Yesterday I planted my second raised bed of the cool season, a mix of carrots, radishes, lettuce and peas.  Thanks to the daily rains we’ve been having (which is almost unheard of in New Mexico), all should germinate well in the moist ground.

This past spring I found myself wondering if months of winter drought were a consequence of global warming.  Now, after months of severe drought, we are well on the way to the wettest summer on record.  Though the details of global warming’s impact on regional climates are murky, some climatologists believe that regional climate patterns will become more extreme.  This will make for longer and drier periods of drought, which may or may not be followed by unprecedented amounts of rain.

The two blacks hoses running down the middle of the bed are soaker hoses.  This is a porous material made from recycled tires that slow drips the water directly to the roots of the plants.  I’ve had great success with this system, as it uses the absolute minimum of water and has an extremely high water efficiency.

Unfortunately, municipal water does have two problems.  First, because the water is potable, it is loaded with chlorine to make it “safe” for drinking.  Chlorinated water is a potential hazard to the microorganisms that I try so hard to cultivate in my garden soil.  Also, because the water is pumped from an aquifer, it is high in mineral deposits.

I’m taking advantage of the rain to flush the mineral deposits and accumulated salts from my garden soils.  I haven’t watered with municipal water once this year, and I plan to leave the most intensively managed beds fallow.  After all, any student of history knows that salt accumulation in irrigated soils has been responsible for the collapse of more than one great civilization.