Overflowing

The ideal of water retention in the garden.

Water is a nutrient so we need it for the plants, however too much water damages plants and destroys soil. I could get a little umbrella for each plant in my garden when it rains or give them each a waterbottle in hot weather but this increases my shopping bill.

Whereas a watering can, hose or cover often solves the problem, the root hair damage is often still affected therefore stunting plant growth. The question is can we get rid of the problem or at least some of it (depending on your climate) instead of trying to put a plaster on a broken leg?

It looks like a yes if we look at some of our local eco-systems that filter and keep a sufficient retention of water (not too much or too little). After all we dont water our forests.

By copying them and layering our gardens with:
– A mulch (cover)
– Compost (organic matter)
– A soil that is an uncompacted Loam (the correct balance of silt, sand and clay)
– While making sure our gardens do not have a pre-existing flood problem.

This corrects water retention and helps prevent future compaction

With the right foundation the gardens can overflow at a correct retention. Meaning they both hold water and overflow the excess water.

Like a cup that can hold the right amount of water and not leak, that can cope with abundance and drought.