Watering for Garden Health: Delivery #6

 Hello Moon Bears,

We're half-way through our CSA season. About 35% of the garden is cleared out or replanted with cover crops already. The dry wind has been a tenacious water sump to the soil this year. Lots of care is going into both conserving and applying enough water. I find that hand watering, except for the drip systems on the squash and tomatoes, is best for the plants.


Here are a few tips I've learned over the years on watering:

• Don't splash dirt or water from ground on tomatoes or squash if possible. The splash is often a vector for fungal diseases.
• Be careful about overhead watering pole and bush beans. Make sure the leaves have lots of time to dry out before nightfall. Beans don't like water sitting on their leaves overnight.
• Use drip irrigation if possible on larger plants. It's worth the effort. I generally use 2 gallon per minute nozzles once a week.
• Remember to  check the soil for moisture with a household moisture probe. Poke around the root zone, and go deep if possible.
• Not too wet. Roots suffocate and rot if really wet.
• And Not too skimpy on water either. I give One big dose of water and then let the ground dry out over the week.
• Many plants will naturally have a little leaf droop in hot weather. Just make sure the leaves spring back before the sun comes up again the next day.
• For conservation and minimizing evaporation use landscape fabric under squash and tomatoes. I also leave grass between rows instead of bare dirt.
• Watering is an art. Let the flow be such that there is no run-off. You can see the soil suck in the water. When it is full it will tell you.
• I sometimes run a little furrow with periodic dirt dams between the rows to catch the irrigation.  
• I like to use the battery operated timers. The orbit is my favorite because it's easy to use. Link Orbit Timer

Here's your Menu for a Full Share this Week:

• The first of the green beans
• Caraflex Cabbage. Cone shaped deliciousness.
• Fresh Warba Potatoes
• Salad Mix. Still holding its own, despite the heat.
• Detroit Beets
• Small White Onions
• Sea Kale. Think Smoothies.
• Siberian Kale
• Rainbow Chard 
• Garlic

Thanks,
Rick


(c) Copyright Moon Bear Produce, Rick Sievers, July 2015