To heck with the flooding – the sun is shining

There are rumours floating about that this rainy spring weather will continue well into November and possibly beyond and then we are supposed to dive head first into drought inducing conditions.  This is not the perfect season I was hoping for, and was well and truly owed!  So when you wake up to an empty house, as Hubby the Un-Gardener has gone out for the day with the kids AND the sun is shining – that can only mean one thing:  It’s a garden day – whatever the conditions!

I have been so good for weeks waiting patiently for it to stop raining and for the flooding to drain away.  But I’ve lost all hope that it will ever drain away and my grass is knee high and soil in the raised beds is warming nicely and the weeds are settling in and making themselves at home.

Meanwhile my seedlings in the greenhouse are being transplanted into ever increasing sized pots so they don’t become root bound and stunt themselves in the waiting.  It’s getting pretty crowded in there.  But to plant them out won’t do as I haven’t finished enriching the beds yet as they are still quite sodden below the surface and I’d hate to drown the poor wee things.

I had plans to set the mower to as high as it can go and sweep through the puddles taking the tops of the grass to create an air of respectability.   You shouldn’t really mow wet ground, it’s not good for the soil structure and it isn’t all that great for the mower.  But I just want to make it all look nice again, instead of a weedy, out of control mess.   However, there was no petrol in the mower and none in the can either.   Probably just as well.

The sun was shining – I needed to do some proper gardening.  There was nothing left to do in the greenhouse – I’d done it all on the rainy days, just to itch that green thumb.  It just had to be done, so in the end I thought, so long as I don’t walk on the actual beds then it should be alright…  The grassy bit is just the bit that gets worn out in the height of summer anyway as I wander between the beds weeding, watering and harvesting with dramatic frequency.  It’s more of a side show, with the main event being the beds themselves.  That is where all the action happens.  So I popped on my gumboots and sloshed over to the first bed, carefully sat on the edge and began to pull weeds.  It was so satisfying and rewarding, I managed to work my way across 12 and a half beds before deciding it was enough for the day.  But there is still another 20 or so to go.   I hope tomorrow is nice again, but I’m not getting my hopes up.

Over the course of the day I did notice the puddles reduce in size, and I tried to vary the paths I took so I didn’t churn up the mud too much, although some churning was inevitable.  It has been so hard to sit back and do nothing, and now it feels good to have been able to do something, knowing that when the rain does stop for good I am well on the way to having my beds ready for my eager little seedlings.

On a way more exciting news front, I now have in my grubby old gardener hands, my latest book: Growing Vegetables – An easy guide for all seasons.  I am so pleased with how it turned out and is a week by week, season by season guide to doing all the things you need to get a great harvest, with loads of great tips along the way.  I can’t wait to see it in stores real soon.

Come again soon – maybe the rain has stopped for good.  I’m too afraid to check the forecast in case it’s not good news.

Sarah the Gardener : o)