Recently, my part of Arizona experienced a late-season monsoon. As a gardener, I rely on the rain and clouds from June through September. Although we got a few clouds and some rain, it was not as much as we typically expected. To combat the lack of rain and the scorching days of triple-digit heat, I covered my raised bed in what shade cloth I had. It held up pretty well in the wind and rain! However, the rain wasn’t enough, as I still needed to water the raised bed later that day. Watering every other day isn’t ideal, and the broken hose extension makes it even more challenging.
Although the monsoon only lasted from 4:30 am to 6:00 am, it was lovely. The plants enjoyed the rain, and the flooding on the other side of the yard was fantastic for all the in-ground plants and seeds. I have a few bunches of green and purple Tradescantia and a large pot of Portulacaria afra, better known as Elephant’s Food, which I received as a gift nine years ago and planted outside seven years ago. It has been flourishing. In addition, the giant sunflower in the photo below got more than enough water, and a few more replanted jack-o-lantern seeds finally popped up. Arizona has wild weather, but it’s fun.
Check out Arizona State University’s School of Geographical Sciences & Urban Planning’s Basics of the Arizona Monsoon & Desert Meteorology for more information.
What a crazy downpour!!!