Second Entry

Howdy y’all,

Here goes entry number two so, it’s been a month since my last post. This month I thought I would do a recap on what I have been doing. It seems like I have done a lot but then at the same time it seems like I did not really do a lot, if that makes sense. Anyway, I would start with my first experiment, this year has been a year of experimentations for me as far as planting crops. Three different methods I have tried the first, method is direct seeding into the ground which I did with my zucchini, winter squash and watermelon. Second, I did about 3 inches of compost covered with about an inch of wood chips. The other method I did was similar, I put down 3 inches of compost and I covered it with straw. So far it looks like the compost with the mulch is doing a lot better, it is growing a lot stronger, greener and healthier than the direct seeded. I direct seeded a month ago and they are struggling to grow. I think that is understandable given my location. We have been without precipitation for almost three months now. I planted the others a couple of weeks ago and they are doing well. I have been watering them twice a week. Sundays and Wednesdays, it takes me about an hour and a half to water but it is time well spent.

Plant seeded in three inches of compost covered with wood chips.
Plant seeded in three inches of compost covered with wood chips.
Plant seeded in three inches of compost covered with straw.
Plant seeded in three inches of compost covered with straw.

Direct seeded plant struggling to survive.

Direct seeded plant struggling to survive.

As you can see the differences between the types of sowing. I am preferring the seeding into the compost because of the results I am seeing. The direct seeded plants I had covered with compost and wood chips but it did not seem to help.

I posted quick pics on my Instagram and Facebook feed and did not provide any details on what I had did. So I just wanted to provide a little more insight on my experimentations hopefully, this will help someone that is struggling or is starting out. It was hard for me to find references because I live in a special part of Arizona. Our climate is different here compared to most that have been written about. That’s my recap for they past month. I hope this was helpful to some. Until next time. Take it easy y’all.

– Laughing Goat