Getting Water Where It's Needed

Getting water to the plants in our garden in a timely way is a constant challenge.

We've been relying on a series of soaker hoses attached end to end and snaking through the vegetables. It keeps the water close to the ground and roots without losing it to evaporation. We have a timer set at the faucet that allows us to periodically override it and manually set it to water for about 30 minutes.

The challenge is that now that we've added a flower bed, configuring the hoses efficiently has just gotten more complex.

Last summer we tried growing flowers in large pots to save plot space for vegetables. That meant hand carrying water to each pot on a regular basis.

Pots would be the only alternative for plants like mints, which can take over a garden when planted in the ground.

An approach that has been very successful for my balcony has been plant nannies. A plant nanny consists of a hollow, clay spike that can be punched in beside a plant's roots and a bottle full of water that is turned upside down inside the spike. The water drains slowly as the clay absorbs it and spreads it into the soil.

I use two types. One is large enough to use wine bottles for the water. The other is smaller. It comes with a plastic spike that fits on top of used water bottles. Once the water bottle is filled and the plastic spike attached, it can be turned upside down inside the clay spike.

Another variety uses a globe that fits into the clay spike.
With the smaller version, it's sometimes easy to unbalance the plant. Some experimentation is needed with the plastic bottles. Some won't fit tightly and the water just pours out.

Remember not to put anything but water in the bottles. Fertilizer or other chemicals can clog the sides of the clay spike and keep water from flowing properly.

Comments

Know Your Soil For Best Garden Results

I've always taken soil for granted. It was there. You put seeds into it. You put water on it. Plants grow and produce flowers, fruit or vegetables. Gayle Weinstein, author of Xeriscape Handbook; A How-To Guide to Natural, Resource-Wise Gardening , takes a different view: “Soil . . . acts as a highway between life and death, land and atmosphere, plants and animals.” It stores water, air and nutrients and makes it possible for an exchange of elements and chemical reactions to occur, she adds. She describes soil as being animal, vegetable and mineral combined. Here are six tests Gayle recommends for getting to know your soil. Grab a shovel and a quart jar. Dig up two cups of dry soil two-to-six inches deep from the areas you want to test. Gather a glass of water, dish washing detergent and paper towels. A soil pH kit, a meter or litmus paper will be needed for the final test.

Away With Holey Leaves: Offing the Pests

I can't stand the tell-tale signs of garden pests: the leaves with holes, the failure to thrive. I believe in early assault with organic deterrents. Kate has great faith in plants' commitment to survive. She considers holes in leaves to be a mere cosmetic blemish. Like politics and religion, getting rid of pests in a garden is sure to cause a community donnybrook (or at least rapid words over ice water in the lounge chairs). To do organic warfare against pests means using one or more of these tools:

Herbal challenges

The thought of an orderly, scented kitchen garden like I've seen at The Huntington Gardens or in books is so appealing. Ranks of herbs -- thyme, oregano, basil and parsley -- lining neat pathways in easy reach for cutting. A garden right outside the kitchen when you need a pinch of marjoram for a sauce . . . At Fink Farms, it never works out like that. Unruly bunches of herbs grow into each other, or bolt or shrivel in the sun without water. When we first started the farm, we were growing herbs in the main garden with the tomatoes, and beans and lettuce greens. I decided to set up a separate herb area along the cinder block wall, first because of squabbles about what should go where between the then-three partners and, secondly, because I'd read that herbs like adverse conditions. Since we were composting up the main garden, I thought perhaps the herbs would do better in less rich ground. There were problems with that thinking: There probably isn't enoug...

The Fink Farm Dirt

Search This Blog