This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

SQFT beds drying out too fast? was: plants around...

In the discussion about plants around SQFT beds, I think a few
people mentioned that they had bricks or other hard paved
surfaces.  I recall hearing that Mel B. also has brick paths
around his now raised beds.

Do any of you find that these hard surfaced pathways
contribute to your (raised) beds drying out more quickly?

Clover or such is going to keep the ground much cooler, and
also reflect and/or radiate much less heat.  I know one
advantage of raised beds over "flat" beds is that the ground
heats up more quickly in the spring, but it seems that it goes
to the other extreme also, in that some people are reporting
having trouble keeping their plants watered enough. (goes back
to the question of Mel's "perfect" soil.)

I know that with just grass/weeds/leaves in the paths between
my beds, the top surface of my soil dries out very quickly.  I
guess this is pretty common and *may* not be a function of the
material between the beds or the soil mixture, and I'll have
to stand out there and water daily or twice daily while seeds
are sprouting.  I know I can mulch after the plants are up and
have a start on things, and then the soil surface won't be
such a problem.

Does anyone have any suggestions for keeping the soil more
moist while waiting for the seeds to sprout?  Carrots in
particular have been a big problem for me, last year not a
single one germinated!!


Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Nancy

Northern Utah, USDA Zone 4
Average Last spring freeze May 11
Average First fall freeze  Sep 27
Average growing season 140 days

nancyr@cc.usu.edu

***************************************************************************
To unsubscribe, send to: listserv@umslvma.umsl.edu
the body message: unsubscribe sqft
See http://www.umsl.edu/~silvest/garden/sqft.html for archive, FAQ and more.
Follow-Ups:
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index