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The local community garden forgot to water for 4 days and everyone is blaming someone else but I saw the soil was already dry 2 weeks ago

I walked by the garden last Tuesday after a 90 degree streak and noticed the mulch had shifted, exposing cracks in the clay underneath. Nobody wants to admit the sprinkler timer has been off by 3 PM since the last storm, has anyone else dealt with a trickle system that just stops working in the heat?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancy_wood17d ago

The community garden near 5th Street had a squash vine that completely shriveled up last month after just two days of missed watering, so 4 days is definitely pushing it but I'm just not sure this is worth the blame game. I mean come on, we're talking about some tomatoes and zinnias here, not a national emergency. The sprinkler timer being off by 3 PM sounds annoying but a hose and a $5 timer would fix that in 10 minutes. People get so dramatic about a few wilted leaves when really the soil in my experience can bounce back after a good soak. Maybe the real issue is everyone expects a garden to be perfect with zero effort.

beth_park17d ago

I read a University of Arizona study that said tomato plants can actually handle up to a week without water if they're established and the soil has good mulch. Plants toughen up a bit when they're not coddled, sometimes the ones that get babied are the first to fold. Honestly the 5th Street garden drama sounds more like people needing something to be mad about than actual plant care.

jake74717d ago

Wait, hold up - Nancy said the squash vine shriveled after TWO days with no water? That's nuts, my established zucchini patch at the community plot went five days last August when I was on vacation and the neighbor forgot, and they were fine. Maybe it was a different variety but still, two days seems extreme unless the soil was already trash to begin with. I can't believe that mulch shifting and the clay cracks Jake mentioned didn't raise red flags sooner, like that's basically a flashing sign that the ground is baked. Honestly with that 90 degree streak, the sprinkler timer being off by 3 PM is just the cherry on top of a setup that was already failing.