Watering the Vegetable Garden

How do you water a garden during a drought? We usually have too much rain in the summer so to combat this new challenge for us, we installed drip irrigation, mulched and prayed. The size of our vegetables demonstrate a need for more water so we're putting the drip irrigation on a timer. If you'd like to read more about irrigation options, you might be interested in this article I wrote for ehow: Irrigating the Vegetable Garden.

Drip irrigation always itimidated me before I enrolled in a Master Gardener program. It turns out to be pretty easy! Just buy a kit with all the attachments, hook it to your garden hose and you'll be up and ready in about one hour.

Why use drip irrigation? Drip directs a slow, steady source of water to plant roots at a rate they can absorb with little-to-no run-off or evaporation.


The difference in moisture retention between a mulched container and an unmulched is remarkable. I find straw does a better job of moisture retention than does landscape fabric. A layer of newspaper under straw or landscape fabric helps with weed suppression and moisture retention. At the end of the season, I pull up the landscape fabric to give the soil a chance to regenerate. Mulch need not be removed. It breaks down and improves the soil texture.

Now for the praying part--I think I'm going to invite some Native American friends over for a rain dance. It can't hurt.

Weeds, Deer, and Whiteflies in the Garden

Isn't it stinky when you get sick in spring? Finally the weather is nice and you're ready to get planting when bam! along comes the pollen...and the sinus infection...and suddenly your energy level is at zero. I haven't worried too much about my plants during the two weeks I've been sick because we've had a steady drizzle of rain to keep the plants and seedlings happy.

But I decided I'd better drag myself out to the gardens today in case the weeds were taking over.

After several cups of hot sage and peppermint tea, I expended all my energy tying my shoes, but somehow made it out the door to check on my plants. Of course I felt better once I got outside.

The container garden looks absolutely beautiful. The herbs are draping over their pots, the flowers are all blooming and the strawberries are ripening.

I wasn't so happy to see the swarm of whiteflies around my potted citrus however. I sprayed them with diluted neem and a few drops of dishwashing soap. Hopefully this will be enough. I'm going to spray them with water everyday for a few days to discourage them from coming back.

For severe infestations, Neem is a good organic control for whiteflies. It only works on contact, however. That's good in one way because it doesn't leave chemical residues on your plants. Yellow sticky traps, on the other hand will continue to work for weeks. Hang them from tree branches on the level of the swarming insects where they will not be in direct sunlight. They are inexpensive and effective, but you can also make your own by spray painting cardboard with yellow paint and coating the dried paint with petroleum jelly.




In the pasture garden, things didn't look so good. Deer tracks through the rows explained why only about 50% of what I planted has grown. Why didn't the deer bother to eat the weeds that are quickly taking over the newly cultivated raised beds? I spent the day laying newspaper and covering this with landscape fabric. I find a layer of newspaper does a better job of suppressing weed growth than the fabric by itself. Tomorrow I will replant the pole beans, corn and melons. As for the deer, they seem to stay away after I've spent time in the garden.

In the end, it didn't really matter how bad my garden looked. What mattered was how much better I felt after spending a day gardening.

Now it's off to the Wellborn Community Garden to install the drip irrigation.