Rain, Rain and More Rain

I think it’s time to rename my blog Soggy Dirt. 

Last week we received a significant amount of rain; about 1 ¾” over a 5 day period.  Thankfully on the fourth day we had a break from the rain which allowed for some well needed weeding time.  Looking at the forecast, I see we are expected to get another 35mm to 50mm (approx 1.5 to 2 inches) over a 2 day span later this week.  It’s a good thing our rain gauge is monstrous or we might have to dump it and start from zero.

Don’t get me wrong, all this rain is a good thing; especially in this area of the country where the farmers are now grinning ear to ear as they watch their fields grow.  As much as people complain, it’s good for everything, not just the farmers.  The fire hazard is almost nonexistent, the pine and spruce trees are recovering from the past few years of drought, the poplars are thick and lush, the under growth in the bush is thick and green, dug outs and lakes have returned to normal levels and everyone has a green lawn.  And not to mention all our water barrels are now full and overflowing: we currently have approximately 500 gallons (+2000 liters) of stored water at the moment.

Since the day we planted the garden we have watered it religiously but nothing is better than a plentiful drink from Mother Nature.  Since the rain, we have seen the potato plants grow at an alarming rate and everything else has come close to doubling in size.  My beets and turnips could stand to be thinned already, another week or so and we could probably eat spinach, the tomato plants are starting to bloom and we picked and ate a few small radishes yesterday.  And did I mention the weeds are growing like crazy too?  I can only imagine what would happen to everything with a little bit of heat thrown into the mix.

The only downside to all this rain is that it’s difficult to get into the garden to do anything and I desperately need to do some serious weeding.  If I could, I would love to have a weed free garden but I would probably have to quit my day job and cut back on sleep to accomplish that task.

I wish I had taken pictures of my soggy garden to show how wet it was – next time.