WALKING THE ROWS

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When we cultivate the surface of the soil we break the capillarity, we make the spaces too great for the water to work against gravity. This dry surface is more than a good barrier against slugs. It also keeps moisture from coming to the surface where it will evaporate, thus keeping more moisture in the soil where the plants can use it. This is called a dust mulch. Another way to observe this phenomenon is to notice your footprints in a path you have cultivated or in the rows you firm when you plant seeds as opposed to the tilled or raked soil adjacent to the rows.

While I'm on the subject of moisture, I should mention the greatest hazard of visiting the garden: improper watering. Whenever I see someone standing in a garden or on their lawn, holding a hose and spraying water, I want to run up to them and say, "Stop, you are ruining your garden (or lawn)." If you visit the garden in the middle of a hot afternoon, you may observe some wilty-looking plants. That may be their self-defense against the heat of the sun. Please don't jump to the conclusion that the plants need water. Check them again in the late evening or morning. If they look like they need water then, they probably do. If you have been watering by hand, they probably do. The problem with watering by hand is that you simply don't have the patience to stand there for the three hours necessary to get the job done properly. The spritz you put on the surface will, at best, evaporate before the roots even know its there. At worst, the roots will learn to look for water close to the surface. Now you are in real trouble. Some day in August drive through a neighborhood where people spend weekends mowing, grooming and watering their lawns. The brownest lawns belong to the people who have been on vacation longest.

I will never water a garden more frequently than once a week and that only in a severe drought. I want the roots to go as deeply as possible. They are the foundation of a strong plant. Of course, I've got to put in a plug for organic matter. The more humus in the soil the more water it will be able to retain.

Duels with Larger Critters

Animals are the most important reason for visiting the garden. Generally the first visit an animal makes is purely by accident. It is just wandering around looking for food or just going from here to there or looking for a good place to make a home. In any case it is going to check out the potential food it comes across. In my experience animals generally take a few tastes first. Perhaps they have learned that something that tastes good may not sit so well on the stomach later. If it tastes good and there are no ill effects, they will be back for more. If you let them have two pleasant experiences, you are likely to have a serious problem on your hands.

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