Brooklyn Heights

Rain stops work, to protect Promenade soil

August 15, 2013 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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Promenade Garden volunteers were a little disappointed when the rain on Tuesday morning forced Matthew Morrow, community coordinator and gardener, to cancel this week’s scheduled volunteer session. But why? What’s a little mud between friends? Isn’t rain good for the plants? What if we walk on our tiptoes? 

Working the soil when it is wet destroys the structure of the soil, resulting in clods of hard dirt that are difficult to break down. Soil structure is important; it allows air and water move through the soil. Once the structure is destroyed it takes additional organic matter, proper tillage and winter freezing and thawing to break the soil particles apart naturally and restore the soil’s structure.

How can you tell if the soil is too wet to work? Grab a handful of it and squeeze it. If water drips out, it is much too wet. Now push your finger into that same handful of soil; if your finger leaves an indentation, then the soil is still too wet. The soil should crumble when you stick your finger into it.

And no, walking on tiptoes doesn’t work. 

Follow the Promenade Gardens Conservancy on Facebook and on Twitter @PromenadeGarden

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