The soaker hose irrigation I decided to install in my garden is giving me some problems. Even though we have tried two different pressure regulators it seems the pressure is still too high. We have large streams of water spurting from the hose going off in whatever direction they feel like, often landing on the yard and not putting the water where I need it, in my garden. As a result some plants are not getting any water at all.
I went ahead and paid out extra for the nicer brass water pressure regulator. We just could not get it to work right, but that was during tax season and we were trying to set up the system in the dark holding flashlights to see so we grabbed the cheaper, non-adjustable plastic version and threw it on. The important thing was that we start getting some water to the plants since we were unable to take the time to water them. Now, in these last two weeks we have received more than enough rain so I have been putting off the task of fixing the irrigation system. After doing some research online though it looks like an underground irrigation system would have been a better idea.
I have to point out though that the underground irrigation system I have been looking at may require a lot more talent than I have to install. It seems though that the extra set-up time and cost would be worth it in the long run. An underground system loses almost no water to evaporation, where as the soaker hose will lose a fair amount of moisture to evaporation on hot, sunny, or windy days. Before making any final judgments though I think I am going to try the underground irrigation system on the next couple of garden beds and compare with the results from the first couple planting beds which currently have the soaker hose system. This is all assuming I can get them both set-up and working properly. Once I have some results I will post a follow up to this. Also any suggestions on better irrigation would be more than welcome.
Posted by Aimee | Posted in Irrigation, Supplies | Posted on 21-04-2009
Well alright, after about ten minutes of reading and fidgeting I got my new water timer up and running and I like it quite well. Now I just need to see how it does over time. I do know that after I set it up last night it felt like Christmas. The first thing I wanted to do was wait at the door to see if it came on like it was supposed to. Now I just have to get the rain gauge that can be attached so it will only water the plants when they need it.
A timer isn’t for everyone but it helps me out a bit since I know I will be gone for a couple weeks straight this summer and without the timer my poor garden would shrivel up. I still am working on the best solution for the many containers that will need watering during that time when I am gone. That and how do I keep my adorable little four legged friend from eating the plants in my absence as he has quite the history of doing. It seems the poor onions I started indoors are never going to see maturity. Every time they are looking as though they are about ready for the great outdoors he chews them down to little nubs! I have even tried giving him his very own container of kitty grass. He will eat that and then eat the other plants too or if there is too much for him to eat he lays on it until it rots. So I am still looking for something that safely keeps him away or I may just have to fill the house with so many plants that are kitty safe that it does not matter if he chews them or not. Though I do not know that James would go for that. Also I have been watching a pleasant surprise in one of my compost containers for a couple of weeks now. Potatoes! During tax season things got so hectic we had some potatoes get too old and not enough to make a meal of, so they were tossed into the compost. In all the hectic craziness the compost was not rolled as it normally is and then I noticed these beauties growing like wildfire. At first I debated whether or not to keep them but I read an article not long ago about letting a little serendipity enter your gardening plans. These guys are growing so fast and look so healthy last night I decided to help them out a bit and see what happens. I just hope the hot weather is not too much for them, for now they are just so pretty I cannot help but be excited!
My Healthy Tomatoes
I also got a chance last night to finally get some fertilizer out there for my poor plants. The MicroLife spreads easily enough, now I just need to see if it lives up to the rave reviews. I’ll let you know. It is nice that a slow release organic fertilizer is available locally. I know back where I was, it would have had to have been special ordered.
I also planted my new transplants last night and I just cannot wait to get a few pictures. This morning they were all looking pretty good. That tri-color sage is just so pretty, I can’t wait to use it. I may just have to make some roasted chicken with home made stuffing this week.
