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Gardening on Rock
The location of my garden is on rock. On caliche. I could pick another
spot, but this one is convenient, and another would be much farther from the house. Digging down more than a foot or so hits caliche. This presents a problem in that it is impenetrable by roots, and water runs off it. I want to do a greenhouse, and do some raised beds, both for convenience, and easier on the back. But what about the floor? If I were to frame up a concrete pony wall, say one foot high and then fill the floor with good composted soil, is one foot or slightly more enough for the roots of most gardens? I could then use that pony wall as the base for a greenhouse. I know I would have to watch the water so as not to soak the soil. TIA Steve |
#2
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Gardening on Rock
On 8/16/2011 1:02 PM, Steve B wrote:
The location of my garden is on rock. On caliche. I could pick another spot, but this one is convenient, and another would be much farther from the house. Digging down more than a foot or so hits caliche. This presents a problem in that it is impenetrable by roots, and water runs off it. I want to do a greenhouse, and do some raised beds, both for convenience, and easier on the back. But what about the floor? If I were to frame up a concrete pony wall, say one foot high and then fill the floor with good composted soil, is one foot or slightly more enough for the roots of most gardens? I could then use that pony wall as the base for a greenhouse. I know I would have to watch the water so as not to soak the soil. TIA Steve In most of the Las Vegas area (where I lived) caliche was a fact of life and people managed to plant things successfully by the expedient of breaking up the caliche, correcting the myriad problems with the soil (OK, so what was there couldn't even be called soil), and then going at it with usual gardening practices (with addition of shade structures and irrigation). In the old days I'm told that dynamite planting of trees was considered normal. Later heavy equipment and cheap labor from down south were the solution. |
#3
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Gardening on Rock
"John McGaw" wrote in message ... On 8/16/2011 1:02 PM, Steve B wrote: The location of my garden is on rock. On caliche. I could pick another spot, but this one is convenient, and another would be much farther from the house. Digging down more than a foot or so hits caliche. This presents a problem in that it is impenetrable by roots, and water runs off it. I want to do a greenhouse, and do some raised beds, both for convenience, and easier on the back. But what about the floor? If I were to frame up a concrete pony wall, say one foot high and then fill the floor with good composted soil, is one foot or slightly more enough for the roots of most gardens? I could then use that pony wall as the base for a greenhouse. I know I would have to watch the water so as not to soak the soil. TIA Steve In most of the Las Vegas area (where I lived) caliche was a fact of life and people managed to plant things successfully by the expedient of breaking up the caliche, correcting the myriad problems with the soil (OK, so what was there couldn't even be called soil), and then going at it with usual gardening practices (with addition of shade structures and irrigation). In the old days I'm told that dynamite planting of trees was considered normal. Later heavy equipment and cheap labor from down south were the solution. At least here, the caliche seems to come in layers, the widest about 12". So, one can dig a hole, 3x the diameter of the rootball, and go deep. If they can punch through the layer, there will be drainage. Otherwise, you're just making a bowl, and most stuff rots or drowns. I lived in Vegas for a very long time, and am familiar with caliche. It ain't bad if you hit a layered deposit, or just run into the edge of one where it breaks up reasonably easy. But if you're the lucky guy who lands on top of a big deposit, it is pure d hell. Steve -- Heart surgery pending? www.heartsurgerysurvivalguide.com Heart Surgery Survival Guide Now on facebook, too. |
#5
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Some homeowners design rock gardens to exploit rocky slopes in their yards. Others, like me, import rocks into yards that are flat and rockless; we need stronger backs, but the effort is well worth it.
Another consideration that can influence the design of rock gardens is space. I am allotting but a small space for my rock garden. In larger spaces, the goal is often to create sprawling, naturalistic rock gardens. But given my space restrictions, I'm contenting myself with what amounts to a round raised bed made of select rocks. This design fits neatly into the nook I have chosen for it. My small rock garden won't be in the way when I mow my lawn, nor will it require much maintenance. Yet a third design consideration is color. I have a collection of attractive red sandstone pieces; they will provide the structure for my rock garden. In turn, this choice will influence my plant selection. I want a color scheme that will work well with the red sandstone. I would like some plants with a hint of red in them, but also some plants displaying silver, yellow and white. The sandstone with which I'm working is hardly the most durable of materials. Indeed, many of the pieces are crumbly, well on their way to becoming soil! But beauty was my goal, not longevity. Rock gardens normally achieve some elevation above the surrounding ground. In this case, that means laying a first course of rocks and soil, then building upon it. In Step 2 I lay the first course.... |
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