June Newsletter

The long days of summer bring the opportunity for more day time, work and accomplishment. The garden can be the beneficiary if you are willing to weed, water and plant. Don’t do this work in the heat of the day, but work in the mornings and evenings, unless you can find the right tasks in the shade of a tree. If you water in the evenings, there is less evaporation.

How can you cool things in the heat of summer and as the atmosphere warms in September and October?

You can arrange trees, bushes and plants so that the shade of one tree or bush or plant cools the next by proximity and with the awareness that the south-facing slope takes the worst of the afternoon sun in the northern hemisphere. One plant will help the other to survive and thrive by offering shade and coolness above the surface, while sharing moisture and nutrients below the surface through a well-fed microbial system. Feed your microbes with organic matter by using what you have: compost, leaves and grass clippings. Show that you love your plants by creating a perimeter under the canopy, so that weeds and vines do not rival the uptake of nutrients by your desired plants. You can plant in circles and not in rows. This offers more shade. You can use rocks to retain moisture beneath around your plants. Don’t wait until your plants are starved for water; be proactive.

For beginners who may feel they lack resources to plant trees, begin with papaya and banana. Papaya is plentiful through seed and banana multiplies in numbers. Papaya has a deep taproot, so it is best to plant in place, perhaps in threes. If you are going to plant one papaya, might as well plant three with only one perimeter to defend. Banana has that funnel structure in its leaves, such that it will funnel water to itself and retain moisture for the area. Both papaya and banana do well in the chop and drop method of bringing lots of organic matter to the area.

We had great participation at our Spring Sale and BBQ potluck May 16. Our Summer Sale will be August 14 and 15. On May 23, our Sacred Tree mural grew in the shape of a dinosaur by Casimir Bland and the Mauna Kea landscape with big horn sheep, mules and hawks by Garrett Carter. We hope to work on the mural several times in June, but Saturday June 27 from 3pm to 6pm will be our official date.  Thursday June 18 from 4 to 5pm at the Naalehu Library, we will be discussing how we can Make the Garden More Permanent. Perhaps this is where the term permaculture got started? Let’s see how we can accelerate the benefits of a year-round garden with volume as a WE Community.

“Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.” May Sarton