I'm calling it - worst gardening season I ever remember here.

[Denninmi]

This spring has NOT been conducive to gardening at all. We have basically only one type of weather this season, cold and wet. We have had now 3 nice days total since the official first day of spring, April 10th, and this past Thursday and Friday. All three of those days were warm, sunny, and pleasant.

We had the 4th wettest April on record here. May is worse, IMO, but I don't know what the numbers are. I had almost 4 inches of rain in my back yard from storms Wednesday Night, Thursday Night, and Friday Night (at least Mother Nature was kind enough to wait until after dark all three nights).

Yesterday and today have been almost non-stop hard rain. I'm guessing we've picked up somewhere between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 additional inches of rain since midnight Friday/Saturday.

The only crop I have in the ground are my potatoes. Onions are waiting in flats to go out, as are peas. I have some leafy greens in large tubs along the side of my greenhouse that I managed to get planted on Thursday when I was off and when it was sunny and around 80.

The only saving grace for me is that everything IS in the greenhouse, and isn't even growing very fast due to the dark gloomy weather.

My prediction -- this cold and wet spring will be followed by a very dry summer, when it goes weeks on end without rain. Yikes! But, all too often that seems to happen here.

[blue neen]

1. Same here in western PA.

I don't know anyone who actually has a garden in. We've had twice the normal amount of rainfall for April and May, and May is only half over!

There's never any sun. We usually do our planting in EarthBoxes on our deck. We didn't even take them out of the shed yet. What's the use?

We have a creek at the back of our property that has been over it's banks since Friday. There has been a mallard duck couple swimming in the backyard! I hope their nest is safe. They've been entertaining to watch.

Honestly, we've really had no sun since November...everyone is starting to get a little stir crazy! :)

[NeedleCast]

2. Same in Maryland

I had all kinds of trouble this year. Unseasonably cool early/mid spring. Lots of days with threats of heavy rain. My first batch of seeds died from damping off because I couldn't get them outside. Seemed like every day there was a risk of low tempuratures or heavy rain.

The last two weeks have been better. I ordered 130 dollars worth of seeds this year and now am stuck mostly going back to the nursery and buying starters for my tomatoes and peppers. STill going to try my beans and squash from seeds but its going to rain for five days straight here (at least) so I have no idea when I'll get them in the ground as my large garden area (a 20x30 plot at a community garden) is pretty much a swamp right now.

[Paper Roses]

3. All my plans for a joint garden with my neighbor are up in the air.

It has been cold and raining here in MA for so long, we wonder if there will be a chance to plant at all.
I have a list of flats to buy as my share. I doubt if it will be worth it. Middle of May and it is still cold (40's), plus we're getting tons of rain for a week at a time. I wonder if there will be sufficient growing time. My neighbor planted onions, they all popped out of the ground. He is away and will have to face resetting them upon his return.
I've done nothing yet.

This time of year is fun for me to plant and reap the rewards in the late summer. Don't think it is going to happen this year.

[trud]

4. Climate change: it doesn't care if you believe in it or not. n/t

[Retrograde]

5. California's also having unseasonable cold wet weather

We should be getting into the dry season, but it's rained the last 3 days, with temps in the high 40s. I personally think it's all a plot to keep my garden from doing anything - the bean seeds have all rotted.

[trud]

6. beans

This is my first year planting beans. The planted out in the garden seedlings were all eventually carted off by some critter. I'm curious to know who does that? Bunnies? I planted one seedling in a deck planter, and that's still here, so I don't think it can be squirrels, since they are on the deck all the time. I'm happy to share with the critters. It would be nice if they left me some, though :-)

[Viva_La_Revolution]

17. birds love bean sprouts...

I fence mine in until they're 4-5 inches tall. They leave them alone when they're bigger. If they're eaten down to the ground instead of pulled out, then slugs are usually the culprit.

[MrsBrady]

7. dry and windy

the sprouts come up and then get beat to death. seriously. so windy the leaves are burned.
with mostly unusually mild temperatures for north texas

just east of here they are soggy like you, but we are at the edge of the drought.

dry I can water. wind I can't.

[femmocrat]

8. I feel so sorry for the farmers here.

The fields aren't even turned over yet. They are sitting there with last year's corn stalks and lots of weeds. Depressing as hell.

We are going to be paying a fortune for fresh local produce (if any every grows).

[Lugnut]

9. It's been rough here in NE PA.

The rain and cool temps finally left the area yesterday. Our raised bed garden isn't even tilled yet because of the rain. I went to the growers today to get tomato and cucumber plants while there was still a selection to be had. To my surprise the greenhouses were still packed with plants! That's very unusual.

I'm determined to get the plants in the ground before next weekend. Temps are supposed to go up and sporadic showers are in the forecast for the upcoming week. That's good planting weather.

[tigereye]

10. huh, my perennials here are going great gangbusters

but the folks from my CSA (farm share group) were just saying it's been terrible this year. They were showing me basil planted in March that was only 3 inches high, if that.

[blue neen]

11. Hey tigereye!

:hi:

The flowers have been incredible, but the boxwood in front of the house is growing so much that it's out of control!

One good thing about all the rain--sometimes the flowering trees and shrubs open up too early and end up getting frosted. I'm hopeful that doesn't happen this year now since everything is blooming rather late.

We have a purple robe locust tree in our yard that just opened up this weekend (about two weeks late). It is the most incredible looking tree, with gorgeous hanging fuchsia-purple flowers.

I'm a little bit worried about the farmers' markets. They may not any veggies to sell!

[Curmudgeoness]

12. I am not ready to throw in the towel yet, but

this is really depressing. Still too much rain and not enough sun and warmth. Ugh!

[Denninmi]

13. Me neither.

It's still been raining buckets here -- in fact, Wed and Thurs there was tremendous rain in the Detroit area, with a lot of flooding.

They say next week will be better, much warmer and not as wet. I hope so.

[NRaleighLiberal]

14. Last year was the Raleigh garden disaster - this year we are off to a good start...

but there is trouble in the long range forecast - a string of nasty high 90 deg. days which are awful news for large fruited tomato production and overall tomato plant health.

[WhiteTara]

15. you left out hot in your prediction

or is that mine?

[NJCher]

16. Good news for a certain type of gardener

...the procrastinating gardener.

As I read your posts, I said, "Good thing I didn't get out there and work my tail end off gardening!"

I put it off because I was too busy with work and a family matter. As a teacher, though, work is now over and I can pay attention to the different weather conditions and protect my plants. The family matter is resolved, too.

I have about 250 plants that need to be put out. I am hardening them off now.


Cher

[Paper Roses]

18. My neighbor and I spend Thursday planting everything we wanted.

I am hoping the weather improves and this stuff shows signs of growing. Some we planted from seed, some from flats. The flats don't look too good but they were not wonderful when I bought them at the garden supply store. Their stock looked awful.

If we don't get some sun, the whole exercise will have been a waste.
If that is the case, then we will be paying ridiculous prices for simple things like tomatoes, lettuce, and green beans.
We planted basic veggies this year in the hope that we could have enough for us and for some neighbors. I am wondering if this will happen.
Grey skies and rain, again and again.