Community Garden Plot

Watering the Garden Plot

Watering in a community garden can be a challenge. Our garden does not allow soaker hoses which are nice for watering directly at the roots of the plants.  So, I had to get my creative juices flowing. The watering plan is crucial because it can make or break your garden.

In a community garden the watering system needs to be:

• easily installed and removed each season
• cannot be hooked to the spigot or put on a timer
• needs to accommodate a hose that is meant for community use. 

Additional considerations for watering a community garden:

• you don't want to drag the hose through the garden and tear up your plants all the time
• spraying plants with a hose from a distance can spread disease and results in considerable surface evaporation
• plants should be watered at the base/roots
• financial cost
• convenience 
• ability to water the garden in your work clothes without getting too dirty   
• if you can't water it on your way by the community garden in any outfit chances are you will not be as motivated to get it watered on busy days
• filling a watering can repeatedly can get a bit tedious
• weather resistance - can it withstand wind, rain, hail and etc without your constant attention
• community resistance - will/can an ill-intentioned passerby take it home with them (I know this is pessimistic, however sadly experience has shown me that things disappear community gardens)

This leads me to types of garden watering which include:

• Hand watering with hose
• Watering can
• Soaker hoses (not allowed at my community garden)
• Sprinklers (also not allowed at my community garden)
• Furrow irrigation
• Drip irrigation
• Olla pots 
• https://suburbanfarmonline.com/2010/08/09/make-your-own-ollas/

• http://permaculturenews.org/2010/09/16/ollas-unglazed-clay-pots-for-garden-irrigation/
• Burying ~2L bottles with small holes drilled all over

              

• PVC system
• etc...there are many other creative ways to water!

Of the options above and the considerations for community gardens I've found that Olla pots, burying 2L bottles and home-made PVC pipe systems work well. I've never used Olla pots myself but know people who do. I've done the 2L bottle method successfully several times. However both the Olla and 2L bottle methods require dragging a hose through the garden. So this year I am trialing a home-made PVC system for the first time this summer. 

My PVC system this summer: 

• What I'm using:
• 1/2" PVC pipe in 10' lengths for the main watering conduits
• Buying the bundle of 10' PVC pipes is most cost effectiveness 
• 1" PVC pipe cut into short (~6") lengths
• 1" PVC caps to cover vertical extensions when not in use
• Plastic bird feeder seed scoop to funnel the water into the 1" vertical PVC pipes

                      

• 8" deep drip tree watering stakes (1st time using these and love them so far)

                  

• PVC connectors
• 1/2" 90 degree T-connectors

                               

• 3/4" x 1/2" 90 degree elbow (1/2" slip, 3/4" threaded) 

                               

• 1" x 1/2" PVC elbows (slip) for vertical extensions to easily get water into the 1/2" pipes 

                               

• Crops planted in rows (beets, carrots, onions, garlic, peas, cucumbers)
• 1/2" dia PVC, 10' length with holes drilled along entire length
• connect 1" x 1/2" elbow to main conduit along the ground
• connect ~6" length of 1" dia PVC to elbow to extend vertically
• cap end of the 1" dia PVC when not in use
• Crops planted individually (tomatoes, zucchini, melon, tomatillos)
• 1/2" dia PVC - cut into sections (length depends on how far apart crops are)
• connect these 1/2" sections with 1/2" T-connectors
• each T-connector will be placed where you plan to send an offshoot of pipe to a plant
• off 3rd end of T-connector place short length of 1/2" PVC pipe to reach to the plant
• connect 3/4" x 1/2" 90 degree elbow to short length of 1/2" PVC
• connect 3/4" threaded side onto the deep drip tree stake
• put stake deep into the ground at the base of the plant
• repeat this to reach every plant

To water the plants I pretty well have all the ends of the PVC pipes coming to the same side of the garden so I can just walk down the line and water them from the edge by placing the bird feed seed scoop into the vertical 1" pipe and then use the hose nozzle on soaker mode to fill the scoop/funnel and send water down the pipes. It may be possible to connect multiple lines of pipe but I will work on that as I figure this system out more. I want to maintain the water pressure sufficiently to reach the end of the pipes while still sending water to all the plants along the way.  

Here we go! Lets hope it works!  Photos to come!