Inspired by Leigh over at Five Acres And A Dream (someone who actually knows what they are doing), I thought I might present the current "2021 State Of The Garden" report. A large difference, you may recall, is that this year I am experimenting with the use of Ollahs, clay pots stoppered and placed into the ground to increase water availability to plants and decrease surface watering (See here, here, and here).
As a note, things will appear surface watered in these pictures. This is due to the fact that at some point, we would like to be gone for a few days this Summer and I am looking to supplement my daily attentions.
Rosemary:
The mint is doing well:
Oregano:
John in Philly was right: The lime trees did come back!
Dill and Chicory:
Garbanzo Beans. I am most proud of these as they are 99.5% watered solely by ollas:
Tomatoes. I actually have tomatoes this year:
The potatoes and sweet potatoes love the ollas!
As do the Black-Eyed Peas and beans!
My daikons loved them as well, but so did the snails. By the time I figured this out and trapped them (the tops of the ollas, which are actually the pot bases, make excellent containers to pour a little beer into so they are lured in and drown), I had a lone survivor:
The corn is doing as well as it has done, which is to say not well at all (but this is better than other years). I may need to try a new variety. Also, note the empty areas. Like with most gardens, not everything takes.
Onions, garlic, and sweet potatoes:
The basil plant, still largely fully leafed (Ed, I am going prompt Na Clann into trying homemade pesto and see where we get).
1) Ollas work! It is quite clear to me based on the pictures that plants around the ollas grow.
2) Anything to prevent water evaporation is a priority. Fortunately I have hay remains weekly from the rabbits, but I could stand to build it up more.
3) Sealing the ollas completely makes a huge difference. On average I think I can go three days of full sun between refills, but this also depends on how well sealed the olla is. Some are dry much sooner. The stoppers I bought work well - assuming the hole at the bottom of the pot is not too misaligned. Leigh and Dan mentioned using concrete as a sealer. I need to investigate a better solution (at the end of the growing season - this works for now).
4) I am not quite to the point that I can 100% rely on them. Part of this is due to item 3) above in that there is not a constant rate of depletion for all ollas; the other is as this was a late addition, some of my plants (onions and garlic) were not in positions to be fully supported by them. Also, my tomato could benefit from a larger/more strategically placed olla.
5) One of the great and unexpected things from this experiment is how much more time I spend in the garden. The average time to "service" to ollas is about 10 minutes. During that time, I have to water each olla. As a result, I am more quickly able to identify issues (and weed!). I think the garden has overall benefitted from this greater level of attention.
Overall I am very pleased with the experiment (the book I got the idea from, also recommended by Leigh, is reviewed here). I am already working on ways to incorporate it into other areas for next years' plantings.
That basil looks beautiful. I have three plants in pots and it's waaaay more than I can use (and I should know better each year...). I make a vegan version of pesto weekly and use it on everything!
ReplyDeletePesto is very popular with my family (I am kind of the outlier here). This is the second year I have grown one; I am surprised how productive it is.
DeleteWow, TB, thanks for the shout-out! I don't know about knowing what I'm doing, lol. It might be better to say "willing to experiment and make mistakes." :)
ReplyDeleteYour photos are a tribute to how well the ollas work. Amazing isn't it? Your inverting the lids to use as beer traps for slugs is very clever! My slugs all seem to have disappeared with the heat and dry weather, but I will definitely remember that. Seems like it would be easier to deal with than the slug traps I made.
You are quite welcome Leigh! You and Dan are very inspirational, even in your less than successes (never mistakes).
DeleteIt is really amazing and I am sold on this concept. Looking at some of the other ideas in the book.
Honestly, I think the lids were meant to be inverted in that. I thought that the dishes might be too shallow, but it turned out that they were not. I think I may have completely wiped out the younger snail population.
Somewhat sadly, the humidity and straw seems to give them shelter. Still working through this challenge.
My kids love pesto so much that the only time our basil plants look healthy is when we just come back from a long vacation. Otherwise they are mostly shorn of their leaves.
ReplyDeleteI recall from a previous comment Ed. We will have to try it at least once before the year is out.
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