Tinker had a generosity of spirit that seemed nearly boundless. She always had time for people no matter how busy she was. People frequently dropped by and she took the time to enjoy them. If someone needed help, they were never let down.
Tinker had an abundance of energy and was able to do so much. Her gardens were vibrant and well-kept. She took delight in potting up little volunteer plants and have them on a bench in the garden. She watered and kept them alive and gifted them to gardening friends and acquaintances. I look around my garden and see the angelica, lovage, fig tree, Italian dandelion greens and so many other plants.
I copied so many skillful things she did or had and she never complained that I was a copycat. I so admired one of her marvelously-designed garden gates, that now I have three like it. Over the years I enjoyed helping in her garden (sometimes as a trade for taking her yoga classes.) Although I had made compost piles for decades before working in her garden, I found her free-standing compost windrows to be the most practical for converting large quantities of plant material and manure into compost. She was so deliberate in the construction. Working on shaping the rectangle piles of compost became a meditation or art form. I value that and do it in my garden.
Tinker mentored many young farmers and new market gardeners, advising them on the climate, vegetable varieties and local pests. With her broad scientific knowledge and decades of experience growing a variety of plants, she could clearly communicate what she had learned.
When I think of the ten years I took her Vinyasa yoga class, often twice a week, she never ceased to amaze and inspire me. She would arrive—all smiles—at 7 am after bicycling in the rain. She was a true yogi, with deep respect for the spiritual basis of yoga. We started each class with pranayama breathing and ended with a chant. Each class was different, based on the current need or request of students. She created a supportive, warm community of students.
Knowing Tinker Cavallaro has shaped my life immeasurably for the better!
Tinker with apprentices at Abundant Life Garden 1990’s
Tinker was an advocate of living lightly on the Earth by conserving resources and living a joyful life of volunteer simplicity. This post is for local farmers who may not know her legacy and want to continue this important work.
Along with Judy Alexander, Tinker spearheaded the Dryland Farming Project, exploring the limits of what staples can be grown locally with little inputs, especially without irrigation. “We need to research ways that we can locally and sustainably grow staple crops such as grains, legumes, and seed crops.”
Today we have a vibrant farming community and many people share Tinker’s passion. Organic Seed Alliance develops seeds that grow organically with less inputs. Finn River is growing wheat and many others are working together toward a sustainable farming future.
Garden soil acts as a bank account, holding available water.” Tinker Cavallaro gave a presentation based on the Dryland Farming Project ten years ago at the Quimper Grange. Tinker discussed her presentation with me beforehand and I wrote up the handouts. These are some of the notes:
Understanding our climate and the site’s soil properties is the foundation for making smart choices in garden irrigation.Rainfall quantities vary across the Quimper Peninsula. Close to the mountains, Quilcene gets much more rain. Port Townsend is located in the rainshadow of the Olympics, a unique area with less rainfall than most of Puget Sound. The rainshadow of the North Olympics extends from Sequim to the San Juan Islands.
“As crops grow they make heavy withdrawals from the garden soil bank account.” We will investigate more about soil properties but here are some basic tips:
Practices and techniques
Develop the habit of checking the soil for moisture
Use drip irrigation or low-volume sprinklers
Use water-filled containers with holes placed next to larger plants
Foliar spray or fertigation with liquid fertilizer known as ‘tea’ made of water and organic matter such as compost, manure, seaweed or nettle
Raised beds hold moisture better than rows do
Plant seeds and transplants deeper than normal in the soil
Crops that do well with no extra water
Early Spring Crops
Peas
Greens: mustard, arugula & early lettuce
Kale, cabbage, early broccoli & radish
Direct-sown early carrots & beets that are heavily thinned
Grains
Potatoes
Late Spring-Sown Crops
Field corn
Amaranth, quinoa
Winter squash
Dry beans including field peas, garbanzos, lentils & fava beans
Quinoa trials at Ecology Action in Willits, CA
Crops that require summer irrigation
Celery & celeriac
Napa cabbage and summer brassicas
Summer lettuce & spinach
Onions if you expect sizable bulbs
NOVIC Broccoli Field Trials at Red Dog Farm, Chimacum Washington
Understanding the Soil’s Capacity
Our rainy season, extending from fall through winter, provides enough water to bring our soils to field capacity, or the ability for the soil to hold all the moisture possible. Summer rains, on the other hand, are usually insignificant. In our windy location the little rain that falls often evaporates.
As plants grow they make heavy ‘withdrawals’ from the garden soil bank account. Hot sun and wind cause plants to transpire moisture. The roots of plants pull soil moisture from the soil, up through the plant and out the surface of leaves. Foliage gives clues as to the plants ability to conserve water or use it freely. Drought-tolerant plants from dry climates tend to have small leaves or grey foliage. Magnification reveals tiny hairs that shade the leaf surface. The lush foliage of leafy green vegetables on the other hand can withdraw much water if not properly managed.
How plants utilize water
Plant roots, in a symbiotic relationship with soil microbes form a region known as the rhizosphere, the active site for water and nutrient uptake. Plant enzymes dissolve insoluble starches and oils that are required for plant energy and change them into water-soluble sugars. Roots draw moisture from the soil to their ultimate lateral spread and depth. The size of a plant’s roots indicates drought tolerance.
