Dayton "Dirt" - May 5, 2017

As the rains continue, so must the work at the nursery continue so that when the sun does decide to shine, everything will be ready for the normally busy May season.  Surprisingly, despite with weather, sales have been brisk especially with the opening of the annual flower house.
It is difficult though for folks to plant the garden even with the cool weather vegetables because of the somewhat saturated ground.  One of the worst concerns of a gardener is to walk around the garden when the soil is quite wet because of the resulting compaction.  I do remember speaking to a customer in 2011 when the spring rain never seemed to stop and even continued well into June.  She had been born and raised in the UK and related to me that the 2011 spring was like English weather.  When I asked her what the English do in the garden when the spring rains seem to go on and she replied “you just put on your “Wellies” and go out into the garden.  She of course was referring to the high Wellington boots that offer maximum protection from the wet and muddy soil.

With still a chance of frost in the air for May, it is still too early to plant heat-loving vegetable plants like tomatoes and peppers as well as impatiens and wave petunias.  However, many annuals can survive a light frost like other petunias, ageratum and a few others.

“Hope springs eternal” as written by the poet Alexander Pope and so is the hope for at least some sun this spring.

Tom