Hi again JAG2! Your wicking idea to draw up ground water sounds ingenious Thank you. The idea was actually from a friend of mine but I thought it was a great idea too :-) One thought I had is that the wick system draws water up. I wonder what effect this will have on Co2 in the rootzone? If I only water the top of the containers (eg. "soil drench") a few times a month will I be promoting Co2 toxicity in the rootzone? ...and I would love it if you would post back later in the year and let me/us know how that works out for you. I will definitely do this for you! Given that you will be joining your container to the earth, my above comments are not as relevant so don't worry about it. In what regard? Do you still suggest I use ProMix? Or are you referring to the auto-watering system? The only thing I am somewhat uncertain of is joining the container to the earth only via a nylon wick. [snip] From playing around with the concept of capillary action my only concern is that the wick may not be able to move water upward fast enough to replace what the container uses. Me too! ;-) So that's why I'm going to add at least two "wick tubes" to each of my containers. Another thing I'm going to do is "rain scape"[1] my containers. If all else fails I can hand water them from above (if I have to do it the old fashioned way ;-) ) I will be feeding with nutrients via. hand watering by soil drench about twice a month. I hope the soil drench once every few weeks will expel enough Co2 from the air pockets. How long does it take for the rootzone to become Co2 toxic (for lack of a better term)? Still, it sounds like you have thought this through pretty well and all that remains is some experimentation. Thank you. And thank you for your assistance, your further thoughts and opinions are very welcome! [1] "Rain scaping" (my own term, I don't know real title) is big in Ethopia where they simply make two "mounds" of soil about 5-20 feet uphill (does not need to be steep) jetting outward at opposite 45 degree angles from the container/plant. All this does is funnel the rain water towards the container/plant. In Ethiopia they make a little moat around the container/plant by encircling it with the dirt mount thus allow the water to gather and slowly be absorbed. Heck, it may be a good idea to put piece of "capillary mat" under my containers with about 2-3" extra on all sides. I can encircle the "moat" around the capillary mat which should help the plant absorb the rain water more effectively with less run off and wasted rain water...Yah, natural passive hydroponic outdoor container gardening! :-)

About all that says is that the ground will be moist most of the time, so they will have water. Pawpaws have very odd lightning requirements when they're young, what kind of shade does the location have, or what kind of shade can you build there (temporarily)?

Ooooh! NatvTxn! I love those Friktari Asters! Do they grow from seed? Where can I get some of those beauties? I would suggest to ShariDiane that you plant a lot of plants native to arid climates, like Yuccas, Agaves, Cacti, Succulents, Moss Rose, Sages/Salvias, and etc. You might be surprised to know that these were /are grown in traditional English Cottage Gardens, too. In England they are considered "Exotics" and lusted after as much as we desire to have their lush garden plants and bowers filled with roses. Ornamental grasses add colour and texture. Make sure that you get the kind that are not moisture loving varieties. Mulleins grow very well in hot, dry climates and look spectacular with their tall spires of buttery yellow flows that sway in the wind (and birds love the seed in summer and fall). Verbascums too love hot dry places and come in many varieties and color combos. Tall spikes covered in delicate looking flowers in vivid color combos. I have Verbascum nigrum. Yellow flowers with purple throats. The flower buds are purple. Beautiful grown with Mallows. Beautiful planted in with Purple Coneflowers and spikey purple Liatris (two ohers that do well in drought conditions and high temps). ry California poppies and Baby Blue Eyes for Spring colour (and sometimes they bloom again in Fall). They reseed like crazy and you will love it! A great Cottage Garden flower is the Garden Phlox. They do really well once establish. Mulch around them to keep their feet cool and help hold moisture. They are great drought indicators too. If those babies wilt, you will know the rest of the garden is in serious of need of a good watering. Mine just bloom right through the hottest times every summer and we get temps comparable to yours. (And we are having a severe drought here in Oklahoma). Phlox make a good background plant, adding colour and heavenly fragrance to any garden and they come if a variety of colours and sizes. When I lived in the Mojave Desert we planted cannas. They loved the heat. I just ran a soaker hose around them early in the nmorning once a week. Talk about a colour and beauty! They add a tropical look to the Cottage Garden and they come in dozens of sizes and colours too. Dianthus are very sturdy little perennial plants in hot, dry climates and well as annuals like zinnias & marigolds. 'Clove Pink' is a Cottage Garden must in any climate and they love full sun in dry places. And their fragrance - Mmmmm. I have mine growing amongst rocks in the hottest area of my entire property. Sunflowers, Strawflowers, Heleniums, Amaranthas do very well for me too. Sweet Allysums, both annual and perennial love the heat and talk about perfuming the garden air! Planted around rocks or along the garden path edges or stepping stones they thrive and bloom all summer and reseed themselves too. Snow-in-Summer loves dry, hot rocky places. Queen Anne's lace does well, both Cottage Garden classics. Nigella does well in many dry, hot places too. Winter Sow directly in your garden in late summer for best results. I agree that Irises are a good choice, and don't forget Daylilies. They are tough little plants and come in a 'kazillion' colour combinations with endless entries of fun names to choose from. Both of these are Cottage Garden favourites, too. There are many more. Hope these help. ~ Annie 5th Generation Californian now living in Central Oklahoma

