Last week my beds were looking badly shriveled so I decided to do the big Mulch...on all of it. We ordered 8 cubic yards of hardwood which is mostly still sitting in my driveway. I've been slowly
chipping away at it with my husband and two daughters for 3 days now...it's taking forever. Buying the bags a few at a time just never seems enough, then... What to do with all that plastic? My husband and I both have deep roots in the Midwest and it has manifest in our obsession with the weather. Apparently we've already had 6 days over a 100 degrees and we usually only have around 10 by the end of the summer. Between the looming massive heat wave that seems obvious on the horizon and this Santa Ana style wind we've been having I'm worrying more than ever about the water situation. Mulch is step one. We've only got two water barrels and I've stacked two layers of pavers where I want the next two to go. I'd like to get a giant rain barrel but my tiny property is aching for space so I've Incorporated a few swales that I'm re- digging and we're going to stop this erosion situation by filling it with fist sized rocks...leaving plenty of room for the water that collects when we get one of those awesome downpours...short of all this back breaking labor, I'm planing a day of rain dancing...if the heavens don't open, I'm going tubing!
4 comments:
I hear you. I put down a layer of freshly-shredded hardwood mulch a few weeks ago, but now that it's drying out and my plants still look so thirsty despite the extra water I've been giving them, I think it's time for another layer. I really wish I'd had the foresight to do this before it got so hot!
Thankfully, it rained here yesterday but it was pretty dry on Saturday with the astilbe, all in bud, shriveling. I did a bit of spot watering. The vegetable garden must take precedence.
I think your garden is looking quite lush considering the temps. and lack of rain. If it does rain I hope it will be able to get through the layers of mulch. I once went tubing on the Guadalupe when conditions were as dry as this year-there was not enough water in to keep the tube off the bottom!
tay cool.
Jenny
We got a dumptruck load of mulch a couple of weeks ago and we're still working on it! Slow & steady wins the race I say!
The hot winds are a terrible stress on the plants. We tried to go blackberry picking this past weekend and had trouble finding a farm with any berries. They said the weather had done a number on their harvest this year.
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