Raised beds are bad for a dry season, since it helps to DRY the ground out more.

The landscape fabric that we used last year, we put in late and it kept the weeds down, except where the fabric wasn't. We didn't get the weeds/plants pulled last year and now there is a really nice crop of weeds in-between the fabric.

I don't have the answer for a sown crop-cover. I did use basil one year, not just for a row cover, but to make the garden smell nice when the dogs ran thru. It made a nice row cover, I just sprinkled it between the rows. Plus I could clip it for sale if I needed/wanted.

I know, I had to water a lot last year. But this year I can still work them (3.5" of rain last week, 2.33" just on Friday and more expected the next 2 days). I don't have too many options with all the ledge around here.

Does basil need a lot of water? Hmm, I could plant oregano, I have 3 big bunches of them growing in cinderblocks but I'm afraid they'll get away from me in the beds...

Can't use landscape fabric this year since most of the tomatoes are in (but I need more dry not rotting or green hay for mulch to get the last 2 dozen in - I know I've let the weather delay me too long but I also am leery of planting everything I have when T-storms are forecast).

Isn't oregano a perennial? Basil will die off when temps get below 40.

I've thought about laying the landscape fabric down after planting, making the edge of the fabric just a few inches over the plants, and cutting a slit. Then placing the next piece overlapping the first with another slit. Like a overlapping seam, with slits on both pieces to line up with plants.

I don't worry much about t-storms, actually prefer having them come in after I plant. My ground doesn't slope enough to worry about erosion. Sometimes I might need to add additional dirt over the root balls, but not many times.

Oh yeah that's right, oregano did overwinter so I don't want it taking off.

Might take the fabric off the big manure pile and use that (was going to save it for high tunnel when we build it. For now, I just went to the barn and got 3 old broken bales of hay (from my uncle's land? Very weedy, hope if there was poison ivy all the oils are dried up) and put that right around the new plants so won't have splash-up from the rain. But DH says 2 more inches - and some of the smaller plants (SuperSweet 100s) I planted last week are looking like too much water even in the raised beds. Others (Rose de Berne, Black Krim) look OK, they were in bigger pots and have bigger root systems. But I'm hoping I don't lose too many since I don't have extras of the varieties I planted today. Wind is another consideration, as is hail.

I plant in a bowl-shaped depression so when I water all the water stays around the plant to soak in. Good strategy last year, maybe not so good this year? I'm sure my edamame will be done for by Wednesday (2" tomorrow and some more on Tuesday), planted those in low-lying area. At least the green beans are looking good.

seems to me that any living mulch will be robbing the scarce water from your tomatoes.

Cover crops can shade the roots and not bake the soil.

I wouldn't have planted in the bottom of a bowl, only if we had a very dry year would that be helpful.

Even last year, with the landscape fabric, the super heavy duty kind (I think it might be 20 year), and the drought, the plants did OK once the temps dropped below the 90s.

This is only my 2nd year with these beds, the bowls helped last year since the beds are rounded on top and water just runs right off (esp. with burlap). But maybe I'll head out this AM and try to put some more soil mounded around the plants. Looks like showers not starting til later this afternoon, but heavy rain tonight and "potentially severe" T-storms tomorrow.

If I worried every time it called for thunderstorms or potientially severe storms, I'd never get anything done.

I usually plant enough so that if 1-2 plants die, which they will do, I'm still OK.

Worry is not worth the ulcers.

I've got 4 Black Krim (really too delicate to market but I wanted to compare side by side with Cherokee Purple this year) and 5 to 12 of each other variety. Like I said most can be replaced but a couple of the cherries can't, and I am low on spares for Cosmonaut Volkov and Independence Day (2 each left) if something happens to most of those.

Over 2" of rain I think yesterday, more today (possibly another inch), more Thursday (potential to be heavy though not severe according to NWS), and next Wed (first day of market) there's another 60% chance of rain. We're already close to 9" since May 19, could easily be 11-12" from May 19 - June 19. Aug 2011 we had over 12" of rain and everything drowned/got diseased. At least it might be early enough to replant now, but hope the rest of the summer doesn't look like this (2011 all over again).

Marla, looks like severe storms (hail, winds) are heading your way.

Thanks for thinking of us, the storms are expected tonight/tomorrow.

don't have many plants out yet, should have many many more planted. Just no energy for it.

The storms hit last night, we were lucky with no damage. They slid over us, giving us about 1" of rain and some wind. All around us receive high winds (up to 80 mph) and those caused several trees and such damage. We watched the radar, and for the longest time, it looked like across the road or just a few miles away was getting terrible wind and rain. Several tornadoes were reported less than 15 miles and more away, but we weren't getting anything, except heat.

