One of the keys to King Neptune’s sailing garden is making sure the roots actually touch the water. On our trip from Kodiak to Shumagin Islands we motored into the wind for several days. At times we would stop the pump so that during rougher moments the water wouldn’t slosh out of the garden. We left approximately an inch of water in each post so water would agitate across the roots.
When we were in calmer water we’d turn the pump back on, but what I forgot is to leave the top post drainage valve partly closed to slow the rate in which water drains from the top post. The roots of the plants in the top row had not grown longer than the mesh cup containing the plant. Thus, the water needed to more fully fill the top post in order to get the roots wet.
Sadly as a result our poor cilantro and thyme have departed. I have not started any new seeds because we are really late in the growing season.
