I got this great tip when I visited a garden on the East Side Garden Walk on July 20.
Garden walk season isn’t over yet. There’s the Northwest Buffalo Tour of Gardens this weekend and the Black Squirrel Home and Garden Walk coming up on Aug. 10.
Make sure you water the roots
The vegetable garden at 261 Maple St. is huge and it takes two days to water, said David Lewis. Lewis maintains the garden for his relative, Cecil Collins. Collins is a legend on the East Side who started the garden 25 years ago and shares what he grows with his neighbors.
Lewis uses a lawn sprinkler to water the garden. He sets the sprinkler in one area and lets it run for about 45 minutes before moving it to another spot.
If you move along too quickly, you’re wetting the top of the soil, but “you’ve got no moisture going down to the root of the plant,” Lewis said. “Let it saturate there, then move it down.”
Upcoming garden walks
The Northwest Buffalo Tour of Gardens will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3. The event will also include include a guided bus tour at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday for $10; reservations are required. A garden market will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. A Starry Nights tour will be held from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2 and Saturday, Aug. 3.
The last garden walk for the season will be the Black Squirrel Home and Garden Walk, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10.
John, that’s how long it takes those folks to water right now in this weather using a sprinkler. Your results may be different. If it’s been a dry summer, you might have to water longer. If you cover your beds with mulch, you have to water enough to get through the mulch before you even start watering the soil. The point is that you have to get water down to the roots and it may take a while. It’s a good idea to check to see whether the water has gotten down to the bottom of the roots. (You can use a garden tool or just stick a finger in the soil.)
Thanks for the tips. I’m going to start watering with a soaker hose. Now I know how long to have it down: 45 mins.
Cathie, whenever you have a question about what is wrong with your plant, it’s best to contact the Master Gardeners in your county. You can find the contact information here.
We’re having our first crop of hollyhocks this year and have a lot of plants. But their leaves are covered with light brown small dots. The plants are now slowing dying in spite of their blooms barely opening.
What’s wrong and what do we do?