Should I cover my new beds if I'm going away for the weekend?

13 years ago

Hi, I'm new to SFG and I just got my beds finally made and seeds planted. I've been following Mel's instructions as accurately as possible but I'm a little concerned about my mix being too dry. I've tried misting them heavily and also hand watering them with a cup at night but by morning they are back to being very, very dry. I used 1/3 peat, 1/3 coarse vermiculite, and 1/3 compost mix of 2 kinds of manure, leaf compost and

mushroom compost. I've also added the recommended lime and fertilizer. I've read that this dryness is a pretty common problem, and I don't mind if I have to water it more. I will, however, be leaving early Saturday morning and not coming home until Sunday evening. I was thinking about giving them a good watering before I leave Saturday and then covering the entire beds with clear 3ml plastic, which I've already bought a roll of. Would this help keep the air from drying out my soil, or would it trap too much heat in the beds? Should I poke holes in it? The weather were having here has been 85-90, very sunny and pretty humid. I also worry that a heavy rain could flood my seeds out of their holes as too much water seems to just pool on the top of the soil and run off instead of being absorbed. I have some grass clippings and also a large bag of black bark mulch I could use to put on the beds. But I'm not sure if that would be the best preventative measure either as they are already having such a hard time getting water. I also worry about the birds that live in my little birdhouse next to my beds, as they seem to be lurking around more since I put the beds in (could be my paranoia!) Will they eat my seeds? That may be more reason to cover with plastic while I'm gone? Any suggestions/input would be much appreciative. I'm new to gardening

altogether, I need as much help as I can get at this point. Thanks for reading this long post!

Dani

Comments (6)

engineeredgarden
13 years ago
Adding clear plastic on top will cause the suns' rays to destroy every seed planted in it. Leaves, straw, or grass clippings would be much better...

EG
denewbie
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you, I would've gone that route if you hadn't replied.
Dani
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greenbean08_gw
13 years ago
I'm glad EG replied in time. Putting clear plastic over your beds is also called solarizing, a method sometimes used to kill weeds and weed seeds. Definitely not what you want to do to your veggie seeds!
eaglesgarden
13 years ago
de,

I don't think you should be having so much trouble keeping your soil moist overnight. I'm wondering if you moistened the mix (specifically the peat) when you combined the ingredients. The peat can be problematic. Personally, I just put a small hole in the bag, and put the hose into it for a while to moisten the peat (let it sit a day or more afterwards) before I add it to the mix.

If you didn't moisten the peat before you put your seeds in, chances are that the mix is just very dry (and dry peat will allow the water to flow through, rather than be absorbed). If that is the case, you will need to give your mix a LOT of water, slowly so as to not wash out your seeds. But, at the same time, you may not have success anyway, if the mix isn't moist anyway.
denewbie
Original Author
13 years ago
Whew! I'm really glad I didn't do that!

eaglesgarden, I think that is the problem. I did pre-wet it, but I was so afraid of it turning into mud, I don't think I did near enough. I am watering more heavily now and not worrying about washing out the seeds so much. I am hoping that once I get it thoroughly wet I can just keep it wet enough.

The good news is, I came home to some lima beans, pole beans and zucchini sprouting up and it's just been a week. I've never planted anything before so I was thrilled just to see that much!

Thanks for your help!
Dani
CaptTurbo
13 years ago
It's always exciting for me to see new plants sprouting! I think all the advice you have received has been good. Once you have this mix properly hydrated, mulching will be a big help keeping that moisture in the ground. I hope you get a bumper crop your first time around. Have fun.