protection from the wind.
I'm lucky i don't have any weeds on my allotments.
I agree with the others i should say it's slugs having your seedings.
Don't get to disspondent.

Kind regards Old Herbaceous.

We will always get some sort of weather.

[Chantal]

I managed an hour at the lottie this morning and managed to do a little weeding before I gave up. The ground was so wet my trowel had an inch of mud on it all the time, although the weeds came out easily. I've spent the rest of the day in the greenhouses so at least the day hasn't been wasted.

Metcheck are forecasting very cold weather next week so I'm hanging back on planting anything out until next weekend. I can hardly move in the greenhouses and patio for beans, squash, courgettes etc but I'd not sleep for worrying about them if I planted them out now. I may have to utilise my garage for overnight accommodation if it gets really cold though.

[lizzie]

Same here. Wet, cold and miserable. Was going to spray the bindweed but can't cos of the rain.

Was planning to plant out next weekend the stuff in the greenhouse and to do some direct sowing cos of the bloody slugs having constant dinner parties!!!

Still, this is what happens when we grow stuff. We are, to some degree, at the mercy of the weather.

[peter]

I even got rained off finishing the base for my greenhouse.

Electricity and rain do not mix, cutting the sleepers to fit.

When I "finished" after carefully cutting the last three foot-odd long length carefully to fit the damm sleeper I cut it from was a bit thicker than its neighbours on the same "course"

Now I've got to work out some way of un-equally planing the whol bottom of 3' taking 1" off one end going to 0" at the other end.

[oldherbaceous]

Peter if you have got a sharp hand axe, stand the sleeper on its end and chop downwards, taking a little of at a time until you get it nearly right, then you can finish it of with a plane if needed.
Hope this may help.

Kind regards Old Herbaceous.

Theres no fool like an old fool.

[Carole B.]

The trouble with wet weather is that I dissappear into the shed and end up sowing more things....oh well another plant 'log-jam' in a couple of weeks then!

[Zena]

It's raining here again today - I managed to plant out a row of lettuce before coming back in. It at least has given me an opportunity to come on here & see what everyone is doing.
talking about slugs, I checked my marrow plants - i remembered reading somewhere that putting crushed egg shells around plants deters slugs, so tried it with 1 of my 4 marrows. guess which one has disappeared? the other 3 are fine! won't try that again

[mazmezroz]

Managed about an hour between 8.30 and 9.30 before the rain set in yet again. But at least I have earthed up me taties!! Weeds are growing apace, so have given a quick and soggy hoe to my onions and cabbages. Most things look healthy and happy, despite the weather.

Plants obviously enjoy the rain - and I suppose we should be grateful it's not too mild, because otherwise everything - especially the weeds and grass paths - would be going TOTALLY beserk, instead of just moderately bonkers.

Also this morning, I found an egg. Think it might have been a pigeon's egg. All fine. Except it burst in my hand. Who needs weapons of mass destruction? Ditch the nuclear deterrent. Simply take half a dozen rancid eggs. I would have shopped my own granny to have got rid of the smell. Additionally the perfume of said pongy egg embedded itself into my lovely new gardening gloves, which I abandoned to their fate in the rain in the vain hope the aroma will disappear given enough fresh air, rain and wind.