No one wants to hear the word "rain" these days. Clearly all the wet weather has changed the way we planted the vegetable garden and our flowerbeds this year. I have heard people describe spring plantings as "I went ahead and mudded them in." Not the best practice for seeding and transplanting, of course, yet the plants and seeds got in the ground. The result of all that "mudding in" likely left that soil caked and cracked when we did get some drying weather. Don't attempt to break up the clods; it's better to lightly cover the caked soil with some kind of organic matter.

Now that the weather has moderated some, another challenge has been weed control. Weed seed germination continued while the wet soil kept us from doing anything in the garden and landscape beds. Weeds are so easy to deal with while they are just seedlings, but now they are larger and with an established root system. Be careful when you are pulling weeds so you do not damage the root systems of your transplants. This is even harder if your seedlings are up and mingled in with the weed seedlings. Weeds also can compete very well for nutrition, growing right along with your flowers and vegetables. Depending on your weeding practices, there is likely another round of weed seed germination going on as well, so take care of them while they are small. Products put down to prevent weed seed germination have not worked well this spring for a couple of reasons; one is the soil needed to be weed-free before application and two is the weeds have been germinating all spring while the products are only effective for a limited time.

Since we did have all that (rain) earlier, another challenge is making sure there is adequate fertilizer left for flowers and vegetables to develop into mature plants. Cold, wet soils early on often limit plant uptake from the garden soil. Once the soils warm and dry out, it is easier for the plants' root systems to function correctly. Older flowerbeds fair better since all the organic matter accumulated is Mother Nature's slow release fertilizer, being available whenever the flowers need it. You may see plants struggling a bit more in a newly created bed. If the flowers have "stalled out," consider side dressing with general-purpose flower or vegetable fertilizer. Applications can be made right on the surface of the soil. We are still getting water to dissolve the fertilizer. If you are going to work the fertilizers into the soil, do so shallowly; you do not want to damage any roots. The sooner the fertilizer is activated with natural soil moisture, the sooner it becomes available to the plants.

About the author: Richard Hentschel’s expertise extends across several subject areas with specialties in lawn care, fruit tree production, woody ornamentals, and home and community gardening. During his 45-year career in horticulture and agriculture, Hentschel became a well-known and respected expert for commercial and homeowner audiences, industry organizations, and media. He retired from University of Illinois Extension in April 2022 with nearly 30 years of service as a Horticulture Specialist and Educator in northern Illinois.