by Sid Gillson, local Master Gardener
Home gardens in the New Mexico high plateau near Gallup can be difficult for new gardeners from other areas. Most of the gardening advice from seed catalogs, and from well meaning agricultural authorities unfamiliar with our area, is not always relevant to our unique high plateau environment and soils.
Gartenarbeiter, by August Macke
Hopi and Navajo people were living off the corn, beans and squash from their farms in this area long before the Europeans came with their horses, cattle, sheep, seeds and metal tools. Native people’s farms were scattered far and wide in this area as evidenced by the many scattered Anasazi potsherds and ruins.
The question is how did they farm before and after the great droughts of the early 1200s? Some likely moved to the distant river valleys while others stayed in this area. They learned to live with Mother Nature and developed crops and farming techniques that blended with their high plateau environment. Now, that’s our challenge as home gardeners. However, gardening methods used in the past and present in the Rio Grande and San Juan River Valleys’ climates may not be successful in our high plateau.
The three primary factors that affect gardening in the high plateau are climate, soil and water. We need to adapt our planting and gardening methods to our unique local environments.
Our hearty spring winds do not bring the abundant rains they do in other areas. Our dry air sucks the moisture right out of the soil, which results in six inches of dry topsoil. The six inches of dry soil acts as mulch for native plants as it retains the moisture deposited from the winter snows. However, our modern seeds were developed in the Midwest or other climates and environments, which are vastly different than our high plateau climate. The roots of these modern plants cannot penetrate the six inches of dry topsoil
In the early spring (March or April), one can cover the garden with mulch or artificial cover, such as black plastic, to limit the evaporation of the moisture from the soil. The mulch also insulates the soil from the cold night temperatures. During the day, heat accumulates under the mulch, which increases soil bacteria and fungus that enrich the soil. Remove the artificial mulch just before planting.
The Native people developed and selected seeds that could be planted deep down in the soil at the moisture level and selected seeds that could withstand colder germinating temperature. Modern seeds cannot withstand these conditions and usually rot. The growing season in the high plateau is very short, starting during the last week in May or the first week in June until about the first hard frost during the middle of September. The growing season lasts about ninety to a hundred days. If one uses modern seeds this growing season may not be long enough for some plants. Select seeds for plants that can mature during our growing season.
The range of temperatures from night to day can fluctuate from forty to fifty degrees. The warm eighty-five-degree, sunny day in April or May could change to forty degrees or near freezing at night. If seeds are planted too early they will open in the warm days, but will not germinate in the cold nights. The seeds will rot because the soil bacteria and fungus will destroy them before they can germinate. Some folks may want to get a soil thermometer and check out the night and day soil temperatures. Soil should be above fifty or sixty degrees before you plant. Check your seed packets from information regarding germination temperatures and the number of days to maturity.
The altitude of your garden also affects your temperature. At a higher altitude the temperatures are usually warmer at night and plants blossom up to two weeks earlier than those in a lower altitude. The warm air rises at night and the cold air drops to the lowest areas, which limits the growing season at the lower altitudes.
The water in Gallup and the surrounding area has a high ph level at about 8.2 to 8.6. Garden soil experts have determined that garden soil ph should not exceed 7.5. The white crusts along the Perky Wash are salts deposited as the water evaporates due to the high spring winds.
The same process takes place in our gardens and increases the concentration of ph level in the soil. Raised garden beds may increase the evaporations of the water in the soil. To avoid excessive water evaporation, one should mix organic mulch into the garden soil during the planting of seeds. Light and frequent daytime watering on the surface of the soil only increases the ph of our garden soil, which hinders plant growth. It is best to water the garden several times a week in the late evening or during the night. Water deeply until the water puddles. The water will soak down into the soil and lessen evaporation.
Root growth follows the water. Plants need deep root growth to gather abundant nutrients and produce healthy growth. Use peat moss, which is high in acid, as mulch or mix it in your planting rows to help lower the high ph levels of our water and soil. Organic mulch also helps to balance the ph level of the soil.
There is a difference between soil and dirt. Soil is alive with bacteria and healthy fungus, which eats the organic materials in the soil and provides plant nutrients. Dirt, however, has no organic material, bacteria or fungus. One can only grow limited crops using artificial fertilizers in sterile dirt. Organic materials must be worked into the top six inches of dirt to develop an environment for garden soil. One should get a small amount of live soil from a fellow gardener or heavy mulched soil from under a large native shade tree. Mix this soil in your garden to assure there are bacteria and fungus to eat the organic material and to produce nutrients, which your garden plants need to grow and produce abundant crops.
Too much clay in your soil will prevent the absorption of water and nutrients. The following is a simple technique to determine the percentage of clay in your garden dirt. Fill a glass jar about half full with your garden dirt and then fill the jar with water and shake it vigorously to assure the dirt absorbs the water. As it settles, the clay goes to the bottom. Te resulting layers will show the percentage of clay and sand in your dirt.
A sandy soil is usually better because it absorbs and retains the moisture and prevents rapid soil drying. If you have a lot of clay in your garden soil, mix in some sand. Water in clay soils puddles quickly and, because the water is not absorbed, the puddle remains on the surface for a long time. Thus the plant roots stay at the surface to access water and do not penetrate deeper into the soil where they could access more nutrients.
In subsequent articles, I will discuss various garden plants you may wish to grow in your garden, as well as planting methods. If you have ideas, suggestions or questions, send them via email to gallupjourney@yahoo.com.