We need to rain that we got, we were able to get a few more plants in the ground and were watering them.

I was watching those storms go across you last night Marla and worried about you. They looked quite nasty but the WC people said they were not as bad as they thought they might. Glad to hear your in one piece.

Tom

We are lucky, it seems like there is a hole that the really bad weather, that's where we are.

It was bad in the areas around us. We even got the second wave with about 1" and very high winds, but only about 40 or so.

At least I didn't have to water the few plants in the garden today. It's been so dry that I've had to water for a couple of hours per day.

Cool enough today for the windows NOT to be open, and I got some more jelly made. Been saving the jelly making for the cooler days. Now need to find some good cheap pectin, I used alot this year.

Glad they missed you Marla. I don't think we got as much rain here as they predicted and it looks like it's letting up and tomorrow will actually just be showers.

I made 8 jars of blackberry jam today with all the frozen berries I had from 2 yrs ago. DH doesn't think I should go to market next week since I don't have that much fresh stuff (kale etc. is till small and lettuce is about 1" tall after a month!) but I think it might be worth the $20 just to be there opening day and have people see me, they might remember me in a few weeks when I do have greens (I hope) and then berries, squash. Who knows when I'll have tomatoes, I think I might have to replant this weekend. High of 55 today and all this rain since I put out the transplants - if they're not diseased, do you think I can fertilize (I'm sure all the N from the little bit of manure I mixed in each hole is gone) and they'll take off, or is it better to just replace with potted plants from garage? Guess I'll see Saturday if everything looks drowned.

I know you can buy pectin in bulk online, if you don't need too much Walmart had the "bulk" (4.7 oz jar) of Ball no-sugar pectin for under $5 today (I bought just in case), says it makes 22 half pints (not sure how much a box makes - I've used it for pepper jellies before but don't think I even used full box, or how much a box cost but Ball says it replaces "3-4 boxes"??).

I was wrong - about 9:30 it started raining hard again, I listened to it coming down the downspout all night and it's still raining steadily. Supposed to clear up a bit this afternoon.

I just used up one of those 'jars' from WM, 2 batches, with a 1/2 t leftover. I'm thinking about the 1/2-1# bags. Such a difference in prices online. I've always used Ball or SureJell, and have had good luck with those. I just almost purchased the 1# bag yesterday, $3.99, then when I went to the cart, found out shipping was a minimum of $11.00. I might as well buy 5 bags for 19.95 plus shipping of $12.24.

I've went thru 4 boxes of liquid and 1 jar so far, and only got about 12 pint jars of jelly. Plus this was just the fresh rhubarb and strawberries.

Our wild blackraspberries should be ready in another week or so, and want to do some jams/jellies with those. Plus all the other fruit during the seasons.

I don't use much pectin - you might want to try asking on Harvest what the cheapest place to get it is. I know a lot of people swear by Pomona. Do you have an Amish store near you?

Pomona is different and take different recipes, The jellies aren't as clear as with Ball products, according to some of the other forums and Pomona's website.

Nearest Amish store is 50 miles away, I was just wondering what others were using for market canning.

Yeah, some people on Harvest say Pomona can get a little gritty. I thought this was for your own use. Blackberries really don't need pectin, I even skip it for strawberries by letting the berries macerate a while, bring to a boil, then cool and let sit overnight before heating up again to can. Then again, I like kind of runny "preserves" rather than firm jam. The only thing I use pectin for is pepper jellies made with store-bought juice base, but then I just buy the Ball no-sugar.

Maple sugarhouse up the road from me uses something called Genugel for their maple jelly, I assume it's like Pomona or Clearjel, could be used for fruit?

Why don't you email Jay?

Here is a link that might be useful: Genugel

I've heard of that for jelly usage.

Can you send me your Pepper recipes, I've got several Peppers in the ground and LOTS more to plant. I'm assuming bell pepper varieties.

I did look at the Low-Sugar Ball pectin and it takes 1/2 the amount of the regular. Both jars.

Actually, I use more hot peppers (may mix some bells in for color without heat). As I understand it, you can use as little sugar as you want with the Ball no-sugar. Or are you saying it uses less pectin per batch?

Yes, the regular type called for 6T of pectin out of the 'flex jar' and the low or no-sugar only calls for 3T.

Our state has some different rules for Low/No-sugar jams and jellies. It states 'some are allowed' but doesn't clarify.