patandchickens
Deeply Rooted
I only learned this a few years ago. It's hardly ever mentioned anywhere. So, reminded by a buncha doin' it myself this afternoon, I thought I'd spread the word.
Say you're planting a seedling. Or a new perennial you bought. Or a tomato transplant from the store. Or whatever.
Get a rock or brick or chunk of broken-up concrete, ideally at least grapefruit size, bigger is better. Put it on the ground on the W (if you mainly want to protect vs wind) or SSW (if you mainly want to protect vs drying out) side of the newly-planted thing, right up close to the plant.
It makes a *surprising* difference in the newly transplanted thing's health and vigor. Shelters from the wind a bit, keeps the soil around the roots more reliably moist, buffers the young plant against night-day temperature swings. You can eventually remove the rock (if you want) once the plant's established and growing well.
This also can help you grow something that technically is supposed to want moister soil than you can really provide. I speak from personal experience with perennials and clematis, here, but it seems likely to work for typical veggies too, even woody plants if you scaled up the rocks. If the rock is not decorative enough for you, use a paver of appropriate size and pull your mulch over it. Keeps the roots cool and moist, and allows you to grow many plants in much more apparently-dry conditions than they would otherwise tolerate.
Pat, with fencerows of glacially-deposited granite rocks and a bunch of spare pavers and a LOT of crappy old broken-up concrete to use up
Say you're planting a seedling. Or a new perennial you bought. Or a tomato transplant from the store. Or whatever.
Get a rock or brick or chunk of broken-up concrete, ideally at least grapefruit size, bigger is better. Put it on the ground on the W (if you mainly want to protect vs wind) or SSW (if you mainly want to protect vs drying out) side of the newly-planted thing, right up close to the plant.
It makes a *surprising* difference in the newly transplanted thing's health and vigor. Shelters from the wind a bit, keeps the soil around the roots more reliably moist, buffers the young plant against night-day temperature swings. You can eventually remove the rock (if you want) once the plant's established and growing well.
This also can help you grow something that technically is supposed to want moister soil than you can really provide. I speak from personal experience with perennials and clematis, here, but it seems likely to work for typical veggies too, even woody plants if you scaled up the rocks. If the rock is not decorative enough for you, use a paver of appropriate size and pull your mulch over it. Keeps the roots cool and moist, and allows you to grow many plants in much more apparently-dry conditions than they would otherwise tolerate.
Pat, with fencerows of glacially-deposited granite rocks and a bunch of spare pavers and a LOT of crappy old broken-up concrete to use up
