Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Dieter Brand <diebrand@yahoo.com>]

D´Coda,

 

Good to hear from you. I hadn’t heard about waffle beds.

I will add it to my repertoire of possible water conservation

methods, even though I’m not sure that it would improve

things in my case. I find I can make best use of the available

water when I keep the growing area level and all in one piece.

Hence, I don’t use raised beds, I don’t even have any pathways

(my wife keeps on asking me if I expect her to float over the

garden). The problem I can see with what you describe is that

the raised parts would dry out and that, similarly to raised beds,

the slopes between the raised parts and the depressed parts would

add to the surface where water can evaporate. Also, slopes or

vertical parts are difficult to plant on or to protect with mulch.

This would again result in additional evaporation if the soil remains

without vegetation or mulch for any amount of time. Further,

my layer of topsoil isn’t very deep (thanks to previous owners),

therefore, I would have to dig twice as deep in order to return

a layer of top soil to the depressed part. Anyway, I take your word

that it works in your case. One idea I intend to try, when I get

a little time, is to surround my entire summer garden with

a barrier of stones both several feet in width and in height so as

to separate the irrigated garden soil from the dry soil all around.

The stone barrier would retain the humidity of the soil it protects

and may even serve as a dew-harvesting structure since we have a

lot of night-time humidity. The barrier would double as a walkway,

or if broad enough, a path for vehicles. In a way, this would be like

your waffle beds, except that the entire garden would be deeper than

the surrounding area.

 

Do drop us a line should you come back to Portugal.

I’m near Sao Teotonio in the lower Alentejo.

 

Regards,

Dieter Brand, Portugal

(in the wilderness and only very intermittent Internet access)

D'Coda <dcoda@volcommunity.org> wrote:

 

 

Hello Dieter,

 

Have you tried waffle beds? I've been to southern Portugal and its a lot like southern California, where I first learned about waffle beds as a way to maximize water retention in desert areas. I've also used it here in Arkansas during droughty summers and keep one section of my garden in such beds just in case the summer turns on me. Its quite simple, its the reverse of a raised bed. Make them in roughly 4 x 4 squares, you have a pit. The removed topsoil is replaced along with whatever amendments, compost and mulch on top so that the growing bed winds up about 8-12 inches below the surface of the surrounding level ground.  Water from level ground will drain into it, even if its very little water. The"earth wall" helps by providing some shade  and gives wind protection. In my section of waffle beds its like a checker-board with the level ground serving as a wide path between the pits. They have done very well for me. Water doesn't seem to evaporate as quickly as with level ground or raised beds.

 

D'Coda

(in the wilderness and no internet access, email turnaround 2-6 weeks)

In the northern hemisphere it is once again time get out the water hose from the garden shed. And I’m again trying to think of ways for improving the water-retention properties of the soil in order to reduce the need for irrigation. So far I have tried the following:

- Compost for improving soil structure and increasing the organic component of the soil.

- Mulch for protecting the soil and preventing moisture from evaporating.

- No-till cultivation for maintaining the organic web (including the mycorrhizal relationship) intact.

However, I’m still trying to find other methods for improving the water-retention properties. In particular, I’m wondering:

- are there any plants that have the ability to store water?

- which crops need little or no water?

- how can I make use of night-time air humidity?

- should I cut cover crops for use as mulch at the start of the dry season, or is it best to let it grow until it withers of its own?

I very much appreciate input on any of the above or on any other ideas for improving the soil and saving water.

Regards, Dieter Brand, Portugal

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