Post by silverseeds on Aug 12, 2009 1:25:30 GMT -5
Well I have been collecting diffent tactics. For an efficient garden in a cool dry area. This area is very dry and high elevation so theres a short season, and even in the summer it is cool in the night. So I intend with my half perennial half annual gardens to utilize many tactics Ive been learning. I thought it might be a good thing to share since it is possible any of our conditions could change. If you have ANY others to add to the list PLEASE add it. No matter how small of a thing it is it might help someone.
1. Around trees to preserve water and direct it to the roots, dig a trench around the tree in a circle about a foot deep. angled to a v-ish shape. Fill this area with pebbles or mulch or leaves or something. The pebbles being the most efficient. This will direct the water deeper into the soil.
2. For the same concept in a garden bed dig a trench 4 or 6 inches deep along all the rows, on each side of the plants, mulch or pebbles would also make this more efficient. any irrigation or rain water will go much deeper into the soil. Youll get deeper root, and a stronger plant.
3. For around trees in addition to the trench you can mulch the areawith leaves, or whatever you have, rocks or pebbles, and thing really, about 4 inches deep or more. In this area anyway more water is lost to evaporation then sinks into the soil, this will greatly increase water retention.
4. This is also for trees or bushes. Stack rocks three feet high in a mound or pyramid shape. Many ancient nomad did this in the south west. It seres a few purposes, due to lower temps and all the rocks there much less evaporation here so roots grow stronger under them, dew apparently collects on them and other explanations I forget, either way it was known by the ancients and feild tested for some book Ive read, it increased yeilds of wild berry bushes.
5. Since it is so cold here at night a layer of black pebbles will be used to soak up the sun during the day and release the heat through the night. I will especially do this with melons.
6. steppe sI think they are called, like the incas used, can also concentrate water apparently. I forget why, but they are more water efficient.
7 waffle gardens like the zuni used. They made elaborate clay areas layed out like a wffle I guess out of clay, with areas 18 inches deep or so. Filled with good healthy soil. The clay held the excess water, then released it slowly as the soil dried. They were apparently 33 percent more water efficient then doing it stright into the ground.
8 if you live in a dry area or your area becomes drier, you may face the same water retention issues. Another trick is indentations. Its simple just make dents in the ground everywhere, this gives places for seeds to collect, and more importantly it directs the water down faster, to retain more. This turned abused abandoned wastelands outside of tuscon into a thriving area after decades of being dormant. The seeds nver had a place to take hold, and the water just ran off and evaporated, simply putting indentaions all overcollected little plant matter and seeds and directed water and within a few years, it was back to its old self. With local fauna abundant.
9 when you plant a tree, make the hole much bigger then need be. and deeper, put pebbles around it in a circle. I heard this from locals. apparently the roots under the rocks do much better, likely due to the same reasons it works doing it on the surface.
10 I saw someone on this forum mention using packed snow around the base of a peach tree to delay blossoms forming to early in spring before a late frost. Im going to try this tecnic for my pinon trees. They need water left ove from snow melt in early spring to set cones, it needs to be in this very specific window of late winter earlt spring. Often it the snow dries up before spring, those are th harsher springs, so no nuts that following year. Thay can however produce yearly with enough water, a the specific time. so packing snow around the base of my trees, could give me harvests in years it simply would not have happened otherwise.
11 Thinning forrests. This area was heavily forrested years ago, and as the forrest grew back to many trees grew in. This is stressing each and every tree. So hinning the trees is necessary. So if your area becomes drier or your area was once clearcut, then thinning trees is a very smart thing as much as it might hurt to do.
12 mulching your garden beds or a layer of rocks also serves the purpose of retaining water, just like for trees.
13 take a pice of rebar. This is just like 3/8 of an inch think or so steel bar, maybe 4.5 to 5 feet long. Pound it into the ground three feet deep. This will be a skinny hole, fil it up the best you cen with little debri, powdery things maybe sand or anything. It can be wider, but apparently thats the modern version the people who did this use now, intsted of the more tedius dig sticks or whatever they had. I forget which peoples did most of these things as Ive been collecting these things over a long period.
14 letting water efficient weeds, and grasses in an area like this keep growing or even filling in an area with these grasses, actually will retain more water over a large area. They direct the water to their own roots, and retain more of it then would have happened otherwise.
15 I imagine using pebbles and mulches would make this unndeed, but keeping your rows in gardens with ATLEAST 30 percent but preferably 50 to 70 percent or more of vegetable matter covering the surface area. Evenn if the beds are dormant. You can cover crop in the winter, or just leave the last years crops dried up and in place, or keep the mulch if you used that heavily. This also atleast for this dry of an area helps with the microbial level of the soil also.
16 spacing plants farther then usual and no weeds at all will fair better then closer spaceed plants if irrigation is not available.
