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.
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