Rainy Season

 

Every year we can't wait for the rain to stop so we can go outside and enjoy nature.  I mean, who wants to slog through mud on trails or have to carry an umbrella while walking around a park?

Then the heat comes and we wonder, for some reason, why we wanted the rain to go away.  Now it's too hot to go walking around the park for more than ten minutes.  Unless of course you go late in the evening.  And even then it might not be comfortable.

So now that the rain is back and temperatures are cooling, we are once again stuck inside until it at least abates for a little while.  Of course with the ground so dry you also have the problem that the ground can't soak up the water.  You know how you pour water on peat pellets and the water just rolls off and beads?  That's what the ground is like in the beginning of the rainy season, it all just runs off.  That's where you get a higher chance of flooding since more water than usual runs off of the ground.  Also what makes irrigating commercial property so important.  It helps prevent worse flooding down the line.

Rain Warning

With all this rain there is a warning. I know we've been waiting for a good shower for months now but of course when it rains it.... If you don't know the rest then ask your parents who may well go on a long description of what it is and what it meant in the good old days when they were your age.
Anyway, the danger we now face instead of scorching heat of an oven is drowning plants, especially for container plants. I have a few in actual cups with no drainage. Now I've poked holes in the bottom and they're all good but in the past I've forgotten and killed many a plant including an apple tree while I was away camping. Fortunately it didn't rain where I was. That would have been miserable.
This is also the time to check existing drainage and fix any problems in the yard or garden. Standing water can cause root rot and breeds mosquitos.
Remember to keep well and dry off once you're done. A cup of tea would be nice afterwards too.