Gardening In The Rain

It’s the only time that you have for gardening and keeping weeds away, but it’s raining! Here are some gardening tips that will help you take advantage of those warm, rainy days.

Outdoors

When it’s not stormy and it’s warm, there are some things that are actually easier in the garden when it’s raining. Put on your rubber boots, raincoat, and wide-brimmed hat and head outside.

1. Weeding

Pulling weeds is so much easier when the soil is soaked. Wear thick and heavy gloves to protect your hands, and yank weeds in the rain. You can also use a hoe or cultivator.

If you use newspapers for weed control, during a rainfall is an ideal time to cover the garden with newspapers. The rain will do the work of wetting down the papers and save you some money on your water bill.

2. Rock and stone removal

Like weeds, wet soil makes rock and stone removal easier. Wet soil just doesn’t hang onto rocks the way dry soil does. Using a hoe or cultivator, you can prepare the soil for planting in the rain.

3. Compost

You can also work in compost in the rain. Using a large garden fork and heavy rake, you can get the compost down into the soil aided by the rain, which helps it soak in and weighs it down.

Indoors

Sometimes, it’s just not practical to get out in the garden in the rain. Here are some gardening things you can do indoors.

1. Clean and sharpen tools

This isn’t one of the most fun aspects of gardening, but it’s necessary. And when a sunny day comes along, you will thank yourself for taking time to get your tools ready. For rusty tools, use fine steel wool and WD-40 to remove the rust. A wetting or oil stone is excellent for sharpening cutting tools. You can also use a large file. If there’s sap build-up on any of your tools, rubbing alcohol on a thick, rough cloth helps remove it.

2. Plant seeds

Early in the season, many gardeners like to start their seeds indoors rather than out in the garden. A rainy day is perfect for planting seeds in containers indoors.

3. Plan

This can be a really fun aspect of gardening. On a rainy day early in the year, get out the seed catalogs and get your orders ready. If it’s too late in the spring to order seeds, you can take the time to plan your garden layout while your seedlings are getting started indoors.

Don’t let the spring rains stop you from gardening. Get your gardens looking nice and a nice rinse for your hair at the same time. Happy gardening!