When I was in grade school/junior high, we had to do
science projects for the school science fair. I was massively uninterested.
Each year I dutifully drew the solar system or papier mached a volcano;
accepted my “also showed” ribbon and moved on.
Now it is different and I wish I had paid more (well,
any) attention to the basics of the scientific experiment. You see, I now have
my very own science project and it has serious ramifications for my family’s
future. I am engaged in learning what works best for growing things down under,
aka, New Zealand. The sun is hotter, the droughts a scourge, the rains (in the
rainy season) unending, and the soil pure clay.
Purely by accident, I have 3 raised garden beds – one in
almost full shade, one in partial shade, and one in full sun. The soil is
similar in each. Each is a possum cemetery holding two deceased predators and
no I am not wrung with pity as I throw the dirt over the bodies. These suckers
eat whole trees! I am not kidding and it is frightening to go out in the
morning and see an entire orange tree denuded.
So similar conditions with only one variable (I am pretty
sure that’s the correct term) and that is the amount of sun. All three hold
tomato plants. The full sun one has been producing like billy-oh for three
weeks now. The partial sun has two or three smallish tomatoes but a brilliant
display of runner beans (delicious too!). The third drinks an enormous amount
of water but has given us nothing so far.
My scientific conclusion is that the searing NZ sun is
good for plants. I had been considering shading the big garden when it is built
to block some of the sun but now I am rethinking the design. I may have
screening over some of the garden for plants that need less sun, i.e., the
runner beans but there is definitely going to be a full sun quadrant.
There may be something to this scientific experiment
thing after all. Too bad I had to wait until I was 60 years past grade school
to learn it.
