Heavy Rain Coming :

Tomstrees · May 11, 2006

Heavy rain is coming -
My transplants are only
1 week old ... should I put
garbage bags over the tops
to protect ?

~ Tom

**carolyn137** · May 11, 2006

No, don't put garbage bags over each plant unless you want those bags to collapse onto the plants and break them into 2K pieces which you can then take inside and reassemble each and every plant.

Tom

What are we going to do with you?

Tomatoes have been grown for several hundred years.

Rain happens.

It falls out of the sky onto everything, including tomatoes.

All will be well unless there's so much rain that your plants are in standing water too long and them there can be a serious problem, described next re soil saturation. Or if the soil becomes water saturated in which case oxygen and nutrients can't be absorbed thru the roots and if the soil doesn't dry out quickly the leaves will turn yellow, then brown, then the plant can die, as in bye bye plant.

And different varieties respond differently to water saturated soils in terms how how severe the problem might be.

Do you feel better now that I've given you some other things to worry about?

HeirloomNewb · May 11, 2006

I've been hardening off my plants this week. They got some sun for the past few days, but the next few are looking like rain. How will the lack of sun time affect my hardening off process? I also didn't get my garden plot tilled becuase of the rain

Any suggestions?

geoguy_TN · May 11, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeirloomNewb

I've been hardening off my plants this week. They got some sun for the past few days, but the next few are looking like rain.

Any suggestions?

Time to break out the garbage bags 8)

Yes. I am joking. Harden off the tomatoes until they are able to take full sun for a day in the garden. The rain may delay you for a bit. You gots to play with what your dealt.

bcday · May 11, 2006

If the forecast changes to severe thunderstorms with the possibility of hail, you might want to cover up if you have time and not too many plants. If the plants are already in cages, just put a bag over the cage.

Those little 99-cent wire cages are handy for temporary protection for small plants, stick the cages over the plants and cover the cages. Clip the bag to the cage to keep it from blowing off; last year a bag that got away adorned the top of my 60-ft. maple tree for the rest of the year.

But a bag without some sturdy support to keep it off the plant is not a good idea. And for just heavy rain, I wouldn't bother.

Tomstrees · May 11, 2006

I'm telling ya ...

Before I came to any garden sites, I used
to grow seeds, plant em in pots,
put them in the ground,
use common sense, and let em do their thing ~
(always had lots of tomatoes every year)
Now I find myself dwelling over ? NOTHING !

Thanks for setting me straight Carolyn ...

Enough worrying ...
Time to get back to the basics ~
and thats growing heirlooms, hybrids, whatever ~ lol ~

Tom

ps. I guess what I'm trying to say
here is people sometimes make it seem like
heirlooms are so "fragile" need extra attention,
or scientific knowledge ...
What it really boils down to is a tomato
is a tomato is a tomato ~

timcunningham · May 12, 2006

Quote:

What it really boils down to is a tomato
is a tomato is a tomato ~

Except for Better Boy, which is well..... I don't know.

Tomstrees · May 12, 2006

timcunningham ...
lol ~

Tom

bonekittyslug · May 12, 2006

Better Boy = ½ of some mighty fine mater juice.

Roma = the other half.

In years when we make juice, it's always these two.

Really good juice to my taste buds.

If it ain't broke-don't need fixin'.

Of course, for regular eating a variety of OP's can't be beat!

timcunningham · May 12, 2006

Well now I know what it is

melody · May 12, 2006

We are totally saturated here. We've had everything the East Coast is getting...and more. Something like 6" in 10 days....and I've quit counting past that.

Folks who put their gardens out in early April when the temps were in the 80's, and it was bone dry, are now scrambling to drain their gardens with trenches and hunting new plants.

My tomatoes on the other hand, are still waiting in their containers. I've had gardens drown too many times and 'felt' that this was coming. My tomatoes will be fine for another couple of weeks and surely by then, it will have dried up enough to transplant out.

Just make sure that your garden drains well and water does not stand, and your tomatoes should be fine. I symphathize with you though...having stood at the window with sheets of rain filling up my already saturated garden, and my tomatoes looking sadder and sadder.

My Uncle Joe..(who Carolyn has heard me mention before) has a total loss..(again)and has already called for more plants.

Me, I'm biding my time and waiting till the monsoons are over. I've got projects that distract me till it dries up. If anyone is by there...I've got some photography of native plants that will go on display in June at the Museum Of the Hudson Highlands in NY State.

Tomstrees · May 12, 2006

What a storm though ... I live 5 minutes from the
NJ Bayshore so it felt like a tropical storm !
Thunder, & lightening and all !
If I counted between lightening and thunder ,
it was only like 1 second !

I had a 5 gallon bucket and it looked like 5 inches at the bottom!
Plants took a dirt bath, but are all set ...
Should I get some of the "splash up" dirt off
the leaves ? Or will the next batch of rain take care of
it ? More rain coming tonight ...

whoah ~ Tom

bonekittyslug · May 12, 2006

Very glad all your babies came out alright!!

Take off those hip waders and let the next rain wash 'em off. Ain't nature wonderful? (for the most part..)

giardiniere · May 12, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by melody

We are totally saturated here. We've had everything the East Coast is getting...and more. Something like 6" in 10 days....and I've quit counting past that.

