Hey there,
Hot week ahead, which means lots of watering. This time of year there are lots of transplants that need careful watering, seedling trays and veggies producing fruit that are water hungry. We water two main ways. Overhead sprinklers and drip tape, both have their pros and cons.
The drip is low waste, the water is applied right at the plant at soil level. it keeps water off the leaves with no splashing which helps with controlling disease and its spread. It is great for transplants and started veg. The big con of drip is that it is in the way when controlling weeds with hoes or other tools, and needs multiple lines to water a single bed with multiple rows of plants. It is also a pain to roll up and store, with repairs being needed regularly for holes and tears.
Overhead irrigation is great for a lot of plants. It is helpful in germination in many seeds that are direct seeded, like carrots or lettuce. Covers a large number of rows in one go, the sprinklers we use right now will hit most of 6 beds. Fairly easy to move around and install. The cons for us, our water is a bit hard, so any row cover, sprinkler or greenhouse plastic is quickly discoloured and turns orange. Some plants don't like wet leaves, and the water can create or spread disease problems. It wastes a bit of water by watering everything, including walkways and head land, and the big line running down the path is a pain to weed around.
So there you have it, a few random things about our irrigation, if any of you need, or are thinking about irrigating your garden, let me know. We use Irrigation Plus to get most of our supplies, fairly close and lots of stuff, well priced potting soil, bulk organic fertilizers and tools too. :)
Emily