Healthy soil includes air and water. This water can move upward through the soil by a process known as capillary action. Water is drawn up in a wicking action through the gaps between soil particles. Soil texture determines the soil’s capacity to hold moisture. Sand holds one inch of water per foot of soil. Sandy loam (soil with a bit of silt and clay) can retain 2 inches of water per foot; clay soil retains 3 inches of water per foot. The point is that clayey soil holds three times as much water as sandy soil. If the capillary action is not strong enough then the gravitational pull will sink water deeper into the soil.
Cohesion describes when water is attracted to water and adhesion describes when water is attracted to other materials. When irrigation or rain moistens the ground, soil particles act almost as magnets and water adheres to them. Like a wet sponge, the ground is holding as much water as possible. Water is highly cohesive so gravity will pull water deeper into the soil. This happens when the water cannot adhere to the surface of the soil. If the soil structure has enough pores and humus that acts like glue, more water can be utilized. Root systems have to be able to penetrate the soil, become more extensive, and grow deeper to utilize the soil water.
Plants are much healthier if they can aggressively seek new water in soils unoccupied by roots and grow deeper and wider. Not only will vigorous plants be capable of withstanding drought and wind, they will also create more flavors and sugars.
( For more information on this important topic see Steve Solomon’s Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades, Ch 5)
Check the weather—It may seem shocking that now is the time to start watering but its true. Here in the rainshadow there may be drizzle, but often if you poke the soil you will notice how shallow the moisture extends. The Dept of Ecology has announced a statewide drought emergency due to the low snowpack. although we currently have a dry forecast, El Niño is rapidly changing into La Niña so the forecast may change.
Cultural practices
Avoid overhead watering that can spread fungal disease. Water the root zone. Water in the morning.
Avoid water splash from soil. Prevent the spread of phytophthera of tomatoes
Prune for air circulation, avoid overcrowding, learn how large plants will grow.
Prepare beds with compost. Home-made or bought. Spread 1”-3” deep.
Handy tool for determining how much your garden can use;
Monitor for pests
Tent caterpillars, winter moth, European sawfly on currants,
Vegetable starts; plant the hot season cucurbits and tomato, peppers and basil.
Plant dahlia tubers: Late summer here is often warm and dry providing dhalias with the perfect weather to display their amazing variety of flower shapes and colors.
Spring-flowering bulbs: This time of years the daffodils and tulips and smaller bulbs can look tired. Keep them healthy by removing the spent flower to prevent the plant from making seeds. We want all the energy going into nourishing the bulb, so let the foliage remain until it dries out completely. If you are a real neatnik who enjoys labor-intensive gardening that can be relaxing and meditative, consider braiding the narrow foliage of daffodils and snowdrops. To avoid big gaps when the foliage is gone, consider interplanting with native bleeding heart, Chinese for-get-me-not, or love-in-a mist, calendula or annual poppies.
Mulch not only conserves soil moisture; it prevent weeds and soil erosion; improves the soil tilth; and protects it from temperature extremes.
Good mulch decomposes in a year or two and improves the soil. And needs to be reapplied. Examples are arborist’s chips, shredded leaves and compost Most bark mulch, like fir bark and beauty bark add a top layer that doesn’t break down to add organic matter, but instead sometimes creates a barrier to drip irrigation moisture reaching roots.
Different Mulches
Alder chips: Long lasting mulch with a uniform appearance . Wood eventually breaks down adding carbon.
Arborist chips: has small branches and leaves chipped by arborist and road crews. If you let it decay first it provides great organic matter. Adds both carbon and nitrogen. Rough appearance but great for improving the soil. Great in orchards and ornamentla shrubs and trees.
Straw: use in vegetable gardens and be on the look out for slugs and snails.
Sheet mulch: Layer about one foot of garden waste (no weeds that are going to seed). Dig a large hole for the vegetable transplants, add a quart of compost and plant.
Rotted cow manure: is mostly free of weeds and has a uniform appearance. attractive as top-dressing for perennials and vegetables.
Aged compost: excellent in vegetable garden and with flowers. May have weed seeds.
Spread mulch about 1 inch deep for vegetables; 2 to 3 inches for perennials; and 3 to 4 inches for shrubs and trees. Be sure to keep the mulch a couple of inches away from their trunks.
When adding powdered fertilizer to the beds of ornamentals and perennials add directly above the rotted cow or horse manure, or the rotted arborist chips. If you are using alder chips then pull away some of the chips to scratch the fertilizer directly into the soil.
Sheet mulch bed with seedlings in compost
Drip Irrigation
Photos of the Quimper Grange Food Bank Garden drip-tape and porous tubing.
Besides helping the environment by using drip irrigation, you can substantially lower your water bill. It’s possible to make back the cost of purchasing a system in one or two seasons. A great educational resource with how-to videos is Dripworks
Personally, I have been resistant to using drip irrigation because of all the plastic and the need for repairing cut tubing. But I’m ready to make the switch.
In ornamental gardens, drip emitters are frequently used to water individual plants. Keeping the tubing above ground is one way not to damage it while planting and weeding. A landscape spike dripper can raise the emitter off the ground.
Micro jets put out more water than drippers. This is useful for fast-growing, thirsty plants and for sandy soil. Timers keep everything on schedule.
Sustainable Garden Design 