Extension Master Gardener

 

{Editor’s note: Just as this post was submitted, Master Gardener Carla Albright reported the soggy weather has just lifted, yielding beautiful weather for the rest of the week!}

This spring was one of the wettest on record along the Pacific Northwest Coast. As one of the weathermen from Portland said, “April showers bring May showers.” And so we continue to have wet weather.

Dampened gardening opportunities?

As you can imagine, this poses a real problem for Master Gardeners to try to explain to our concerned clients who have become frustrated with the inability to get their vegetable gardens planted. They want to know the best way to handle constant rain in their spring gardens. Even though we may get a few sun breaks, the ground stays soggy after 5 inches of rain in three days.

We can advise them to wait until the soil is dry enough to work, but that isn’t always easy when we all have waited for months to be able to get out and work in our gardens once again. Sometimes we just have to get out there and do something before we go stir crazy!  For those of us lucky enough to have a greenhouse, rain is not the issue. But there are other ways to start gardening earlier in our rainy climate for those who do not have the space or funds to build a greenhouse.

Considering raised bed, cloches, and gardening in pots

Most of us who have gardened in the Pacific Northwest for any length of time realize raised beds are one way to help with rain. If planted with porous soil, they will drain faster and stay drier longer. Raised beds also lend themselves to being covered easily with cloches. Cloches made of PVC pipe and clear or frosted plastic – but not black – not only warm the soil faster and protect from certain insect damage, but they keep the rain off as well.

Cloches protect from wind and excess rain (Photo: Carla Albright)

Cloches give a head start in rainy weather. They also protect tender plants late into the fall. (Photo: Carla Albright)

Of course using raised beds requires some foresight. It’s pretty hard to tell a client they need to create raised beds in May when they should have been constructed and filled last fall. But it’s not too late to start them now. Lots of plans can be found on the internet or in Master Gardener libraries in our extension service offices.

If space or time is limited, try suggesting to clients that they garden in pots instead of raised beds.

Again, when the proper soil mix is used, rain water will drain rapidly. There are also many types of vegetables now being bred specifically for patio gardens. Lists of these can be found on the web for any area of the country. I do try to choose pots that are deep but narrow at the top. Deep allows roots to stretch out and narrow rims keep the moisture from evaporating so quickly. Darker colored pots also keep the soil warmer longer into the autumn.

But we choose to live in this beautiful part of the world, partly because the rains make our gardens and forests so lush and full of life.

How do you deal with a wet garden?

• So, as Master Gardeners, how do you advise clients to combat the rain?
• Are these practices you personally have used?
• What other ideas are you aware of that might help? (Other than moving to Arizona!)

~ Carla Albright, Tillamook County (OR) Master Gardener Association

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 12th, 2012 at 8:30 am and is filed under Educational Resources, Plants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.