Ah, the rainy season! Everything grows by leaps and bounds daily. That plant that you thought was dying suddenly looks like cover material for an English gardening magazine. Your vines are twining around everything in sight and advancing toward the casa, if they are not coming in the windows and doors already. You have discovered the beauty of snails in your garden, but are worried about that nibbling sound in the night. And you are wondering how many of your plants will survive immersion, and we're not talking here about speaking Spanish!
With the rainy season making everything grow so vigorously daily, we are all reminded that growing plants in Mexico is not the same as growing them in the U.S. or Canada, or even in soggy England.
Following are some lessons we Canadians (a/k/a Marie and Wendee) have learned about growing in the rainy season. We hope this helps you grow your own garden, whether it's decorative plants, vegetables or herbs.
1. How to keep the weeds down. At the Eco Training Center we mulch during the hot season to conserve water. But during the rainy season, we've found it best to till and weed by hand to keep the weeds down. We believe the least tilling, the better, because tilling (turning over the soil) introduces oxygen that decomposes plant material quickly. This can actually contribute to greenhouse gases (CO 2 emissions), as demonstrated by studies by the Rodale Institute and others. In Northern climes, organic farmers turn over soil only when absolutely necessary. Reduced tilling preserves the soil nutrients and reduces pollution from tractors, in addition to reducing the release of CO 2 into the air. But here in Mexico, we need to let the air circulate and reduce the conditions for powdery mildew to occur. Mulch, therefore, is a no-no in the rainy season; it reduces the air circulation and holds moisture contributing to root rot.
Weeding by hand is much more labor-intensive than mulching, but it does work. We concentrate on weeding where absolutely necessary, which means around the seedlings and growing plants. This reduces root competition and shading out. Tender seedlings are no competition for weeds.
2. How to keep your plants from drowning. Raised growing beds are a great help. If you have noticed your gardener trenching around the edge of your flower beds, that's to let the water run off. Angling the beds in this season is also good, again for water runoff. Experienced gardeners will also aerate the soil by turning it over. In addition to combating weeds, this is a way of getting oxygen into the soggy soil.
- Potted plants should be crocked at the bottom (that means putting pot shards or stones in the bottom of the pot for drainage). Make sure your pots are not sitting where they get drenched by water pouring off the roof.
- Raised beds can be edged with a loose wall of stones or brick. That accommodates the addition of new soil, compost and/or sand for an improved soil mix, and makes it easier to care for your plants and get them above low soggy ground.
3. Don't sweat it! Remember, you moved to Mexico to take it easy! Here at the farm, no matter how hard we work we can't combat all the weeds during this season. We weed only where the weeds will harm our seedlings and crops. We may not look our best at this season, but our crops are growing well, and that is what is most important. We will weed another day! The sun WILL come out tomorrow!
"Written for ACA, Associacion Communitaria de Autosuficiencia A.C To volunteer or iyou for more information on organic agriculture or training programs contact The ACA Eco Training Center in Jaltepec or check out our brand new web site www.greatgreens.org"
