Update to our irrigation situation
by Sunday
While much of the country has been dealing with unremitting rain, here in Georgia we have had record high temperatures, and no rain in almost 3 weeks. We talked about our irrigation situation here.
We decided to go back to what we have relied on in the past, and deeply mulch as per “Back to Eden.” A link to that is here. If you garden, it’s well worth your time to watch the film.
We spent the morning chipping wood trimmings. This, in my opinion, is the only thing Bradford Pears are good for.
Wood chipping is a bit of work. However, we have trees that need trimming, and rows that need mulching.
Deep mulch is good for so many things. It retains water, smooths out temperature fluctuations, and starts the process of rebuilding the soil. Under the mulch, all the good stuff starts working to make the soil an ecosystem beneficial for plant growth. We start with paper or cardboard, then a layer of compost under about 6 inches of mulch, and then some composted chicken manure on top.
We had previously put down organic weedguard plus, since we are reclaiming overgrown pasture and do not want to farm grass. In addition, we bought about 1000 feet of soaker hose, so that we can put that down under the mulch.
We finished one 75 foot row, out of 14, before the temperature became unbearable. This is going to be a lot of work, but we know this system works, and we have a long summer to get through, plus many more summers ahead. Our “old” garden, where we have done this, has much reduced water needs, and is thriving, despite the heat.