Joseph
by Jane Rising
Garden planning needs to include some considerations about how to water your garden efficiently. Styles vary by size and location, among other things. If your garden is a few pots on your apartment lanai, bringing a few jugs full each day, or even twice a day, shouldn’t be a problem.
But what if you have a large garden in your yard or even a plot of community gardens? My garden, for example, is five raised beds, three yards, and a deck with twelve containers of varying sizes. That’s more than a few pitchers!
Erica Nygaard recently published a pdf book. The Dirty Truth About Dormitory. Although aimed at those who wish to start a residence, it offers actionable points in garden planning and food production. This guide will be useful for anyone who wants it produce what they consume.
Here are some suggestions to help you water your garden quickly and efficiently.
A little therapy for you, a little water for your plants
One great thing about him urban farming It is the ability to connect a garden hose to a city water supply. Hang the hose on a spigot, turn on the water, and stand there as you watch the water seep in. I enjoy being there. Using this method will help you water your garden efficiently. However, this is not time efficient. Keep in mind that the average vegetable garden needs about half and a half of water per week. I found it difficult to measure the amount of water using this method. It can help to use buckets of a known scale. This is how I water my trees and containers. But not my high bed.
Make the irrigation system do the watering for you
Irrigation systems come in three basic forms: sprinkler systems, drip systems, and soaker hoses. The system is placed in the ground and connected to the central tap. Some even put them on temporarily. Irrigation systems are very time efficient. I enjoy being able to get other things done while the system works for me.
sprinklers: Sprinklers waste quite a bit of water. Water sprayed in a pattern around the sprinkler head tends to water sidewalks if it is within range. Sprayers can be expensive. Some systems are buried in the garden and must be dug up if there is a problem. There goes your garden. Cheap systems can work. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for.
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Drip systems: Drip systems are more water efficient. The system is placed in a bed or other area with a water line branching off from the main line of each plant. These lines can be buried under mulch or soil. You may need to adjust the lines from year to year if you are planting different things in that area.
Soaker hoses: Permeable soaker hoses the entire length of the hose. Although not nearly as water efficient as a drip system, they are much more than sprinklers and easier to move than drip lines. It is also cheaper, but it rots over time and needs to be replaced.
Your humble clerk punched a hole in her soaker hose one day while using a hand tiller to loosen the soil. Since soaker hoses are a lot like balloons in terms of water flow, that big hole stopped the flow there, and the hose became a sprinkler. Adjusting my new sprinkler so that the part of the bed behind that hole heated up resulted in an extra shower each day as well.
Let Mother Nature water those plants
Soils in urban areas tend to be alkaline than cement-filtered lime. The natural acidity of rainwater helps counter this. Best of all, rainwater is free!
Rainwater is an excellent but unreliable option. While I’ve found that my plants like rainwater more than municipal, this method is a bit uneven. Some days it’s a deluge and others spray, nothing can fall for days. Irregular rain may work well for established plants but not for them vegetable gardens;
Collect rainwater when you get the chance
With a large part of the country strongly droughtSome municipalities have started to ration water. Home gardening isn’t always a priority for rule-making. Admittedly, the concept of drought means that it does not rain enough but when it rains, Why don’t you save some if you can?
While it’s not illegal to collect rainwater at the federal level, some states regulate it, and some don’t. Then, of course, there are the city and county levels to consider. My city allows residents to collect rainwater, but the collecting drums cannot be seen from the street side due to “aesthetic concerns”. Guess where my downspout is! I also live in a corner nook, which makes my entire patio viewable from the street. This is a challenge for me.
There is another consideration with rainwater harvesting security process. Do you want your neighbors to see that you have water while they don’t? There are many ways to decorate and hide barrels, of course. Good decoration may satisfy aesthetic concerns. And I will repeat that, good fences make good neighbors.
Use techniques that require less water.
Especially in regards to weather concerns, there are a few ways to conserve water in your garden that Daisy writes about in her book, Prepper’s Water Survival Guide.
- Landscaping plants that grow naturally in your area. It should require a little extra watering. Often your county extension office can help you with this. You can also take a walk and find many beautiful plants that thrive no matter what your climate.
- grow organically. Chemical fertilizers can increase a plant’s need for water. (This book contains some great tips on growing organic drought gardens.)
- Use an organic mulch in your garden to help retain moisture.
- When you clean your aquarium, reserve water for your garden. You will love the nutrient-boosting veggies!
- invent Gray Watershed System For shower, washing machine and your kitchen. This water can be used for rinsing, watering plants, and cleaning. Keep in mind that some counties do not allow gray water reuse, even in the midst of an epic drought. Do whatever you want with this information.
- Uses Nozzle on your hose So that you put the water just where you want it, and not spray it uselessly as you walk into the garden.
There are all kinds of creative ways to conserve water while keeping your garden thriving.
How do you water your garden?
Have you discovered any tricks to water your garden? Do you face any challenges in adequately watering the plants?
Watering your garden is a big consideration. Proper planning can save a significant amount of wasted time, money and effort. Isn’t your food source worth it? Do you use any special techniques to conserve water? Do you have a unique watering system? Let’s talk about it in the comments section.
Source: Organic Prepper
Jayne Rising is a gardener and book educator with a BA from the University of Wisconsin and a Master Gardener. She has been growing food in her small urban area since 2010 and has been teaching others how to do so since 2015. She is involved in a number of local urban farming initiatives, working to bring a sustainable, healthy diet back into the mainstream.