Whew! I hear ya Melody. Over a two week span, which ended Wednesday, we received a little over 9" of rain. We were dry as a bone before that though, so about half of that was welcome, the other half was reason to cuss. Today is the second straight day of sunshine, and the promise (from the weatherman) of several more, is reason to "do the happy dance". I know now, that I need to build up my garden though.

Tomstrees · May 12, 2006

they just said on the radio that NJ just
got enough rain to call off
the "drought" ~ whoah, thats
alotta wata ~

Tom

May 11, 2006	#1
Tomstrees Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Bayshore Posts: 3,848	Heavy Rain Coming : Heavy rain is coming - My transplants are only 1 week old ... should I put garbage bags over the tops to protect ? ~ Tom __________________ My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~ H. Fred Ale

May 11, 2006	#2
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	No, don't put garbage bags over each plant unless you want those bags to collapse onto the plants and break them into 2K pieces which you can then take inside and reassemble each and every plant. Tom What are we going to do with you? Tomatoes have been grown for several hundred years. Rain happens. It falls out of the sky onto everything, including tomatoes. All will be well unless there's so much rain that your plants are in standing water too long and them there can be a serious problem, described next re soil saturation. Or if the soil becomes water saturated in which case oxygen and nutrients can't be absorbed thru the roots and if the soil doesn't dry out quickly the leaves will turn yellow, then brown, then the plant can die, as in bye bye plant. And different varieties respond differently to water saturated soils in terms how how severe the problem might be. Do you feel better now that I've given you some other things to worry about? __________________ Carolyn

May 11, 2006	#6
Tomstrees Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Bayshore Posts: 3,848	I'm telling ya ... Before I came to any garden sites, I used to grow seeds, plant em in pots, put them in the ground, use common sense, and let em do their thing ~ (always had lots of tomatoes every year) Now I find myself dwelling over ? NOTHING ! Thanks for setting me straight Carolyn ... Enough worrying ... Time to get back to the basics ~ and thats growing heirlooms, hybrids, whatever ~ lol ~ Tom ps. I guess what I'm trying to say here is people sometimes make it seem like heirlooms are so "fragile" need extra attention, or scientific knowledge ... What it really boils down to is a tomato is a tomato is a tomato ~ __________________ My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~ H. Fred Ale

May 12, 2006	#8
Tomstrees Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Bayshore Posts: 3,848	timcunningham ... lol ~ Tom __________________ My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~ H. Fred Ale

May 12, 2006	#9
bonekittyslug Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: SW VA Zone 6b-7a Posts: 176	Better Boy = ½ of some mighty fine mater juice. Roma = the other half. In years when we make juice, it's always these two. Really good juice to my taste buds. If it ain't broke-don't need fixin'. Of course, for regular eating a variety of OP's can't be beat! __________________ More Harvest, Mark The life of a cat...Sleep 'til you're hungry...Eat 'til you're tired! Spay or neuter your best friend!!

May 11, 2006	#3
HeirloomNewb Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Elwood, IL Posts: 53	I've been hardening off my plants this week. They got some sun for the past few days, but the next few are looking like rain. How will the lack of sun time affect my hardening off process? I also didn't get my garden plot tilled becuase of the rain Any suggestions?

May 11, 2006	#5
bcday Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY z5 Posts: 1,205	If the forecast changes to severe thunderstorms with the possibility of hail, you might want to cover up if you have time and not too many plants. If the plants are already in cages, just put a bag over the cage. Those little 99-cent wire cages are handy for temporary protection for small plants, stick the cages over the plants and cover the cages. Clip the bag to the cage to keep it from blowing off; last year a bag that got away adorned the top of my 60-ft. maple tree for the rest of the year. But a bag without some sturdy support to keep it off the plant is not a good idea. And for just heavy rain, I wouldn't bother.

May 12, 2006	#10
timcunningham Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Middle Georgia Posts: 241	Well now I know what it is __________________ Visit my site: tomatoindex.com a database of over 2700 varieties. Vote for your favorite.

May 12, 2006	#11
melody Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Kentucky Posts: 162	We are totally saturated here. We've had everything the East Coast is getting...and more. Something like 6" in 10 days....and I've quit counting past that. Folks who put their gardens out in early April when the temps were in the 80's, and it was bone dry, are now scrambling to drain their gardens with trenches and hunting new plants. My tomatoes on the other hand, are still waiting in their containers. I've had gardens drown too many times and 'felt' that this was coming. My tomatoes will be fine for another couple of weeks and surely by then, it will have dried up enough to transplant out. Just make sure that your garden drains well and water does not stand, and your tomatoes should be fine. I symphathize with you though...having stood at the window with sheets of rain filling up my already saturated garden, and my tomatoes looking sadder and sadder. My Uncle Joe..(who Carolyn has heard me mention before) has a total loss..(again)and has already called for more plants. Me, I'm biding my time and waiting till the monsoons are over. I've got projects that distract me till it dries up. If anyone is by there...I've got some photography of native plants that will go on display in June at the Museum Of the Hudson Highlands in NY State.