Many of my little ws babies have been pounded by the rain (don't know if they will recover) or drowned and are no where to be seen. Discouraged, yes, I waited so long for them and now they are gone.

Hey I'll whine with you.
Today is yet another cool rainy day. The news this morning stated that we've had a whopping FOUR (count 'em 4) days "AT or above normal temperature" for June.

I'm growing monster weeds, ginormous fungus and itty bitty WS tomato seedlings... there's something wrong with that

Amen! Someone else is feeling the same way! I was feeling like a failure thins morning. Everything is looking the same way as it did when I planted it out! Some are lost, I planted out half my Sweet William and that got pounded into the earth, so I planted out the other half and darned if I can find it now! I'm thinkin' it might be in one of those puddles I have in my bed, who knows... might have even floated up stream in that pond we sometimes get to call a playlot...

The annuals, I can at least find! Nothing much is blooming though. I have a few small flowers on alyssum... I feel like this season is a bust! I sure hope SOMETHING can be saved...

I'll definitely whine w/ you guys.

I had my poor husband busy in the garage building raised garden beds so I could start vegetable gardening this year. Those raised beds have been sitting empty for MONTHS. I just haven't been confident about the weather. Its either raining too much or the temperatures are too low for me to willingly risk my tomato or pepper plants.

I finally planted both out on Saturday when the weather showed a slight chance of clearing. Plus our local weatherman was talking about temps in the 80s come mid-week. Sure enough, I get the stupid plants in the ground and what happens? The forecast changed. Now its going to be rainy/cold until at least the weekend. Grrrr.

Add to that my WS flower seeedlings. I haven't dared put them in the ground. They'd drown! I'm considering planting some out into containers that I can protect for the time being.

Last night our rain barrels started to overflow (again) and almost flooded the garage. When the heck is summer going to get here?????

Dis-CUSS-ted!!

ENOUGH already!!

Mary

I know - I'll change my entire garden beds to grow just moss and mushrooms.

For sure that'll cause a drought LOL

Just came in from the damp yard. The sun came out for a few minutes and it STILL RAINED.

To update my whining list, I've found: mushy roses on every bush, a 4 x 6 area of purple coneflower with all the buds eaten off by deer or somebody, nicotina purple scented competely gone accept a few chewed up leaves (slugs I think..)

Note to self: Plant beds full of Calandula next year - it is about the only annual that looks truly happy and healthy. And no one is eating it.

Nancy, get yourself some iron phosphate! I haven't found anything eaten by slugs or snails this year. This is about the only thing going right for me!! That stuff is wonderful, and best of all, safe to use around just about everything!! It's considered organic, you can even use it on veggies!

I can whine some too! These last few days have been less than 70F and rainy. Today so far is just cloudy but were to only have a high of about 65F! Not that we don't need the rain, but it's prime time for the earwigs to have a party in the garden!
I put out several more earwig traps and put them out evening before last. Boy do they ever LOVE this stuff; in just one night I can trap a gazillion! I absolutely am thrilled at the results! If anyone missed the recipe in another thread here it is:
1 Tbsp. each of cooking oil, soy sauce and molasses (or Karo Syrup) per small dish/container..ie: yogurt cups, tuna cans, ect.

Here's hoping for warmer dry weather :)

thank you for that recipe vera!

we were out in our canopy gazebo on saturday (before it started raining...again), and i noticed earwigs EVERYWHERE! i was wondering how to get rid of them without having to resort to chemical useage (of which, i am generally opposed).

i've got all the ingredients at home so i'll have to give this recipe a try!

I'm with you Nancy, I'm not discouraged as much as I am disgusted though. Slugs are feasting out there every night, my poor eggplants look like crap, tomato plants are so spindly, growing but spindly all the same. We all need SUN!!! Many of my WS things are just sitting in the spots I put them looking pathetic, not growing, still remaining the same size when I transplanted them and thats something I'm having trouble figuring out. According the the weather channel its supposed to get hot by Friday, but nothing was said about SUN, just hot and humid. YUCK!!

Alberta

Alright I am on the opposite end of most of you. I am disgusted with the heat we are having. Granted it isn't uncommon to have 90+ days in July and August yet it is still June. I can only work in my garden for about 10 minutes at a time before the sweat comes rolling off me. Usually we will get a good soaking rain every now and then to cool things off. Haven't had one for a few days now.

