Oy, I can’t understand why the weather is the way it is now. The fine rains we had in early January have given way to heavier downpours and strong winds, about 4 or 5 days out of the week, followed by a day or three of sunshine. I don’t mind the cool weather, but the downpours have been horrendous for some of my plants!

My strongest (so far) dwarf sunflower seedling had leaves battered off – and this in a partially shaded location!

I can't blame the snails or caterpillars this time - the bits of leaf were still in the pot.

The cosmos and roselle seedlings were pummeled into the potting media, and in a couple of cases, had been beheaded. I have to start over…

Cosmos and roselle seedlings: the aftermath of being flattened by several heavy downpours :(

On the other hand, the sweet basil seeds I sowed have been sprouting happily.

Sweet basil sprouts popping up like weeds. I think they like the rainy weather!

Fungal and humidity related issues are also rearing their ugly heads. Temperatures have been cool, by our standards, what with the rain and strong breezes – but then we also have those sunny days or hours that make the humidity worse… I gave up my okra plants because of powdery mildew, and now the aphids and mealy bugs are making a nuisance of themselves everywhere. It looks like I’ll be spending the long Chinese New Year weekend doing massive pruning and clearing. I can’t help it – when I see something affecting the plants, I have to act immediately, or else it will worsen and spread. So, I’ve been having a pretty good workout so far…

And while I’m clearing, I also have to watch out for all the snails that come out after the rain…

Garden snail snacking on sweet potato leaves after the rain.

I hope the rainy season blows over soon. Why can’t we go back to our 1-hour rain showers every afternoon? Just give me a few weeks and I’ll be whining about how dry and hot it is again…

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