I didn’t check the forum this AM so I missed your message. I was there for a couple of hours. I watered and then began reclaiming the pollinator bed. I was making serious headway then was waylaid by the discovery of an actual Easter egg. I saw the hen mallard around the corner between the south wing and the garden when I arrived. This would be why. We’ll have to stop work in the pollinator bed until we see if what work I had already done causes her to abandon the nest or not.
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Thanks, Sherry. I’m going to start heading out there after work during the week now that it’s warmer.
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Hopefully she was just walking around. I know I had one that decided to nest right next to my front porch last year. About scared me to death the first time I saw her. But I know she was hardly around except for when she was sleeping.
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It’s definitely a mallard egg, though (larger than a chicken egg and green), and they only lay one/day until the clutch is full and they begin sitting - so pretty classic for a new mallard nest. I can’t risk any federal MBTA violations - I’m due for a permit upgrade to master falconer this fall. At least it’s not a Canada goose nest!
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Hmmm… I wonder if we could set up a “Goose Cam” on the nest and broadcast it. Do you think that would cause her to leave? I think people really love that kind of thing.
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Where it’s positioned it would have to be outdoor sturdy, mounted under the south canopy. Could be happy fun or real life (snake eating eggs, fox stealing them).
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I have a friend in Texas who currently is doing a vulture cam they got in an old dog hole under his shed. Their names are Morticia and Gomez.
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I see your friend has video evidence of the vulture defense mechanism - vomit on your enemies 
Today I watered everything communal except the daikon. There do not appear to be additional mallard eggs at this point.
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April watered the communal raised beds last night. I cultivated the daikon radish in the morning. Also planted some zuccini, birdhouse gourds and squash in peat pots. If anyone would like a plant let me know!
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Hello! Just poking my head in here to let you know I try to water the communal beds daily as well as my own. I live less than 5 minutes away and it’s easy for me and the family to do a quick watering. I check to make sure the beds need it before I water, and I also check the indoor plants daily. There are some things that I am not sure to whom they belong that I haven’t been watering, but if you need me to water your plants, lmk! I usually water every evening around 7-ish.
Loving this beautiful weather and watching all the growing things! 
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Would you please water the peas under the vining tunnel once in the next two days? I watered them well on Sunday and their roots should be pretty deep by now so they don’t need it often.
Thank you!!!
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Sure thing!
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Thank you so much for doing this! I’m trying to find a delicate and not annoying way to try and correct someone who’s simply doing something very nice–so I apologize for any potential eye-rolls. In pretty much all cases, crops do not need daily watering. In fact, tomatoes and peppers thrive and develop deeper flavor and create more healthy root systems when they’re allowed to search deeper for water. Depending on the variety and how hot it is, tomatoes need one deep watering a week.
Again, I really appreciate volunteer help. Our community garden depends on it. I just hope that we can also educate our fellow gardeners on some best practices. Here’s a good read:
For this reason, I’ve been trying to develop an online log book for volunteers. If you could sign up for a day of the week that you’d like to check on the garden and do any work you feel is necessary, then we can track it and make sure we’re not duplicating our efforts. Please see below. It sounds like you’re already there each day, so don’t feel the need to log each visit. We haven’t yet instituted this, but I think next week would be a good time to start. And thanks again for your help!!
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No worries, I’m not watering tomatoes or peppers daily, as they are not planted outdoors yet, except for my young tomatoes in my outdoor raised bed. Also, I always thought young, not yet fruiting plants require a good amount of water till they are established. I always check the soil a few inches down before I water, to make sure it needs it, but I have no problem laying off and only doing my own areas. I’ve noticed the raised beds get dry very quickly, and I never heavily water anything in the communal. I’ve noticed some of the plants inside look a little rough. But none of them are ones I’ve been watering and I’m unsure to whom they belong. I’m still willing to look after plants for anyone who lets me know.
Thank you for the links!
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Totally didn’t know you were talking about the indoor plants! Sorry about that.
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@SeanSandefur thank you so much for being so nice with your way of trying to correct a situation that could go wrong and cause major problems for certain plants. It’s hard to do that when you don’t know how someone will react to what you’re trying to say.
Perhaps a Gardening Orientation class might be in order for people who work in the garden area. Gardening seems like it should be a simple process, but it’s actually pretty complicated if it’s done right. The more a person knows, the more successful they, and the garden will be.
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I do think it’s good for the top few inches of the raised beds with the tomatoes to dry out so the roots are encouraged to go a lot deeper - that’s the best way for them to have cool roots in the summer and tolerate the extreme heat.
I also have cardboard and found some ground staples to hold it down so I can cardboard mulch them this weekend
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What about the lettuce seedlings? They needed water daily especially because that soil is very prone to drying out. And the bok choy has been watered almost daily by me and April because if the soil drys out it will cause it to bolt. Both crops would’ve failed if watered weekly. They are doing well. I agree with deep watering, but it is short sighted to apply general blanket rules to everything. And frankly it seems smug and condescending to “educate” someone giving their time and energy daily for the benefit of others. No harm was done, there are no peppers yet in communal beds, and the tomotoes look great.
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Never said anything about seedlings. Bok Choy doesn’t need watered every day, like all other crops. Not an opinion, rather the established best practice of literal farmers. Overwatering can lead to various diseases and, especially in lettuces, root rot. Weekly watering was specifically in reference to tomatoes and peppers, which is what I said. But even lettuces are recommended as weekly watering. I don’t know much about growing lettuce, which is why I didn’t mention it.
Personally, I don’t find it smug or condescending to simply offer some very standard watering advice when it comes to our community garden, especially a communal area that everyone takes care of. If I was using a miter saw improperly and a member (very delicately) mentioned that there are best practices for using it, I’d welcome that advice. But if you’d like to name call, that’s on you.
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I think we all agree that all seeds not yet sprouted and almost all seedlings in 80+ weather need watered daily. Sean is having flashbacks to last year when there were folks watering mature plants daily and only fairly lightly which is kind of a waste. In large part his statement was made for the benefit of other folks reading the forum who might not be as familiar with gardening methods. I think you guys agree more than is evident here and the words in type don’t come out quite the same as they would in person.
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