It’s called lack of planning. Well, not lack of planning because let me tell you, my garden was planned. I’ve got it laid out on an excel spreadsheet, color-coded, special needs listed, including next season’s layout accounting for crop rotations! So planning is NOT the issue. Poor planning is the issue and as much as it pains me to admit that, it’s true. Despite my earnest at the keyboard with The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible and my regional seeding and planting data at my fingertips, I failed to account for watering needs. Sad, but true.
I was too focused on companion planting, making sure friends were near one another and adversaries were not. It never occurred to me to check their watering schedule! I mean, don’t all plants need water? My spring garden was irrigated evenly and all plants were happy. Why, people would always comment how wonderful our garden was growing. I replied, it’s the water and fertilizer — simple!
No, not really. Garlic and onions are friends. Says so in all the books. But one needs moderate water and one needs low. I ask you, How good of companions can they be, if they don’t have the basics in common? Well, that’s beside the point. Much of life is accepting what is, even if that means accepting your own shortcomings. Fine. The world is still turning. And I’m resourceful, if I’m anything and I’ll fix what I’ve done! Yes! Rain coats! By jove, I think you’ve got it!
Nope. Not so good. The water collects on one end and washes out the beautiful raised bed below. Sure, this can be fixed by stretching it out further on that end (though garbage bags only come in so many sizes). But then another issue presents itself. Not enough water. Yep. You heard me right. So I’ve removed the plastic and am contemplating a “sprinkler move.” I’ll have to set up two zones, then do my best to account for all of the “friends” residing therein.
But there’s another problem. I didn’t check harvest dates. So here I have this beautiful stagger – onion, garlic, onion, garlic – only to become annoyed when I realized the garlic would be in ground until spring! Oh, the onions will be out in a matter of months, but not so, the garlic. And this undermines weed control. Remember, my garden is planned. It’s so planned, it includes following the line of harvested vegetables with a black, plastic ground cover to keep weeds from taking over while I’m waiting for spring planting. A fabulous idea, right?
Until you visualize a half-harvested row. Every other section will still be gone but every other will be in ground, which means NO cover. Grunt. Grimace. Growl. What was I thinking? Why wasn’t I thinking!
Looking on the bright side, as one can only do when faced with such dilemma, is to imagine the “quilt-like patchwork” appearance I’ll have. It’ll be my very own old-fashioned section that will conjure up lovely images. At least the hideous plastic is gone.
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