Watering

Day 80 – When a Wicking Bed Goes Bad

2011/07/20
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It appears there is a leak in the plastic under the wicking bed.  Within hours of filling it (twice), the reservoir is empty.  The potatoes at the end appear to be missing the water, too – they are turning yellow and wilting.  Fortunately, I have some extra soaker hoses that I just placed there, and much of the “extra” water will be absorbed by the now rotting wood chips that were the medium above the plastic that was there to “break up the surface tension and help facilitate wicking”. The box beds are starting to catch up to the lasagna beds as far as yield is concerned, with the wicking bed taking a break to flower like mad and the hugelkultur bed following suit, though there was the one patty pan squash that was ready for a salad, and thus picked. I am hearing the water pump working away in the cellar, and it’s been an hour of soaker...

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A Temporary Wicking Bed

2011/07/03
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A Temporary Wicking Bed

Wicking beds are popular wherever it is dry or there are water restrictions, but that should not stop anyone in the northeast or northwest United States from trying one.  Basically, you are making a small tray underneath your plants that hold water, similar to self-watering containers for your home.  Soil will wick the water up to one foot, more than enough for this 2″ tray.  By adding compostable materials like comfrey stalks, the added benefit is more nutrients for the plant.  The one we are making here should last at least one season, and if the soil berms hold (not yet created due to all of the rain), could last up to several seasons. We’re using a banana box here, since the double-corrugation holds up well.  Additionally, we are using a sheet of plastic, a tube and some material gathered to sit in the “tray”, and some newspaper.  These materials can be replaced with more permanent materials if you...

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All About Strawberries

2010/07/21
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All About Strawberries

“…There are three major types of strawberries, though if you counted, youd find over six hundred varieties! Different shapes, sizes, colors and growing habits differentiate these wonderful treats. The major types of strawberries are: June Bearing either early, mid or late Day Neutral bearing throughout the season Alpine small, but packed with flavor! …” via All About Strawberries.

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In the Garden – Upside-Down Crops Are Growing in Popularity – NYTimes.com

2010/05/23
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In the Garden – Upside-Down Crops Are Growing in Popularity – NYTimes.com

Ah, the upside down garden!  Love it, hate it.  Here’s the positives: Less space needed, no digging, no weeds! Here’s the negatives: Need something strong enough to hold them up, need to water them regularly and often, limited soil, and therefore limited harvest.  Still, I may do another one, if I can figure out what small plants I can use, and how I can have them watered “automatically”. In the Garden – Upside-Down Crops Are Growing in Popularity – NYTimes.com.

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Small Footprint, Big Yield

2009/07/31
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Small Footprint, Big Yield

Some of the best use of space I’ve seen in a long time.  Even though I’m blessed with almost one acre of land, a lot of it is taken up by play areas or swamp for half the season.  The rest of the lawn is “harvested” for mulch.  If I had the wood, I’d build at least one of these just to increase the yield in the sunnier parts of my garden. The Hack:  make a high-rise tiered garden to increase your useable space. Small Footprint, Big Yield: Create an Easy Micro Organic Urban Garden Today! | Urban Gardens | Unlimited Thinking For Limited Spaces.

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Free Info in Sustainability Permaculture Visions

2009/07/26
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Free Info in Sustainability Permaculture Visions

Free is good! Free Info in Sustainability Permaculture Visions.

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Lettuce Have Salad the Whole Summer Long

2009/07/07
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Lettuce likes to bolt in the hot sun, but there are a couple of ways to keep the greens coming all summer long. Hack #1: Leaf Lettuce –  Cut and Come Again – taking the outer leaves only, shocks the plant so it doesn’t think it’s matured. Hack #2: Leaf Lettuce – Replant it – dig it up and move it to shock it once again. Hack #3 Leaf and head lettuce – plant it in a shady spot.  I like to plant mine behind anything that’s going to take a while to mature and is going to be around awhile.  Since I let my peas grow on a trellis, I put my lettuce behind them and they just keep growing.  This works with tomato plants, too.  The only issue I’ve run into is with patty-pan squash that got enormous and shaded the lettuce completely. Growing Lettuce – Keep Lettuce Growing in the Heat of Summer.

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Get Your Mind Out of the Gutter and Put Your Garden There Instead

2009/06/15
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Get Your Mind Out of the Gutter and Put Your Garden There Instead

Make your own “vertical veggie garden” with some gutter material and an exterior wall you’re not doing anything with anyway! The Hack: Use a wall and some gutter material to make a vertical garden where no garden has dared to cling! “… The idea is essential this: Why not put rain gutters in rows along the wood siding on the sunny side of the house. It might look weird, but that was where all the heat, sun and protection from damage is best. I talked to my husband, Pete, about it and he agreed it was worth a try. We went to Home Depot and selected some “attractive” brown plastic gutters along with all the required parts so that we could mount them in one long row. (The total length or a row would be about 20 feet). Pete drilled some very small holes in the bottom of the gutters to let excess water drain out after he mounted them...

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Tomato-tainers – Growing a Portable Garden

2009/06/15
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Tomato-tainers – Growing a Portable Garden

Moving soon? Need to conserve space? Need (or want) to conserve water? How about saving loads of money by making your own container garden and forgoing the shipping and handling charges for the ones advertised in the sunday magazines? Here’s a great link to an excellent portable garden DIY. http://earthtainer.tomatofest.com/

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What fruits can I grow in my garden?

2009/05/31
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What fruits can I grow in my garden?

A friend of mine asked: “So, what fruits can I grow in my garden?” The easy answer: the three types of fruit for the home gardener that are easy to grow:  strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.  Berries?  They’re not fruits! Okay, picky, picky – tomatoes are fruits… The Hack: bigger strawberries, june producing variety, other than 1-2″ of water per week during growing season and at least six hours of sun  ”…The spaced-row method limits the number of daughter plants allowed to grow. Mother plants are planted 2 feet apart in rows 3 to 4 feet apart. The daughter plants are spaced to root no closer than 4 inches apart and all other runners are removed. This method takes more care, but results in higher yields, larger berries and fewer problems with disease. …” Day neutral and everbearing take a different technique.  Lots of great information and tips from Daily Herald | Growing small fruit in the home garden.

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Myth-ing from the Garden

2009/05/04
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More for landscape than for gardening, but the information is valuable.  Linda Chalker-Scott has a great list of articles she’s written, including the use of wood chips, epsom salt, dust mulching(!) and more. http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda%20Chalker-Scott/Horticultural%20Myths_files/index.html

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