Hi Carol, Oh, y'all are so cold today! I was thinking we are cold here, where it is currently about 35 degrees, and then I looked at the Mesonet current air temperature map and almost fainted. There's lots of readings (at 4 p.m.) in the teens, so I cannot even imagine how cold y'all will be tonight. We're supposed to be about 16 degrees in town and about 10-12 degrees down here on the river. Two house fire calls in town today, but neither was serious. This kind of weather often brings a couple of horrible house fires on very cold nights--usually because of combustibles placed too close to space heaters. Our weather is bizarre. Despite the dryness at the southern edge of OK that has been going on for months, I never expected to see the dry conditions travel as far northward and eastward as they have. I am basing my "I may not have a garden" thoughts on the fact that our soil moisture levels are so poor (especially deeper down beneath the surface) and I know crops need certain amounts of moisture to have a chance. When soil moisture levels are this low in winter/spring, it is really, really hard to get the plants going. Plants/soil that have good winter/spring moisture can hang tough in a summertime drought, but it is really hard to get them well-established without moisture falling from the sky in late winter and spring. And, I do irrigate, but I am not going to bust our budget to water heavily. As dry as we are in Love County, the drought is actually worst due east of us in Marshall, Bryant and eastern Carter County. They have a higher rainfall deficit than we do so they are in "severe" drought and we are only in a "moderate" drought. So, if we are going to pray for rain, let's be especially sure to pray for rain in those areas too. I am sure I will find a way to have some sort of garden, but may plant mostly drought-tolerant flowers or cover crops. Of course, I'll have tomatoes in containers on a drip irrigation system. If significant rainfall hasn't fallen by March 1st, I'll probably scale back my current plans and have just a couple of the toughest, hardiest, most drought-tolerant crops like okra and black-eyed peas. I HAVE to plant my onions when they arrive from Dixondale in mid-February, though, because I've already ordered them and I am not going to waste them. If rain has fallen by about Feb. 10th, I'll put out a soaker hose and water the onion bed for a few days prior to planting so the little plants have a chance. I tell you what....if the drought persists and deepens, I expect Love County will move into the "severe" category by March or so, and I may get really grumpy. : ) It is a really, really, really good thing we don't have to survive only on what I grow in the garden, cause I guess we'd get really hungry. I still have lots of onions, tomatoes, corn, potatoes and beans from last year's garden, but I hate having to buy stuff I could grow myself. If the current drought persists another 6 months, we'll start losing trees in our woods as we have in the previous droughts in the 2000s. I've already lost some shrubs near the house....and I kept them watered, but apparently not enough. These are seven year old junipers and their death caught me by surprise. How dry is it? The poor little squirrels (evil garden bandits that they are) are going into the coop WITH the chickens and guineas to drink from the poulty waterers. So, for amusement these days we can watch the guineas chase the squirrels. In the winter, we take our entertainment wherever we can find it. Dawn