22-08-2003, 02:22 PM
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Would a tree make that much of a difference?
(Pat Kiewicz) wrote in message ...
Janet said:
Yesterday I watched the beds
and the most stunted bed (closest to the willow) doesn't get sun until
11am. Our sun sets around 8pm right now (up to 9 during the longest
days in June) so these plants do get 8 hours of sunlight. After 11 it
gets really really hot and doesn't cool off until evening.
I started to think that maybe the melons might shut down during the
hottest part of the day, and since they missed all of that morning
sun, that might be what's stunting them.
Morning shade/afternoon sun is always more of a stress than morning sun/
afternoon shade.
Also, could the roots of the
willow be sending something toxic?
I couldn't find any information fingering willows as allelopathic. *Any* tree
will compete greedily with a vegetable garden for water and nutrients
(*especially* water), so that competition, combined with the morning shade,
could explain what's stunting your melons.
Tree roots entering the veggie garden to steal water and nutrients are a
particular problem of mine...
Thanks everyone so much for your response. The melons were so
stunted, I pulled them out and dug up 2 of the beds. No roots, so it
must be the shade. I have replanted with lettuce, beets and spinach.
The lettuce beds we cover in shade cloth by using concrete mess and
bending it into hoops and covering that with shade cloth. Next summer
I'll plant crops in that spot that do not get stressed by the sun.
Again, thanks,
Janet
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