#79 - Aug 2024 - Garden Stuff - © Sandy Lang - slang@xtra.co.nz THE OLYMPIANSAug/Sept: Late winter/early spring; undone winter jobs urgent, spring jobs clamouring. Ponos: If you know your Olympian gods, you’ll know Ponos (Πόνος) is the ancient Greek personification of toil and hardship. Long ago, Ponos found his way into ‘geoponics’ - growing plants in soil. Where he created the worst problems he could – endless weeding and watering. Hydroponics: •But you can eliminate weeding and watering with ‘hydroponics’ - growing plants in water (actually, a dilute nutrient solution). •But an etymologist will immediately see Ponos got there first. •So, although hydroponics can be made to work in a large commercial greenhouse, the old toil saved in not weeding or watering, is more than offset by the new toil of maintaining the nutrient solution in good condition – mineral composition, pH, hygiene. Geoponics: So, at home, we’re stuck with geoponics. •So, we’re stuck with Ponos and his dastardly weeding and watering. •But are we? Weeding: Where there’s soil, there’s weed seeds, so weeds, so weeding. •But if you grow in potting mix, there are no weed seeds, so no weeds. •So, plant your veggies in potting mix, in pots, and you eliminate Ponos’ endless weeding...! Watering: •But the smaller root volume of a pot-grown plant means watering must be more often, not less - daily in summer. •But we live in an age where battery-powered automatic waterers are cheap (from $21 - Google auto irrigation). •But, even though the amount of water needed by a pot plant is tiny (zero wastage) compared with a plant in the soil (evaporation, run-off, infiltration), Wellington Water (WW) (Google wellington water restrictions) bans ‘unattended irrigation systems’ under water restriction Levels 2, 3 and 4 (old Ponos works for WW). •But, even at Level 4, you are still allowed to water a veggie garden by ‘watering can or bucket’. •So, for $120 you can buy an irrigation system that will work off a bucket (Google tank irrigation system). This way, you can appease both WW and ancient Ponos...! Hardship: But there’s a third hardship old Ponos has thought up for the elderly. The ground is inaccessible if you have a stiff back. But pots of potting mix can be placed at waist height - on an old table, on a stack of (free) pallets, on a low wall etc. This way you eliminate bending and send old Ponos back to Mount Olympus where he belongs. ___________________________________