Rain, Rain and more Rain

10 years ago

I am very happy, we finally got rain and man did it rain! We ended up with over 4 inches for the whole rain event. My parents, 30 minutes south of me ended up with over 8 inches since last Thursday. It started for us on Saturday morning, before the farmers market and showered just about the whole time. Luckily it was still ok with sales. Then it stopped that afternoon. I was able to work up some raised bed I made several weeks ago and got radishes, turnips, kale and winter carrots planted. Then it started raining Saturday night/Sunday morning and didn't stop until Monday night. There were a few breaks, but not many. It was a slow, gentle shower. We finally started to get some run off on Monday. The rest of the time it just soaked in. It has also been cold, by July in Kansas standards. My high tunnel sides have been down since Friday night. I just put them up this evening! We have had highs in the 60's and lows in the low 50's. I actually wore a sweatshirt!

I am a little concerned about my melons. Many are almost ready and I hope they don't start splitting. I have kept them very well watered, but who knows!

I am excited for our fall/winter plantings. We have never had this much moisture at the end of July (at least in the last 9 years)

Just thought I would share. Smiles are all around at this farm and the boots are muddy!

Jay

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Comments (9)

myfamilysfarm
10 years ago
Glad you finally got some beneficial rain. Be careful what you ask for.
Rio_Grande
10 years ago
Good to hear. It appears we have swapped weather. Our drip irrigation has been putting out about 1000 gal a day for the last week and I am not sure we are keeping up. Everything looks great though!

Glad you got some rain!
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Actually the 12 inches of water was just on the ground in my garden--The official rain gauge in my community registered 14 plus inches. The burger King 3 blocks from me had water up past the bottoms of their windows, and the town had LOTS of cars under water, and WAY too many houses had water inside. Spring Hill is about 11-12 hours south of me-I have friends that live there too. Thanks for the concern....
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Actually, lightening is very good for the earth. It regenerates the magnetic field and stimulates things to grow. I tie pieces of nylon stockings on my tomato cages to help generate static electricity created by the wind's friction to help stimulate my tomato plants. Without the wind and the static it creates (lightening being a major result of that), plants would actually do very poorly and would die. We are having yet another cold spell - this is the fifth time that Winter has returned to Oklahoma (Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri too). I just set my tomatoes and peppers out this past week, and normally I would begin harvesting Early Girl tomatoes by May. We are getting lots of wonderful rain and I am greatly thankful for that, but these cold spells are ruining everything and preventing us from being to start a garden. All the plants that the local nurseries and garden centers have put out have been ruined over and over again. I am putting pots and buckets over my veggie plants, but cannot plant anything else or sow warm weather crops until this is finally over...and who knows when the heck that is going to happen? Even the Weather men are stumped by this crazy weather. What few roses have started to bloom (that usually bloom in April) are all ruined and puny looking things. They ain't fit for even the bugs to eat! Phooey! Now the weathermen are saying that with the tornado season just kicking off (May is our peak month), it is predicted to be the worst year for tornadoes ever. More of them and stronger ones too. Swell! Can't win for losing.
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My yard is now semi-dry with some of the lowest areas still holding a few inches of water. The tropical desert island is no longer an island its just a plain old dirt mound again. One of the positives of all the rain is my Valemcia Pride tree is starting to put out buds and blooms. My little 2 foot high whipstick Rosigold tree has about 4-5 branches coming right out of the top that now look like they may be buds and not branches. Its the little tree that thought it could...but its so small it will have to wait until next year though. My new Graham tree just put out several nice buds, its big enough that I'll see if it holds a few fruit. The small Carrie tree is budding the best but once the fruit form I'm going to take them off it and let the tree mature another year before it fruits. My Angie looks like its putting out a few buds and its big enough that I'm going to wait and see what happens with it. My Pickering tree seems to be doing a lot of nothing so far. The Neelum tree is still surrounded by its own water moat so I'm not exactly sure what its doing and the Tebow tree is still a whipstick although it has a few new bumps forming up top.
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Comments (34)
ugh, I live right on the coast of Northern Cal and once it warms up inland it will be foggy here all day every day for the most part. Does cut down on the need to water as the trees and shrubs do a good job of capturing the moisture and channeling it to their root zones, but it can be oppressive especially after a rainier than usual year. NOT COMPLAINING, just explaining! Have been plenty of rain and showers in the forecast this past week but not much action on the coast besides that thunderstorm the beginning of the week which was one of the noisiest I have heard. A friend was driving to Sacramento during the worst of it and he was exhausted by the time they arrived, but so amped he could not sleep.
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Slimy_Okra
10 years ago
I'll echo the saying, "be careful what you ask for!".

Back in the first week of July, as were picking peas in the heat, I deeply regret that I said "I almost look forward to fall". Well, we got fall alright. We've had more nights in the 40s than in the 50s since the second week of the month, as well as a couple of nights in the 30s. Even up here, that is unusual for July.
2ajsmama
10 years ago
Sounds like our June weather circled back around to you ;-) Glad you got what you needed, but be careful what you ask for!

This month has been dry, not drought dry but about 1.2" under normal which you'd think would be OK considering June was 8" above normal but pond is getting noticeably low, blackberries are drying up and I've had to water the veggies at least once a week. Just watered peas today b/c I soaked them Sat before planting Sunday, we were supposed to get rain but barely got any. Might have to start more (along with my fall transplants going to start in house this week).
jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
Original Author
10 years ago
I'll echo the saying, "be careful what you ask for!".

Thanks, that is exactly what is happening! Two months of dry and now we are in a wet pattern. Good rain chances 6 of the next 8 days. It is pouring outside as I type this. I was hoping to miss it tonight, try to lightly work up some ground and get some fall crops (turnips, rutabegas, daikon radish, green onions, and more carrots planted), but that is out the window. With late fall plantings, everyday is critical! I figure I have about 10-14 days or it will be too late. I will plant them when I can and hope. I am planning on putting up low tunnels over them and harvest as long as I can.

Maybe I can get fall transplants started tomorrow instead, after I wade through the mud to pick melons!

Jay
Rio_Grande
10 years ago
Jay did this last round get you again? We saw alot of flooding your way.
jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
Original Author
10 years ago
We have missed the last several rounds, they have been south of us. We did get another .75 on Saturday night. I am really needing to get fall crops planted, but I am not sure if I can. Weathermen are calling for rain for 7 of the next 8 days. I may just have to see what happens and try to get some stuff planted later today.

Jay
Rio_Grande
10 years ago
Good luck, we had some luck and got ours in, now if we can just get some rain. I have been irrigating daily for over a month now,
JLN123
10 years ago
I hear you Jay, It has been tough around here too. We had Ping Pong ball to Golf Ball Hail on July 22 and 80 - 100 mph straight line winds on July 23. It took the plastic off of the high tunnel and really beat the plants up. 2 weeks without plastic and LOTS of rain have are starting to have an effect on our tomatoes. We finally got plastic back on last Sunday and are trying to dry out now.
After the last 2 years I never thought that I would complain about rain!
J.L.

Rain, Rain and more Rain

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myfamilysfarm

Rio_Grande

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Rain, Rain and more Rain

Comments (9)

myfamilysfarm

Rio_Grande

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jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
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