The EasiOyYa or Olla

For a while now, I have been trying to figure out two different situations that have posed a dilemma in my backyard. The first was what to do with the 50-gallon water jugs that I have been filling up with water from heating up the shower. The second was how to water the plants in my greenhouse. Initially, I thought of just filling watering cans with very small holes. This option works alright for the short run, but required frequent attention. Another option I had considered was to have the watering system drip-feed some water emitters. The problem with this is that the flow would not always match the needs of the plants. After looking for quite a while for a viable solution, I found the olla to be a very good option.

The EasiOyYa Olla size

The packaging was very good.

The non-olla parts of the system

Instructions for assembly - Don't take the exact order literally!

The in-line filter (not included) that I purchased to go with the system.

Ollas (pronounced oy-yah) are porous terracotta containers that can be filled and let water out slowly. They discharge water slowly, leaving the soil moist, but not wet. The roots of the plants surround the olla and grow well. The only one I could find to buy that would work with a drip line was the EasiOyYa, which can be purchased online. It includes everything you need for the system other than a water barrel. There is a small in-line filter, which keeps debris out of the line. That being said, I purchased a sturdier in-line filter to ensure that no particulates get into the Ollas.

My assembly.

All ready to hook to the line.

Placing the Ollas

Hooked to the line. Notice the hose for the initial flush (highly recommended)

Water at the end of line indicates it is working.

The EasiOyYa was incredibly easy to put together and get working. Once I got the Ollas ready, I placed them where I wanted them and left plenty of extra drip irrigation line so that if I needed to move them, I would be able to do so easily. To get the whole thing started, I hooked everything up, except for the drip line to the water barrel. Then I left the fitting for the end of the line open and hooked the whole system to a hose. I turned the hose on only a small amount and waited about 10 minutes until the water went all the way through the system to the end fitting. I then closed the end fitting, turned off the hose and hooked the whole system to the barrel and turned the spigot on the bucket to reestablish water pressure. My carosello plants quickly grew and the fruit ballooned.

The only drawback of putting in the EasiOyYa was that I put it in near the surface of the ground. By doing so, I attracted some fungus gnats, which began to feed on the roots of my plants. The fungus gnats may be in the greenhouse for a while, though I was able to move the Ollas deeper into the ground (remember how I had added extra drip line to each section). When I took each Olla out it was surrounded by roots. The plants did not appreciate this change, but eventually adjusted. The gnats on the other hand seemed to have gotten the point because I haven’t seen many since.

After the Ollas had been in for about a week.

Overall, I would definitely recommend an olla system to anyone. Especially anyone who has a hard-to-irrigate location and prefers not to babysit their plants.

Watch the fruit grow.

Here is a little video of my EasiOyYa in my greenhouse.

Waiting for the Heat

Over the course of the winter I have been building up my compost around my orange tree and I have been feeding a family of bluebirds from my food waste compost bin. The compost is filled with worms and other critters that are quickly breaking down the leaves and other refuse into dark nutrient-rich soil. The extended cool season has been very good for my onions, garlic and fava beans. Additionally, the tomato plants don’t seem to mind the cooler weather too much.

Leaves and other plant material turning into healthy soil

Fava Beans affected by the wind.

Fava bean pods

 
Although I moved to Northern California to escape the heat, I am really missing how well my carosello do with the heat of Southern Arizona. Being used to starting my first crop at the beginning of March, it is difficult to hear that I will probably have to wait to start in May until I can figure out how to raise the temperature of my garden. I thought I had already learned patience when waiting all winter to put my plants into the ground!

An earlier attempt to start my carosello plants

My most recent attempt to start my carosello plants

I have had a lot of difficulty with my summer crops so far – except for the tomatoes. The only place where my carosello are doing well now is the one place that I don’t have a good watering system – in my greenhouse. I am considering my options for watering my greenhouse plants – though I would prefer to do something that did not involve having the greenhouse plants watered by the same soaker hoses as the outdoor plants.

 

In the greenhouse the carosello are doing quite well.

The Carosello in my greenhouse

 

Another carosello in the greenhouse

Tomatoes don’t belong in my Garden

Given the fact that tomatoes are incredibly easy to grow in Fairfield, when compared with many other places in the world, one would probably think that I would be crazy to say this, but I’m not growing tomatoes in my garden anymore. Don’t get me wrong – I love tomatoes. As anyone in my family would tell you, I can hardly get by a day without them. However, after having experienced a host of tomato diseases in the past and experiencing the depredation of the garden soil that was caused by growing tomatoes last summer, I finally decided not to grow tomatoes in my garden anymore.

 

Finally - Celebrity Tomato Starts! (=

The compost that I made was good - but filled with plant-devouring woodlice.

After solarizing the compost, I planted some tomatoes and carrots.

This does not mean that I will stop growing tomatoes this year though. I am planning on growing out some vigorous determinate Celebrity and Rosella Purple Dwarf in a small plot I recently dug and in a wine barrel. Hopefully, the plantings will do well. This way, I can keep the soil in these plots contained and grow out some winter green manure crops between tomato plantings.

Measuring out the hole for the new tomato plot.

Now all I need are some soaker hoses and tomato cages.

 

Why I Love False Starts

In the Spring and Winter the gardener often experiences something that is referred to as a “false start”. A false start is a period of time (usually three or more days) in which it seems that the temperature has changed from freezing/cool temperatures to warm/hot temperatures prior to the summer or from warm/hot temperatures to freezing/cool temperatures prior to the winter. What makes the temperature change a false start is that it is only temporary, and quickly changes back to the prior cycle soon after the false start.

March 2018 Temperatures for Fairfield, CA

April 2018 Temperatures for Fairfield, CA

In the example pictured above, the temperature in March and April in Fairfield California is listed in both Fahrenheit and Celsius. The red line represents the high and low temperatures.The main thing that summer gardeners are concerned about is the freezing point. From March 28th to April 4th, it looked as if winter temperatures were over. Then, on April 5th, the daytime temperatures began to dip  to 50 degrees F and will most likely not get back up the the near 80 degree mark for some time. A combination of low day and night temperatures after a warm spell in the spring is something that would cause grief for the farmer and gardener alike. However, if the false start is noted, it can often work towards a gardener’s advantage. 

False starts are great, because they allow the gardener to get a “practice run” in before the season really begins. If minor mistakes are made and observed, it can often be more helpful when the gardener has time to make adjustments beforehand. With the few weeks of added time, the gardener is able to better plan for the next season’s needs. I additionally use the first false start as a motivator. “Gee whiz – it is getting hot. I guess I really need to get my last season’s crop out and get everything ready.”

This chard (silverbeet) is beginning to bolt from the premature high temperatures

With modern day conveniences, it can often be difficult to take a step back. But that is what a garden teaches me to do. Yes, a gardener may think that initial warm spell means summer - only to be caught off-guard by overnight freezing temperatures. Though initially frustrating, as I have allowed nature to tutor me, occasional delays such as false starts have become my friend.

Succulent and other plant Trade Event

Here in Fairfield, the main entity for gardening events is the University of California, Davis chapter of Master Gardeners. The venue is quite different from the Tucson Organic Gardeners, but it is still pretty good.

Gardeners looking over succulent exchange

The front desk at Fairfield's UC Master Gardener's Extension office

Another counter at the UC Master Gardener's Extension office

My son and I went over to take a couple Taxi tomato starts and a pot with perennial kale and lemongrass to the event. We came back with a little spearmint plant. Altogether the event was alright, but I really wish that the Solano County Library had a seed exchange like they do in Tucson.

My son with his peppermint plant