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lavender_lass

Three weeks of rain.....and now the weeding!

lavender_lass
13 years ago

We've had record breaking amounts of rain and cool weather over the last month. Although there have been a couple of nice days, all this rain has really gotten the weeds growing. I've spent the last two days, just pulling weeds! Still MUCH more to do, but it's supposed to rain Sunday and Monday. I guess that means more weeds!!! LOL

Comments (15)

  • keesha2006
    13 years ago

    me too...remind me how much I love my flowers when my back hurts...I have weeds out the kazoo right now..!

  • lynnencfan
    13 years ago

    weeds here also - ground was too wet before we left for several days and then had company at our house - now we have close to 100 degree days with high humidity and the weeds just keep on growing .......

    Lynne

  • aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
    13 years ago

    Can anyone tell me why weeds thrive when the ground is saturated from weeks of rain and everything else suffers?

    Annette

  • memo3
    13 years ago

    Good question Annette, maybe if we treated the weeds a little kinder, fed them, hovered over them, and moved them to best advantage they would die just like our favorite flowers always do. LOL! Weeds here like crazy too and I blew out my knee so no hope of getting to them anytime soon. Might as well just go camping.

    MeMo

  • Annie
    13 years ago

    Ditto what Lynne wrote. Same here.
    It is so hot and so humid that I get sick every time I go out to weed. I can only work for a little while and then get sick and have to come back inside and change all my clothes - they are soaking wet with sweat! I mean, I look like someone turned the garden hose on me. Geez! I cool down, drinks lots of iced tea and water and then go back out and do a little more and the scenario is repeated. I have a lot of laundry to do now.

    I need to get my Cajun Okra and Italian beans planted, but I can't seem to get to the task. Man oh man.

    MeMo, I was wondering about you all this past week. Worried you had done too much all by yourself. I was right! Shame on everyone there who has not helped you. I wish I could help you. of course, we'd both end up in the hospital. Did you go to the hospital or doctor about it? You take care.

    Everyone take care and don't get heat stroke.

    ~Annie

  • daisychain01
    13 years ago

    And to add insult to injury the mosquitoes are at their worst at the same time the weeds are. Tell me again why I love gardening?

  • schoolhouse_gw
    13 years ago

    Yes, aren't the mosquitoes terrible?? And at any time of day,not just in the evening.

    I've learned to take breaks when doing yard work, esp. on hot days, even if it's only 10min. Most times I have a wicker chair sitting nearby where I'm working. Used to be I could work from early morning until dusk, but not anymore. By 2:30 -3pm. I'm ready to get cleaned up and relax!

  • christinmk z5b eastern WA
    13 years ago

    I am soooo ready for real summer weather!! It is so chilly out there now that I can only go for a quick tour around the garden before wanting to come in for hot coffee!
    A few of the plants are looking pale and anemic from lack of sunshine. Oh well, at least the big shrubs I moved to block the neighbor arn't wilting.

    -LL, is the creek by your house high from all the rainfall??
    CMK

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    CMK- The weather has been great for moving shrubs. Even the strawberries from my mom's all transplanted well. The creek doesn't go up very much unless there's huge amounts of rain or a sudden snow melt in the spring. However, the grass in the horses' pasture looks great from all the rain :)

    One thing that's nice, if we do get hot weather, it's usually a dry heat. I feel so bad for everyone who's out in that hot, humid weather trying to garden. Hopefully, the weather will improve soon!

  • luckygal
    13 years ago

    Hope your weather is improving LL, we also had a lot of rain earlier altho I'm now into the summer watering pattern. Hoses running all over, I'd sure love an underground system. It's necessary to keep the new plants well watered so the older beds are surviving with little. They are doing fine tho. I try not to water too much so they develop deep roots. There are a few mosquitoes around later in the day altho we're quite lucky in that regard and I'm careful to not leave water standing anywhere for long.

    I'm ignoring most of the little seedlings coming up until I know what they are. There are some self-seeders I want more of. It's beginning to look a little (a lot!) weedy tho compared to how nice it looked earlier.

    I'm slowing down a bit, altho there's still tons to be done, and gardening either early or late. Not cooking myself in the mid-day heat.

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Still weeding (when it's not raining) and as I finish a bed and move on, a day later the first bed is weedy again! (LOL) I guess it could be worse...better to weed than have to worry about hot weather and high humidity. We've been cool and rainy for the last month or more. It's supposed to warm up this weekend and start looking like summer :)

    The mosquitos haven't been too bad here. Our creek usually dries up in the summer, but with all the rain, it's still moving...so not many mosquitos. Also, we have a LOT of birds that live down there, so I think that makes a big difference. For the few mosquitos we do have (mostly in the evening) Avon's Skin So Soft sunscreen/mosquito repellent works great!

  • lavender_lass
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Well, I've been weeding almost every day and I'm finally making some progress!

    The garden beds are looking much better. Still new, smaller weeds to go pull, but except for the kitchen garden, all the bigger weeds are gone. Luckily, none of them got more than about 6" tall, so they didn't crowd out any of my flowers.

    Next, weeding the strawberry beds and around the blueberries. That shouldn't be too hard and then I might finally feel caught up. It's starting to look like summer (80 degrees today) so once it gets hot, the weeds really slow down! Hope things are improving for all of you too :)

  • finchelover
    13 years ago

    well,my big problem is I am allergic to something @ age of 79 so haven't been able to go and weed and its been raining, also,now for next week. I know when ground is damp the weeds are easier to pull. I went out yesterday and it was so dry I couldn't pull up much and then last nite I started suffering. I went to ENT 5 days ago and he said it wasn't Sinuses,maybe allergic to my blood pressure pill so I stopped it but yesterday I had that reaction. I am so tired I think of getting up real early like some but no snakes for me,I live in country and we do have them
    I am trying to pull and mulch when I can stand it.

  • cziga
    13 years ago

    This is what I'd call Karma :)

    I'm actually just inside for a break from weeding. We've had the days and weeks of rain, and now a couple days of hot and humid weather ... and my garden has been overtaken with so many weeds I couldn't believe it. Its overwhelming to look at, let alone get started on. I've been outside for 3 hours and desperately needed water, and a break with air conditioning. So I came in here to read a couple posts and this was one of the first I saw!!!

    We have a humidex warning for the air today and you're soaked with sweat just standing outside, let alone doing the actual weeding. This year there are weeds out there that I've never even sen before, and some sort of grassy looking thing that has taken over my vegetable gardens. The roots are shallow, but horizontal so it makes it very difficult to pull out.

    And then there are the mosquitoes. It is 1 pm in blistering hot sun and there are mosquitoes?!? I just try to keep thinking about how good the garden will look LATER, or I'd probably give up, lol! Grrr, and now I should head back out for more.

    Hope everyone has a great (holiday) weekend :)

  • natal
    13 years ago

    We have a humidex warning for the air today and you're soaked with sweat just standing outside, let alone doing the actual weeding.

    Imagine living with that June through early October, lol. I hate summer in the south, but it's the price we pay for mild winters.