You can still plant green beans, squash, melons, peppers and cucs. These all love hot weather. You couldn't help all the rain and even if you watered I would have thought the drainage in a raised bed would have been super good.

Maybe Ceresone, our resident raised bed Guru will check in and give us her thoughts on this.

I have also heard of planting sweet corn in blocks on 12 inch centers. Never done it but it might be worth a try.

Don't think of it as failure, dude... think of it as lesson learned! Replant some of the stuff like Gldno said, and see what happens! A woman named Dawn over on the Oklahoma forum said to me that even if the dirt looks dry, to stick my finger down as far as I can in the soil... if it's wet down there, it doesn't need watering. THIS MAKES ME NERVOUS... I'm an overwaterer too... LOL! But so far my plants are doing fairly well. I did have a few die due to the rains, but still have viable plants in each "catagory" I planted. PLUS, I'm trying my hand at starting plants from cuttings.

It's all a learning experience, isn't it? :)

Beth

kjfmz,

Where are you located? If you're in Missouri, I highly recommend you both determine your soil texture and have your soil tested before you proceed with more plantings to save yourself additional frustration.

$10 will get you the following results: pHs, neutralizable acidity, organic matter, Bray-I phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, cation exchange capacity, fertilizer recommendations.

Other states can charge up to $50-$70 for similar tests so this is a bargain. And you won't be guessing as to how to amend your soil. If your soil isn't good, there's no point in planting in soil that is detrimental to your plantings. Perfect watering won't compensate for poor soil.

To determine your soil texture, follow the instructions on page 5 in the link below:

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Identify Your Soil Texture (page 5)

It sure is a "learning experience," Beth. I guess even Master Gardeners have their surprises and "ah ha" moments -- The reason I love GW is because I'm continually learning. I have almost filled a notebook with gems of wisdom learned here and I refer to it often.
We're not born knowing how to do anything much -- only interest and determination will prevail.
Sunny

I have been gardening since 1965 and I still have resounding failures or plant something too close. I haven't been able to raise radishes, of all things, in this garden since we moved here in 1991. Radishes is what they start kids off with.

Violet is right....I need to have my soil tested again too.

My dad planted a half dozen tomato plants in midJune last year in a pile of very well rotted leaf mold. He had incredible tomatoes in September and October, when my early planting had mostly died. We picked over a bushel of green tomatoes and ate them until after Thanksgiving. You can also plant okra from seed. A dwarf variety might do better in a small space. And sweet potatoes can still go in as can corn.

Thank you all for the encouragement guys. Sorry it took a while for me to get back and post, but I felt the need to step back for a while. I checked the soil last week and it was still too wet, so I figured I'd just leave it be and let it dry out a little. Until today, I hadn't even walked out there since I posted this thread.

And today I went out there... wow. It seems some of the plants are more resilient than I thought. Some of the peas have actually gained about 6 inches of new growth. A few of them even have small pods growing! My squash plants have grown a LOT, and a couple of my lettuces have grown more in the past week than they had in the month or two beforehand. Even a few of the carrots have put out some proper foliage.

So... not a complete failure, I'd say! Sure, it didn't perform as well as I'd have liked, but hey, lesson learned (so true, Beth!).

I'm planning on throwing another round of cukes in tonight. All the old ones failed, and I'm just glad I might still have time to get some more in. Also, I think I have the perfect spot for some green beans. Right alongside the peas should be fine, right? I've already got the trellis up :)

Might even try some melons in the spots where every single broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower failed.

Time to pick up the project again, and not water so darned much!

Thanks again guys. You're all awesome.

KJ

KJ, I lived in St. Louis about four different times -- the last one was 11 years in Oakville. I think the soil and climate there is better for gardens than in SW Missouri. We got a lot of rain there, and there weren't nearly as many rocks!!
I'm glad you're not too discouraged -- and plants are very adaptable, as you have learned. If you have the interest and intention, there's nothing stopping you
Sunny

Glad you still have growth going on! That's great! Makes ya wanna keep on, huh?

Think of how I felt at the beginning of this year. I was starting from seed for the first time, and planted FIFTY NINE tomato plants... Only one made it to the garden.... LOL! I got discouraged, but got over it. The biggest part of gardening to me right now is learning what works and doesn't work. Growth is a bonus! I just harvested about eight snow peas (that Christie sent me, THANKS GIRL!)... and tho it wasn't a large amount, they tasted AWESOME!

Keep on keeping on, dude! :)

Beth

Time to pick up the project again, and not water so darned much!

It is very common for new gardeners to kill their plantings with too much love.

You generally want one inch of rain per week. Get a rain gauge or set out a tin can and use a marker and ruler to mark the increments so that you can catch rain water. Then you'll know how much rain you're getting, and how much to supplement your garden. You can also use rain barrels. Use them to catch rain water from your roof. You only need 1/4 inch of rain on an average sized houe roof to fill a 55 gallon barrel and it's so much better than treated tap water for plants.

Well, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to have to water for a whole month after this weather system is done! At least this time I'm not the one responsible for the overwatering ;)

Beth, you got it... I'm just trying to learn as much as possible right now so when I build and move to my place in Colorado, I'll be able to grow my own food and live self-sustainably. For now, I don't mind if I lose crops, as long as I am proficient by the time I quit my job lol

Violet, unfortunately I don't have a good setup for rainwater catchment, but that rain-gauge is a great idea. Thanks!

KJ