Science in Your Garden

Science in Your Garden

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Let‘s learn about the needs of a garden and how we can help our plants to grow.

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Water is one of the basic needs of a plant. Nature does not always provide enough water to sustain a plant. If it has not rained for a few days (or everyday in the dog days of summer) it may be time to water your garden. To test the soil, poke your finger into the ground near the plant. If your finger comes out dry, it’s time to water. If your finger comes out moist and dirty, the soil is moist enough.

Another way to monitor the soil is to make a rain gauge. Wash out a clear jar. If you are using a glass jar, be careful not to break it. Peanut butter usually comes in clear plastic jars and are more safe to use than glass, but use what is handy. Use a ruler and a permanent marker to measure and mark every half inch from the bottom of the jar. Now, place the jar outside on a flat surface away from any trees or shelter. You may want to sit your rain gauge on an upside down flower pot or on a picnic table. Each time it rains, check your gauge. Record on a piece of notebook paper how much rain is in the gauge. After one week, if you do not get at least 1 inch of rain, water your garden.

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Mulching Mulch usually refers to those bags of shredded or chopped tree bark that can be bought at large discount or home improvement stores, but that is only one type of mulch.

Mulch can be dried leaves, grass clipping (my favorite), straw, sawdust, wood shavings or composted yard material. Mulch is important to your plants growth and health. Mulch should be applied after the plants have sprouted. Mulch deters the growth of weeds and keeps the water from evaporating from the soil. This means your will have to water the garden less often. Mulch is also important to plants such as tomatoes which prefer their roots to be kept warm. In this case, mulch acts as a blanket.

Weeds Another essential gardening job is weeding. Weeds like dry soil, so keep your garden moist to help ward off those pesky intruders. For a large garden, use a hoe or small rake to dig up the soil in the rows and around the plants, be careful to not pull up the plant roots.

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