After a long stint of silence, I thought it's now time to re-emerge and start this blog back up.
I've been so preoccupied with work that I've not spent any time on any social activities, let alone share my thoughts with my four followers.  For that, I humble myself in a very apologetic, yet not so much as to seem needy for attention.  I think you get where I'm coming from here...

I've been following the footsteps of those individuals who are living off the land and eating what they grow.  This past March, my wife and I started planting our vegetable garden and in doing so, embarked on our membership to the world of backyard farming.  It was very exciting seeing those little buggers sprout out a few weeks later.  They're like little kittens or puppies and you want to just hug them and squeeze them (but you can't because they'll die)...

Then a few more weeks later and flowering begins and the excitement builds up even more.  Now, all through this, it's important to water the vegetable garden often.  Dave, the botanist who works at Armstrong Garden Center in Long Beach (California) told me how to exactly water my vegetable garden.  He said that I should soak the root ball and then wait to soak them again until the ground was fully dry.  He said that some people (we won't name any names but you know who you are...) constantly water their plants even if they don't need water.  What happens in this case is that the plants get root rot and then the plant eventually die.  I said, "Really?!"  He said, "Well, it's like shoving food down someone's throat even when they can't eat any more. They want to spew but they can't because you've got that shovel sticking right in their face FULL OF CHICKEN FRIED STEAK AND GRAVY AND ALL THE FIXIN's.  EVENTUALLY they can't BREATH ANYMORE and then they DIE!" I said, "A little too intense, Dave; but I get the point!"
Dave continued by saying, "Others don't water enough.  They only mist their plant because they're afraid of over-watering.  Much like giving someone a tiny morsel of Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon and saying - oopsy, that's all you get!...  Imagine having to endure that day in and day out!"

"A little too real, Dave?"

"It's not right, I tell you, it's just not right... sob, whimper..."

"Dave!  FOCUS!"

So how do you tell when it's time to soak your root balls?!

When to soak your root balls is really a personal thing; but soaking your plant's root ball is done when the ground is dry and is most important when planting in pots.  Most often you can tell when the ground is still wet because of the color or shade of browness of the ground.  You can't always rely on sight though.  You must poke the ground with your finger to get the feel of the land (sort of speak...)  When the ground around the root ball is dry, it's time for another good soaking.

Until next time, "Que nostro con puendo para los pestos..."  (Which means... absolutely nothing except it sounds good...)