Planting Timing Around Rainfall

hunter · April 30, 2008

This is more of a consensus type of question:

If you could transplant your tomato seedlings into the garden hours prior to a rainstorm or hours after a rainstorm, when would you choose to plant?

Or, would you choose to plant when there were several days clear from precipitation?

huntoften · April 30, 2008

I like to plant ahead of a rain...avoid planting ahead of a severe storm though. Saves the trouble of watering the transplants or seeds in...better quality water too! After the storm, everything is muddy and I wait until it dries out a bit.

matereater · April 30, 2008

If I could plan it, I would prefer to plant prior to a rain, hoping for a nice light steady rain. The dirt is usually too difficult to work with after a rain.

violet0996 · April 30, 2008

While I would theoretically like to plant right before rain, we get hail often enough this time of year that I won't plant right before a storm. If that isn't a common occurance in your area I'd choose to plant before.

Suze · May 1, 2008

I would tend to plant *after* a good rain, but this is mostly a function of my particular gardening setup and your experience may vary. I grow in raised beds, and the soil is extremely light and freedraining.

Actually, if the beds aren't moist when it is time to plant, I go ahead and place the soaker hoses and soak them down good the day or two before. Then when I plant, I basically water each individual plant only to settle the rootball. The soil in my beds does not clod up or clump, no matter how wet it is, so this works for me. I have the mix like this so the plants can take the occasional torrential late spring and early summer rains we can get here. I can always add water, but I can't take it away.

If I weren't growing in raised beds, or had a heavier soil (my native soil is sand), I would probably plant *before* a good rain if I could.

Ruth_10 · May 2, 2008

Best, IMO, would be to plant before a rain and put a crate or some such container with slats or mesh over the plants to protect them that first 24 h from (1) intense sun and (2) a hard rain. Overcast and nice gentle rain, everything's fine.

April 30, 2008	#1
hunter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 213	Planting Timing Around Rainfall This is more of a consensus type of question: If you could transplant your tomato seedlings into the garden hours prior to a rainstorm or hours after a rainstorm, when would you choose to plant? Or, would you choose to plant when there were several days clear from precipitation?

April 30, 2008	#2
huntoften Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Kansas CIty Posts: 560	I like to plant ahead of a rain...avoid planting ahead of a severe storm though. Saves the trouble of watering the transplants or seeds in...better quality water too! After the storm, everything is muddy and I wait until it dries out a bit. __________________ Kansas City, Missouri Zone 5b/6a

April 30, 2008	#3
matereater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: S.E. Michigan (Livonia) Posts: 1,264	If I could plan it, I would prefer to plant prior to a rain, hoping for a nice light steady rain. The dirt is usually too difficult to work with after a rain. __________________ Steve Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult

May 2, 2008	#6
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	Best, IMO, would be to plant before a rain and put a crate or some such container with slats or mesh over the plants to protect them that first 24 h from (1) intense sun and (2) a hard rain. Overcast and nice gentle rain, everything's fine. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

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April 30, 2008	#4
violet0996 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 36	While I would theoretically like to plant right before rain, we get hail often enough this time of year that I won't plant right before a storm. If that isn't a common occurance in your area I'd choose to plant before.

May 1, 2008	#5
Suze Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 3,027	I would tend to plant after a good rain, but this is mostly a function of my particular gardening setup and your experience may vary. I grow in raised beds, and the soil is extremely light and freedraining. Actually, if the beds aren't moist when it is time to plant, I go ahead and place the soaker hoses and soak them down good the day or two before. Then when I plant, I basically water each individual plant only to settle the rootball. The soil in my beds does not clod up or clump, no matter how wet it is, so this works for me. I have the mix like this so the plants can take the occasional torrential late spring and early summer rains we can get here. I can always add water, but I can't take it away. If I weren't growing in raised beds, or had a heavier soil (my native soil is sand), I would probably plant before a good rain if I could.