Water, Weeds & Gardening

I started in January pulling out the ground cover from my spring beds. I have some onion starts and as you all probably know, now is the time for them. I was really amazed to see the soil in such wonderful condition. While preparing the bed to plant, I pulled off a carpet of 4” tall horse herb, which means there is good fungal activity in the soil. What I found was some of the most moist and airy soil that I have seen in quite a long time. I mixed in 2 gallons of humified compost into half the bed and turned that in with the old leaf mulch that I had added in June, into the soil. Boy, that makes for some great planting beds. It makes me feel wonderful knowing that our soils can be so resilient after the drought. Yes, they need some work in terms of organic matter, minerals, nutrients and compost tea, as well as protection some mulch once the plants are up, but to know that we can still produce our own food after such a terribly dry summer, is a good feeling – one of hope. Do you have any stories about your soil that you would like to share? We celebrate great soil and are always looking for stories to share in our newsletter.

I wrote in a previous article about how our season’s seem to be shifting into more of a 6-8 month wet season and then prolonged drought seasons. I am also seeing that shift with the growing season. In the past we have said to do your soil drenches with compost tea before and after the winter dormant season. What if we don’t have a winter dormant season? I am beginning to rely more on the summer drought and the dormancy it provides. What if we are no longer having two growing seasons (spring and fall), but just an extended season from September through June? Yes, we can keep growing tomatoes and peppers into August when they are shaded and with good minerals and nutrient flows, however our main gardens will have it tough without rain water during the summer months. Let me know what you think.