On this week’s episode, the guys discuss the best solutions for vegetable garden irrigation. They discuss which crops are more suitable for overhead irrigation or hand-watering. These would include very short-term crops like potatoes, mustard, or mixed greens. Because they have such a short maturity date, it's really not worth the time to install drip irrigation on these crops. With longer maturing crops, they recommend using drip irrigation for many reasons. Using drip tape for garden irrigation saves time from having to move sprinklers around the garden and it also uses less water because the water is applied directly to the plant roots. Drip irrigation will also reduce weed pressure and plant diseases by limiting leaf moisture.  They explain the difference between surface and sub-surface drip irrigation, and they recommend burying drip tape as this is the most effective usage. They answer some frequently asked questions about emitter spacing, run time, using it with a gravity-fed system, lifespan and removal.

On the Show & Tell segment this week, they provide an update of the demonstration garden at the Hoss Tools Sustainable Living Center as part of the Sunbelt Ag Expo. Greg mentions that things are growing well despite some heavy whitefly pressure. They have a good stand of Ambrosia sweet corn growing and it will need hilling soon. Travis mentions that his okra is producing very well and he's been using a new technique called the "prune and whoop" which has been effective.

On the Q&A segment, they answer a question about planting cover crops. Greg mentions that cover crops will need a light layer of soil on top of them to germinate. So after broadcasting on top of the soil, a light raking is needed to cover the seeds for germination. He mentions that a disk behind a tractor would bury the seeds too deep, but that the Disk Harrow attachment for the Hoss Wheel Hoe is a great way to cover those seeds.
Tool of the Week
Rabbit and Squirrel Repellent

Broadleaf Mustard Cover Crop Seed