Nothing can be more rewarding than growing a garden full of beautiful, fragrant flowers and healthy, crisp vegetables. Not only will you feel proud of your accomplishment, but you will also save on your grocery bill in the process. If you live in the Vancouver/Lower Mainland areas and you’re interested in learning some tips for maintaining your garden during the springtime when frequent rainfall is expected, then this guide should be helpful.
Choose your plants carefully
Some flowers and vegetables are more tolerant of rainy weather than others. If you like growing tomatoes, then you might want to choose cherry tomatoes or another heartier variety. Some other rain tolerant vegetables include:
- Sweet potatoes
- Mustard greens
Protecting your plants
Even if you choose to plant flowers and veggies that are more rain tolerant, sometimes even those plants are unable to withstand heavy rain on a regular basis. What can you do in such a situation? Luckily there are various protective devices that can shelter your vulnerable plants from rain. By shopping at your favorite gardening supply store, you can find:
- Raised beds – By utilizing a raised bed, you keep soaked soil from ruining your plants by providing adequate drainage.
- Diverting run-offs – These handy protective devices will collect rain and direct it away from your garden.
- Covered archway – These can help tremendously, as they can prevent even torrential rain from causing damage to your garden.
Start your plants indoors
Since springtime in Vancouver/Lower Mainland is known for its frequent rain, you may want to start your garden indoors. By starting your garden indoors, you can keep your flowers and vegetables well-protected until the rainy season has passed. Once the heavy rain of spring is no longer a threat, then you can carefully transfer your plants outdoors. Of course heavy rain could occur at anytime, but an occasional heavy downpour won’t be as damaging as rain that occurs on a daily basis.
It is possible to grow a beautiful, thriving garden, even during the rainy season in Vancouver/Lower Mainland. Heavy rain and flooding can lead to suffocation of the roots of plants, resulting in death. Toxins can also be produced in soil that is left saturated for too long. However, as long as you’re willing to choose your plants based on which kinds are more likely to survive frequent rain, or provide a protective covering for them, then your garden will flourish beyond your wildest dreams.