Buddy Garden Container Gardening photos, tips, highlights, recipes, tools review.

Are we out of the woods yet?

I think I'd like to skip Spring altogether if it means nonstop raining.   I mean not just a day of downpour, the kind of rain that just hang on for days and weeks.  I've lived in this neighborhood for five years and have never seen a wild mushroom growing out of flower beds.  The rain really put a damp on things in the garden, plants are more prone to foliar disease when they are constantly under moisture and cloudy weather.

Here's a great article about Tips for Gardening After Heavy Rains. A few important points in the article:

1. Use preventive fungicidal sprays to prevent foliar disease especially for roses.

2. Deadheading - remove all dead leafs and cut the stem back to the closest leaf node or stem.

3. Heavy rain will cause erosion on bare soil and destroy the structure.  The author suggests breaking up the soil after the rain ends and add one or two inches of organic mulch

4. Seeds you planted and have not sprouted are probably rotten at this point.  Author suggests re-cultivating the soil and try again with other vegetables.

With this rain I started thinking about how I can avoid this and still have a good harvest, and avoid the dreaded insects and animals.  Normally greenhouses are quite expensive.  For apartment dwellers like us, you're probably challenged by small spaces.  The big greenhouses might not  be economical and you might not be allowed to put it in common areas.  Check out these small greenhouses, they're very affordable and allow you to grow several vegetable plants.

The Seed House Jr. Greenhouse $45

Juliana 4 Tier Growing Rack $59

Juliana 2 Tier Growing Rack $38

Wait... do I see sun? Looks like we'll be out of the woods pretty soon, the forecast is looking good!