dry gardening

COUNTRY N NEWS-DRY GARDENING

thats what i call my new method of gardening
dry gardening
why
cuz its gardening around here when its dry
eg
usually the winter fall is the best time to garden
around here
its also usually a time when it can be dry
except
so far this year thats not been the case
although we havent had any rain so far this month
i even had to water my garden some

then theres the summer
trying to garden at that time would be impossible
without water supplementation

since i depend on rainwater only
im always trying to figure out how to use the least amount
of water to make the crops grow

so i read about using wicking beds
heres the link on what that means

then i read about dry land farming

then i read about farming in the desert

so i put all those together to create
my new country n dry gardening method

last year i also went to a seminar presented by a farmer
who uses only rainwater a limited amount
does organic gardening
does a large csa business selling to individuals
thats how he makes his living

so combining all this together
heres what i decided to do

first
i dug a trench in my garden bed that is one foot deep
i plan to do this in the rest of my beds-eight total

in this trench
note this pvc was salvaged from the habitat for humanity
builds that i volunteer at
this pvc was destined for the landfill
go to a box store and price 15 ft of 4 inch pvc with connectors

i placed this 15 ft long piece of 4 inch pvc
capped on the end
on the other end a 90 degree connector was placed extending the opening
above the bed
a cap was put on the opening when needed
along the pvc pipe holes were drilled every 6 inches
along the bottom of the pipe and along its sides

then
a drain sleeve a sock if you will
was put over the pvc like a pantyhose
this keeps the dirt out of the holes
man i can see now why women dont like to put on pantyhose

then
it was buried in the hole

now when i want to water deeply
a just pour water in the opening
this can hold 10 gallons of water
thats v=pi rrh

to that water i can add liquid fertilizer or seaweed
when needed
the plants get the water deep to their roots
the water will also wick upward towards the surface

then i will utilize heavy mulching
especially in the summer to decrease evaporation
from the surface

then on some plants like peppers eggplants basil tomatoes
in the summer i will use a sun blocking screen

then
i also added another layer of rock as a border
to add more depth to my garden bed

along the space between my beds
i have dug a 12 inch trench
that i will fill with mulch
in the picture above its hard to tell the depth
then top it off with your leaves you have given me
so that the level will be the same as the top of my beds

guess what
that trench does two things
it holds moisture deep
down in the ground
for the roots to reach for
and
provides me compost next year for my garden
i just dig it out and throw it over onto the two beds
on either side of the trench
then fill it back up again

i also will leave my drip system in place that i have on
top of each bed
using it when i first plant things
until the roots go deeper to the deep source of water

so in summary
thats my new country n dry gardening method
hopefully i will be able to decrease the amount of water
i use each summer
and
make a better bountiful summer and fall garden

the organicgreen doctor