Subject: Re: [permaculture] putting the garden to bed
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2006 10:24:16 +1100
Hi Kathy
I don't like putting my plants to bed with wet feet or leaves because
photosynthesis can't happen at night and the water evaporates more
slowly, creating an environment that favours fungal growth. I think
it's best to wake them up with an early morning drink to sustain them
through the day. In general, I try to keep leaves dry especially for
cucurbits and beans which are prone to fungal attack. I know one
expert who grows beans and tomatoes in pots under the house eaves so
the leaves never even get rained on. He told me "no rain, no fungus".
This year I am trialling a micro-flood irrigation method for corn,
beans and cucurbits, the famous "Three Sisters" companion planting
method, in order to keep leaves as dry as possible while still
providing enough water to the root zone. Instead of preparing a raised
bed, prepared earth is formed into a shallow, saucer-shaped depression
with walls, similar to a turkey's nest dam. A tin can or similar with
no top and a few small holes in the bottom is half-buried in the
centre. Put the hose in the tin can, let it overflow and flood the
"dam". Watch it drain away, if it takes longer than a couple of
minutes you need to fix the drainage problem. If it drains well, plant
seeds or seedlings in and around the wet patch and mulch. To water
just put the hose in the tin can and flood the area. So far so good, I
figure this method will also use less water than spray irrigation for
example where 50% or more of the water applied can be lost to
evaporation depending on the time of day you water.
Cheers, Robyn
On Friday, November 3, 2006, at 04:00 am,
permaculture-request@lists.ibiblio.org wrote:
Can anyone give me pointers regarding putting the garden to bed in a
permacultury way that might be different from what I usually do? Thank
you, Kathy