Friday, June 6, 2008

Wet Weather Gardening

The first thing you need to do, and should have done before you first planted your garden, is to provide good drainage. Most plants do not do well if their roots are in soggy, wet soil. Even plants that enjoy moist soil are not happy when they become water-logged. Your plants will not thrive when they aren't happy!

Wet conditions are ideal for growing fungus and bacteria diseases. Chose plants that are disease resistant and are intended for your area to combat the problem and alleviate the need to spray. Watch for signs of disease, like leaf spots, so you can attack the problem early and get it under control. If you are in an area that is warm and humid, watch for mildew on your plants. The mildew is a powdery fungus and can be controlled with any of a number of low toxicity mixtures that are available on the market.

Lastly, don't crowd your plants! They like space just as much as you do! If they are all crammed together, the air can't circulate around the plants and the foliage stays wet longer. When you water, try not to get the foliage wet.

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