Drying out
Muted browns and greens are the colors of drying out. The wait for the snow to go is over, now, it’s waiting for the soggy soil to dry enough to till. Until then, there’s not much to do in the field other than walkaround and lookat future things to do. Lots of rock picking, lots of tilling in winter-killed crop residue (kale, Brussels sprouts, etc) and cover crops. Hoses to repair and run. PEAS to seed… I moved a couple of trays of onions and a tray of parsley to the greenhouse today, to see how they’ll do. No reason not to’ve moved all of them out, but, well, the rest can wait a couple more days, it’s supposed to be subzero the next few nights. The giant puddle that had nearly half the garlic underwater was gone by this morning…and the garlic under there was doing better than in the rest of the beds! That’s interesting, probably a combination of them stretching for more light, and the accumulated extra nutrients from being in a runoff collection spot. But it COULD have to do with just being underwater for a while. A discovery? Flood your garlic patch like a…rice paddy? Well, maybe not…
Somewhat related posts: • Hanging in the greenhouse • Field wakes up… • Submerged garlic and root-diving voles • Potting up • Last of the carrots
Jen said,
April 12, 2008 @ 2:48 pm
I think the water probably acted as an insulator and made the ground there warmer than the surrounding ground. Similar to those water tepees you can buy to put around plant to keep the frost off of them.
Susan said,
April 12, 2008 @ 3:53 pm
So wonderful to have a new season upon us:) Love your pics and thank you for the work you do!
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Mike (tfb) said,
April 15, 2008 @ 10:33 am
Jen: That’s a good theory. So I guess you’re a vote for flooding the garlic plot! :)
Susan: Thanks. I’m happy you enjoy the pics!
Meg said,
April 15, 2008 @ 3:57 pm
That’s good news! I was wondering what would happen to your underwater garlic–I was afraid it would turn to mush or something. Instead, it looks like it just got a major dose of compost tea. Hmmm….