Tyler Ludens wrote:It looks like you're planning what is essentially a really big raised bed, so my question is - what provision are you making for rainwater harvesting, or do you plan to irrigate for the lifetime of the trees? I planted a fruit orchard in some pretty nice deep prairie soil and the trees all died in the drought a few years ago. I won't plant more trees without "planting the rain" first.
That's a good way to describe it. We'll probably have to use city water to irrigate initially, but I hope to incorporate something like a watson wick, open wicking bed, or similar during site work to help manage rainwater and irrigation. We already have rain catchment but that water supplies household needs. There will come a time when family water demands are reduced, at which point some rainwater can be used for irrigation. I'm also looking in to rain gardens. Final result will incorporate several methods to reduce dependence on irrigation. Long term I hope for a situation like William describes, where the trees do not need supplementary water (except in extreme drought). I haven't found any books that specifically address artificially improving water retention (beyond using organic matter or volcanic rock).
Wayne and Marco - the mulch has decayed to a crumbly mass in thicker areas where I pull back the top layer. I'd prefer not disturb the soil beyond holes for tree planting. We don't have too many local options for types of mulch, but I suppose that any type makes a difference.
