What did you do in the garden today?

[Smokerbill]

I picked three pretty large zucchinis again today. And I have 6 new squash plants that are just starting to bloom, so I'm going to be overrun with squash. Might need to make some of those squash fries, and fritters.

I finally got my 18 kale plants and 12 Brussels sprout plants into the ground today. Yesterday I mixed a few handfuls of Dr. Earth fertilizer in some potting soil and soaked it with water. Today I mixed a scoop of it into the dirt each plant went into. That Dr. Earth stinks when it gets wet!

Noticed a little cucumber a couple inches long on one of the vines today too.

 

[Smokerbill]

I covered the new brassica bed with floating row cover to protect the new plants from the chickens while they forage, and from the deer overnight. I'll remove it during the day so the plants get full sun.

 

[WthrLady]

Great series
Wartime (garden) and kitchen

 

[gtaus]

I think my 5-gallon wicking water reservoir with fabric lined 5-gallon air pruning bucket, may turn out to be the cheapest and best performer.

I suppose I missed the original post, but do you have a link to your 5-gallon wicking water reservoir with fabric lined 5-gallon air pruning bucket build? I have lots of 5-gallon buckets. Love the idea of filling up a water reservoir bucket and feeding a number of other buckets, if that would work.

 

[CNJ]

I suppose I missed the original post, but do you have a link to your 5-gallon wicking water reservoir with fabric lined 5-gallon air pruning bucket build? I have lots of 5-gallon buckets. Love the idea of filling up a water reservoir bucket and feeding a number of other buckets, if that would work.

You could use a $5 laundry basket from Walmart, it already has holes and staple the inside with weed fabric. It's easier than drilling 2-inch holes.
I got the wicking idea from this video.

 

[gtaus]

You could use a $5 laundry basket from Walmart, it already has holes and staple the inside with weed fabric. It's easier than drilling 2-inch holes.
I got the wicking idea from this video.

That's an interesting idea. Thanks for the video link.

How long of a rope would the wicking effect work? Does the water bucket have to be right beside the planting bucket?

I was thinking this wicking system might be a great alternative to gravity drip irrigation to have a large central water/rain barrel which supplies water ropes out to raised garden beds - if the wicking effect works for longer distances of the rope.

But there is a big difference between a 5-gallon planter bucket and a 4X4 foot or 4X8 foot raised bed. Do you know if anyone has tried to upscale this system for raised beds?

I certainly need a better watering system for my raised beds. Currently, I just have a lawn sprinkler which I turn on for about 30 minutes every other day, depending on the weather. Of course, most of the water goes everywhere but into the raised beds. So, the lawn sprinkler is not very efficient, although it is very convenient and low cost. I live on a lake and have my own well, so I only have to pay for electricity to run the pump.

 

[CNJ]

I was thinking this wicking system might be a great alternative to gravity drip irrigation to have a large central water/rain barrel which supplies water ropes out to raised garden beds - if the wicking effect works for longer distances of the rope.

You have to run some experiments to find out what works. I think a gravity fed drip system is better than rope, because you can visually see it drip.

 

[gtaus]

You have to run some experiments to find out what works. I think a gravity fed drip system is better than rope, because you can visually see it drip.

Probably so. I have been looking at getting into the gravity fed drip system. I already have two 55-gallon barrels on a big stand that I could use to store the water. That wicking rope system looks good, but I imagine it would have a limit as to how far the water would wick along a rope. Like you said, with a drip system you can visually see that water is getting to the plants.

 

[MotherofOrpies]

The rains is running away here, today it was supposed to rain, yesterday they said, no, it’ll come on Saturday, today they said it’ll come Sunday…

 

[Sally PB]

Big thunderstorms went through last night. No power, atm, and today will be a clean up day. Hopefully the power is on mid-afternoon, like they said.

We have a tree down in the side yard. It missed the car by inches and the chicken coop by feet.