With spring being here, we have recently been experiencing, many of us are anxious to get outdoors and start scratching away at Mother Earth, however, the beds and gardens are so muddy. Unpredictable is the single word that best describes the month of May. Right now, soggy earth and emerging tender shoots limit what we can do. Control that overwhelming urge to dig, rake and cultivate. Stay out of the garden.
If you must be there, step lightly. Walking on wet garden soil compacts it and easily destroys its structure. A simple test to determine if your soil is workable is to grab a handful of soil and firmly squeeze it. If water runs out of the soil or if the soil stays compacted in one sticky lump, it is too wet and too early to be cultivated. Even though I encourage restraint that does not mean gardeners must do nothing.
Consider waiting at least two more weeks. I am confident it will be to your advantage and definitely to the advantage of the many newly emerging plants in your landscape. Tomatoes, peppers, vine crops and warmer growing annuals like zinnias and marigolds will catch up to the plants you have already planted.
If any annuals are looking rough and wilting, symptom of water-logged soil, it is not too late to replant.