-StlGirl

Same here- hot and humid. And dry all of a sudden. It's amazing how fast saturated soil can dry out when the temp is at or near 90 degrees. Mine went from soppy wet to dry in a few days. I spent most of the morning- about 1 1/2 hours- just watering today.

The weather was cloudy and rainy until about a week ago. Now the 10 day forecast is dry with temps 86-93 degree range.

I can relate to the deer buffet, though. So far this year they've hit my lilies, cherry brandy ruds, goldsturm ruds, sedums... I just sprayed Liquid Fence. I hope it helps. It's definitely smelly enough to repel me.

Karen

I usually think it's just my novice status that's mostly to blame for anything that goes wrong.

I didn't plant out in April/early May because it was too wet. Thought little roots needed "air" to flourish and not sodden soil.

Didn't know it would get so much worse.

Slug invasion non-stop and deer are eating more which I don't understand since rain must have helped grow wild foraging plants.

We have sticks for rose bushes...not a bud or leaf left. Thanks a lot Bambi...hope you got nicked while crushing the rabbit fencing around them.

All echinacea now without buds. What's the use of growing "first year blooming" perennials (Prairie Splendor & Baby White Swan) if they're going to eat all the first year blooms?

Buds just sitting there on Bachelor Buttons and Calendula.
I keep telling them "it's JUNE...you can come out now"... at least the ones left that deer haven't eaten. There are a few that aren't face down in the mud who have no excuse not to bloom...LOL.

Extra Morning Glory I sowed in 16 oz. cups are bigger than ones I already planted out in ground. Thinking of putting them in pots next to ground planted ones in hopes something fills the space they're supposed to be the main star in.

The one truly happy plant is Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum) which is topping out at 7' already. I have to knock earwigs off it regularly but it's standing proudly out there towering among slug/deer eaten or puny non-growing plants in butterfly garden.

One Datura metal looks like if has a flower bud...on a plant about 12" tall. Hope that's normal. Slugs eating their leaves too.

The list of things to whine about is endless...LOL.

I also was counting on the deer finding lots of "green" out in their woods/meadow, but they are coming nightly and munching away. The Deer are getting so bad here that all farmers/landscape/nursery stock growers (there are a lot of these here)are putting up these 8-10 foot fences around whatever they are growing. Hundreds of acres surrounded by this new fencing. I think it is changing the deer's foraging habits. I think they are huddling in the woods down the block from my house and saying "Nancy and Rich only have 4ft fences around the property, hopping them is a piece of cake and YUM what goodies await..she's really knocked herself out this year!"

I may resort to getting some liquid fence too Karen. A friend sprays it and the smell is so bad! I just feel like with all this rain I'd have to reapply constantly.

Newbie - - You are RIGHT the Joe Pye is doing great! Let's hear it for Joe Pye!!! No one eats it and it looks healthy and happy. Not quite as tall as yours, but about 3/4 of the way to it's end of season height (6ft)

Nancy

Well, it's been good for transplanting. Finally, after nearly twenty days, I'm seeing germination in the flat of mixed hot peppers I sowed at the beginning of the month. The sun came out for a few moments while I was mowing the lawn today. I fried. I could do cooler summers.

T

the sun came out to today and guess what i did.

mowed the lawn,
all day. well at leased that's growing. LOL

my guess /hope is that everything will suddenly just take off.
it's been a very disappointing spring.
Happy hopeful summer to all.
Laura

Not discouraged; I think I would rather have too much rain than not enough. At least I don't have to water. One interesting outcome of so much water is that I saw a little garter snake in the yard today. I have never seen a snake in my yard in all my years of living here. I think he likes all the extra moisture. Salamanders I can deal with; garter snakes I can (sort of) deal with, but if it's wet enough to attract one kind of snake, what other kinds might want to move in? I think I'm going to get rid of my compost bin (where the snake was).

Lois in PA

Lois, I had a snake in my compost bin a couple of weeks ago, too. Just a little one. I was going to toss him out with my compost fork, but he went up and over the side and out in a flash. He's probably more afraid of you than you are of him.

And snakes will get rid of rodents. I'd rather have the snake.

Karen