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livingontheland - [Livingontheland] Last Year...drought. This year...flood.

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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  • From: Laurie Ann Powell <laurie@powellclan.com>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] Last Year...drought. This year...flood.
  • Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2007 12:42:31 -0500

Last year, I asked for suggestions on water preservation, etc. because
we were having a 100-year-record drought. Now we're having
worst-in-recorded-history flooding happening. I apologize sincerely to
all of you who are in drought years. I didn't try to steal all your
rain!- Honest!

So... I'm looking for suggestions of what to plant now, in mid-July, in
Oklahoma. We have a pretty long growing season (and last year we had a
record cold winter, so who knows? We may be growing corn in December
this year!) so it seems like there must be some vegetables, herbs and
fruit that might tolerate the water better than others, and that might
not mind being planted in 85* heat? We're in approximately Zone 7.

There are certain raised beds that seem to have good enough drainage
that some lettuce, carrots and watermelon are doing very well despite
the ankle deep water between beds. It never dries between storms -
never. I've had on my "urgent to-do" list to get dry soil samples to
send out for testing, but I have had standing water on my whole property
every day since February!

I would like to thank Paul, Ken and other active contributors to this
list. You may sometimes feel you are either preaching to the choir or to
the unteachable, but I'm gradually incorporating what I learn here - I
really am! You are becoming my conscience (Ken wouldn't approve... Paul
would say no...) Today I hedge-trimmed grass instead of yanking, layered
organic matter, and heavily mulched.

My progress is shown in two things: first I am seeing only a few
vegetables, but the ones I have look really healthy. And, I'm at the
point where I can tell a weed from something I have planted.
Considering that I had never successfully grown a single thing in my
life from seed before I bought this clay patch 3 years ago, I think we
are doing pretty well. Thanks.

Laurie Ann






  • [Livingontheland] Last Year...drought. This year...flood., Laurie Ann Powell, 06/30/2007

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