17 a row of melons next to a south facing stone or brick wall will have a tiny bit more warmth at night.
This is all I can remember for now, although I think there was a few more, I will post them later if I remember any others.
If you have any others to add PLEASE do.
1. Around trees to preserve water and direct it to the roots, dig a trench around the tree in a circle about a foot deep. angled to a v-ish shape. Fill this area with pebbles or mulch or leaves or something. The pebbles being the most efficient. This will direct the water deeper into the soil.
2. For the same concept in a garden bed dig a trench 4 or 6 inches deep along all the rows, on each side of the plants, mulch or pebbles would also make this more efficient. any irrigation or rain water will go much deeper into the soil. Youll get deeper root, and a stronger plant.
3. For around trees in addition to the trench you can mulch the areawith leaves, or whatever you have, rocks or pebbles, and thing really, about 4 inches deep or more. In this area anyway more water is lost to evaporation then sinks into the soil, this will greatly increase water retention.
4. This is also for trees or bushes. Stack rocks three feet high in a mound or pyramid shape. Many ancient nomad did this in the south west. It seres a few purposes, due to lower temps and all the rocks there much less evaporation here so roots grow stronger under them, dew apparently collects on them and other explanations I forget, either way it was known by the ancients and feild tested for some book Ive read, it increased yeilds of wild berry bushes.
5. Since it is so cold here at night a layer of black pebbles will be used to soak up the sun during the day and release the heat through the night. I will especially do this with melons.
6. steppe sI think they are called, like the incas used, can also concentrate water apparently. I forget why, but they are more water efficient.
7 waffle gardens like the zuni used. They made elaborate clay areas layed out like a wffle I guess out of clay, with areas 18 inches deep or so. Filled with good healthy soil. The clay held the excess water, then released it slowly as the soil dried. They were apparently 33 percent more water efficient then doing it stright into the ground.
8 if you live in a dry area or your area becomes drier, you may face the same water retention issues. Another trick is indentations. Its simple just make dents in the ground everywhere, this gives places for seeds to collect, and more importantly it directs the water down faster, to retain more. This turned abused abandoned wastelands outside of tuscon into a thriving area after decades of being dormant. The seeds nver had a place to take hold, and the water just ran off and evaporated, simply putting indentaions all overcollected little plant matter and seeds and directed water and within a few years, it was back to its old self. With local fauna abundant.
9 when you plant a tree, make the hole much bigger then need be. and deeper, put pebbles around it in a circle. I heard this from locals. apparently the roots under the rocks do much better, likely due to the same reasons it works doing it on the surface.
10 I saw someone on this forum mention using packed snow around the base of a peach tree to delay blossoms forming to early in spring before a late frost. Im going to try this tecnic for my pinon trees. They need water left ove from snow melt in early spring to set cones, it needs to be in this very specific window of late winter earlt spring. Often it the snow dries up before spring, those are th harsher springs, so no nuts that following year. Thay can however produce yearly with enough water, a the specific time. so packing snow around the base of my trees, could give me harvests in years it simply would not have happened otherwise.
11 Thinning forrests. This area was heavily forrested years ago, and as the forrest grew back to many trees grew in. This is stressing each and every tree. So hinning the trees is necessary. So if your area becomes drier or your area was once clearcut, then thinning trees is a very smart thing as much as it might hurt to do.
12 mulching your garden beds or a layer of rocks also serves the purpose of retaining water, just like for trees.
13 take a pice of rebar. This is just like 3/8 of an inch think or so steel bar, maybe 4.5 to 5 feet long. Pound it into the ground three feet deep. This will be a skinny hole, fil it up the best you cen with little debri, powdery things maybe sand or anything. It can be wider, but apparently thats the modern version the people who did this use now, intsted of the more tedius dig sticks or whatever they had. I forget which peoples did most of these things as Ive been collecting these things over a long period.
14 letting water efficient weeds, and grasses in an area like this keep growing or even filling in an area with these grasses, actually will retain more water over a large area. They direct the water to their own roots, and retain more of it then would have happened otherwise.
15 I imagine using pebbles and mulches would make this unndeed, but keeping your rows in gardens with ATLEAST 30 percent but preferably 50 to 70 percent or more of vegetable matter covering the surface area. Evenn if the beds are dormant. You can cover crop in the winter, or just leave the last years crops dried up and in place, or keep the mulch if you used that heavily. This also atleast for this dry of an area helps with the microbial level of the soil also.
16 spacing plants farther then usual and no weeds at all will fair better then closer spaceed plants if irrigation is not available.
17 a row of melons next to a south facing stone or brick wall will have a tiny bit more warmth at night.
This is all I can remember for now, although I think there was a few more, I will post them later if I remember any others.
If you have any others to add PLEASE do.
