drip irrigation, phase 2: shut-off valves?
I harvested my first (cherry) tomatoes last weekend. That seemed early, but in 2010 I harvested the first tomato on July 17. (Not sure abut 2011.) The plants are short, though, probably due to the stalled growth during the recent heat.
According to the drought monitor map, this area has reached "severe drought" status. Chance of showers this weekend...insufficient, and likely they'll interfere with viewing this weekend's potential northern lights, but even a little rain would be better than nothing. My CSA box farmers are struggling too.
Anyway, last weekend I finished installing drip irrigation for the remainder of the garden ("phase 2"). Better late than never. I'd intended to bury a length of pipe to hold the hose that runs from house to garden ("phase 3"), so the lawnmower won't run over it. But the ground is too rock-hard to dig, so for now the hose is draped across a tall shepherd's hook and a large maple, just above head height. Not that leaving it on the ground would be a big concern just now - it's been weeks and weeks since the lawn's needed mowing.
Now, instead of stretching the garden hose to its limits to reach the last of the wide rows, I just poke my head out the door and turn the spigot. How cool is that. Well, I also check the drip tape to make sure it isn't kinked or leaking, but that's just a once-around stroll in the garden.
But almost immediately, I accidentally left the drip irrigation on overnight. The garden seemed pretty pleased about this, but it's not the "even watering" recommended for most vegetables, and it's not very water-efficient. Farmtek has volumetric shut-off valves, to deliver a set number of gallons of water. Nifty, but pricey. I'll be better about not forgetting, now that I've messed up once, but it would be cool to not have to worry about remembering, and cool to be able to monitor exactly how many gallons of water I'm sending to the garden. Anyone have a less expensive alternative to the shut-off valve? I have some ideas, but they'd take a fair amount of work to cobble together.
According to the drought monitor map, this area has reached "severe drought" status. Chance of showers this weekend...insufficient, and likely they'll interfere with viewing this weekend's potential northern lights, but even a little rain would be better than nothing. My CSA box farmers are struggling too.
Anyway, last weekend I finished installing drip irrigation for the remainder of the garden ("phase 2"). Better late than never. I'd intended to bury a length of pipe to hold the hose that runs from house to garden ("phase 3"), so the lawnmower won't run over it. But the ground is too rock-hard to dig, so for now the hose is draped across a tall shepherd's hook and a large maple, just above head height. Not that leaving it on the ground would be a big concern just now - it's been weeks and weeks since the lawn's needed mowing.
Now, instead of stretching the garden hose to its limits to reach the last of the wide rows, I just poke my head out the door and turn the spigot. How cool is that. Well, I also check the drip tape to make sure it isn't kinked or leaking, but that's just a once-around stroll in the garden.
But almost immediately, I accidentally left the drip irrigation on overnight. The garden seemed pretty pleased about this, but it's not the "even watering" recommended for most vegetables, and it's not very water-efficient. Farmtek has volumetric shut-off valves, to deliver a set number of gallons of water. Nifty, but pricey. I'll be better about not forgetting, now that I've messed up once, but it would be cool to not have to worry about remembering, and cool to be able to monitor exactly how many gallons of water I'm sending to the garden. Anyone have a less expensive alternative to the shut-off valve? I have some ideas, but they'd take a fair amount of work to cobble together.