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Frill Free Zone Newsletter Q&A March 01, 2022 |
This is the first Question and Answer issue of The Frill Free Zone. If you would like me to answer your questions, reply to this email,use the contact form, or fill out the survey on the bottom of every page of the website. March 1 2022The first question has to do with watering cucumbers in containers. The containers are wooden half barrels, which take a bit of strategy to use successfully. Before you plant a deep feeding plant like cucumbers in a wooden barrel, think about how this will work. The problem with barrels is that the staves tend to dry out if the soil dries out, making it almost impossible to re-wet. The staves need to be damp to make them swell up and prevent more moisture loss. If I use a wooden container I always line it with plastic film of some kind, with drain holes cut into the bottom of it. This makes it possible for the roots to always have moisture, instead of it just running out of the sides. There are also plastic liners for these barrels, but generally, they don't have drain holes in them as they're meant for a water garden. Drill a hole or two into the bottom if you're planting into it. For plants like cucumbers, which need a lot of water, the best thing to do is use a soaker hose, especially once the plants leaves get bigger. Touching the leaves can spread disease, so the less you disturb them, the better. The leaves also don't like getting wet, as that can spread pathogens like mildew, so a soaker or drip irrigation will prevent that. Overhead watering is not recommended. Visit the Homesteading Blog for all new and updated pages. 
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