Barbados is a sovereign island country in the lesser Antilles.It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 km (62 mi) east of the Windward islands and the Caribbean sea ] therein, it is about 168 km (104 mi) east of the islands of St Vincent and the Grenadines and 400 km (250 mi) north-east of Trinidad & Tobago.
Climate
Climate
Barbados usually experiences two types of weather the dry season along with the wet season.
The dry season usually starts from January to June and the wet season starts from June to December.
Tips
It is currently the dry season in Barbados and these helpful, straightforward, tips are easy to put into practice and reap awesome rewards.
Fertilize Well
The best fertilizer for soil is organic matter which comes from herbivores. Manure contributes to the fertility of the soil by adding natural nutrients along with nitrogen which are trapped in by the bacteria inside of the soil. Animal manure can be found on many farms by poultry and animal farmers across the island of Barbados and other parts of the world.
- The best way to add manure into the soil is to spread it on the plot you will be working on, then get a garden fork and dig and turn the soil so that the manure can be mixed in with the soil.This method is efficient because the soil's bacteria helps to absorb the nitrogen and the other nutrients that is in the manure so when it is time to plant your crop the soil would be fertile.
Mulching
When it comes to retaining moisture, keeping the soil fertile ,mulching is the way to go to achieve those goals. Materials that can be used for mulching includes grass, dry leaves, newspaper, wood chips or a weed-mat.
- How To Mulch?
Mulch can be laid around the base of the plant which helps keeps the moisture and allow the roots to keep moist for long durations which can help you save tap water by helping reducing the amount of water used.
How can I use less water ?
Water is a vital nutrient for all types of plants and it is crucial for plant growth but this precious resource comes at a price and if we use to much of it in farming our water bill would be expensive. So here are my strategies to help save money and also save water.
- Collecting rain water.
In the dry season in Barbados rain still occurs but not as frequent as when it is the wet season. To benefit and to get the most out of the rain water in the dry season it is advisable to get some cans, or water tanks to catch and store rain water for use in the dry season. You can set up the cans or tanks by the guttering from the roof of your house to catch the water when it is running off of the house through the roof guttering.
Drip Irrigation.Drip irrigation is a form of irrigation which slowly allows the water to drip slowly to the roots of the plant. Drip irrigation is one of the most popular methods and it was used in acute areas such as Israel and many other places where water is scarce and because of the dry hot climates. Drip irrigation partnered with mulch would help keep the roots of the plant wet and use less water because drip irrigation uses around 20-30% less water than using a hose or a sprinkler and unlike hoses and sprinklers the drip only wets the roots of the plants instead of other parts of the garden bed.
I hope these tips would assist the many organic farmers to help combat the dry season and also help them to reap reward regardless of the climate