{"id":19993,"date":"2023-07-17T09:02:28","date_gmt":"2023-07-17T13:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meadowsfarms.com\/great-big-greenhouse-gardening-blog\/?p=19993"},"modified":"2023-07-17T09:02:28","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T13:02:28","slug":"what-all-this-rain-means-for-your-vegetable-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meadowsfarms.com\/great-big-greenhouse-gardening-blog\/what-all-this-rain-means-for-your-vegetable-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"What All This Rain Means For Your Vegetable Garden"},"content":{"rendered":"
Boy, we’ve had a lot of rain recently! What does this all mean for our vegetable gardens? We\u2019d better learn words like anthracnose, blight, and powdery mildew. These are all fungal diseases that thrive in wet weather. So here\u2019s a quick overview:<\/p>\n
Yes, there are others, but these are most common.<\/p>\n
Number one, clean up weeds and debris in and around your garden! These can host spores that can keep re-infecting your plants.<\/p>\n
Be sure to avoid handling plants when wet because it\u2019s easier to spread disease. When pruning damaged or diseased foliage, clean pruners with alcohol before moving to another plant to avoid spreading the disease. If it\u2019s just a few leaves, pick them off; otherwise, treat the plant with a sulfur spray or Neem oil.<\/p>\n
Be sure to dump extra water out of plant saucers on decks or patios\u2014to protect those water-logged roots, but also that mosquitoes don\u2019t have a convenient place to lay their eggs. Remember to check other places standing water can collect.<\/p>\n
Check under those saucers (and under any rocks or boards near your garden) for slugs and earwigs.<\/p>\n
For potted plants on decks AND indoor plants (that haven\u2019t been getting the sun they need), watch out for fungus gnats. These annoying little gnats fly around your plants, laying their eggs so the larvae can feed on decaying organic debris in the soil. To get rid of them, add four tablespoons of bleach to one gallon of DAY-OLD water (draw water the night before and allow it to stand overnight), then drench the soil. This will kill larvae in the soil.<\/p>\n
Expect a few yellow leaves at the bottom of plants\u2014not just from the abundance of water but from insufficient sunlight. Keep an eye on plants that like hot, dry weather (like lavender, rosemary, and certain other herbs). Make sure you check the soil before watering.<\/p>\n
And for those with automatic sprinklers (like my neighbor down the street), CUT THEM OFF on rainy days\u2014boy, I\u2019d hate to see his water bill!<\/p>\n
By taking these simple steps, you’ll support your veggie garden, which will return the favor by giving you a delicious harvest.<\/p>\n
To read more posts from Bonnie, visit our blog<\/a><\/p>\n Return to the Great Big Greenhouse homepage<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Boy, we’ve had a lot of rain recently! What does this all mean for our vegetable gardens? We\u2019d better learn words like anthracnose, blight, and powdery mildew. These are all fungal diseases that thrive in wet weather. So here\u2019s a quick overview: Anthracnose\u2014attacks both deciduous and evergreen plants. Anthracnose is characterized by dark lesions on … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":19995,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n