watering gardens Archives - GoatKeepers Press

Welcoming Rain to the Garden

During times past, gardens were put in and everyone hoped for the best. There were no hoses and water taps. Instead, gardeners were welcoming rain to the garden to get the crops they needed to survive the winter.

Tomatoes are 95% water. Regular rain or watering is essential for them to get big and ripen. When water arrives haphazardly, almost ripe tomatoes often split their skins.

Irrigation Systems

When I was young, my father had large gardens. There was a trough along each row of vegetable. Once a week the hose was brought over and water ran down one trough, then another until the garden was watered.

Now I listen to people at the Farmers Market talking about various soaker systems. Some use hoses with holes in them. Others have pipes with nozzles at intervals.

These soaker systems are better than my father’s troughs as they deliver water directly and more often to each plant. There is less erosion, less evaporation.

Watering the Garden the Hard Way

My garden is across the county road from my house. We are miles away from any city or rural water system. There is an old dug well with a hand pump near the garden, but it can’t water the garden.

There are seven water barrels in the garden. Five of them will hold 55 gallons of water. The others are smaller. Water moves from them to the plants in watering cans. A watering can doesn’t hold enough water to satisfy a big tomato plant busy making tomatoes.

Using the Creek

Once a week during a hot, dry summer, I start up the water pump down by the creek. It pumps enough water in an hour to soak the garden.

This sounds great. In terms of water, it is. In terms of work, it isn’t. The discharge hoses are heavy and clumsy. They must be moved from one side of the garden to the other.

By the end of the hour, I am soaked. Some plants are crushed. And the hose is left draped down pathways to trip me up until the next week when it will move to other pathways as it switches sides of the garden.

The other problem is the creek. It no longer has a deep pool near the garden side. Instead, I have to excavate a pool and trench so enough water flows over for the pump to pull it up to the garden.

Welcoming Rain to the Garden

Last week I ran the pump. The garden was again getting too dry. I hauled water to the tubs from the rain barrels, but most of the garden waited.

I procrastinated.

Then the rain came. Over an inch of rain fell and the garden is watered for the week. And the pump will remain idle until next week. Unless the rain comes again.

Summer has arrived in the Ozarks. Along with summer have come tiny rains and hot temperatures. That adds up to thirsty plants.

Wild plants along the roads stand with drooping, wilting leaves. There isn’t much help for them. That is the terrible thing about even a small drought: watching day by day as everything dries up and turns brown.

In the Garden

Some gardeners let their gardens dry up. Their plants must survive just like the wild ones as the gardeners pray for rain that may, if the garden is under the right cloud, fall in time.

I prefer to water and mulch. My garden represents a lot of planning and work. The plants are finally starting to produce vegetables for the table.

Getting Water

The only water sources near my garden are a dug well with a hand pump, the rain barrels and the creek. There is no faucet and hose. Instead, there are two watering cans.

Thirsty plants need plenty of water. Each of 60 tomato plants requires a full can. The pepper plants are smaller and take a little less. The squash plants need full cans and more. It adds up to about 80 cans of water and hours of time.

A better solution is pumping water up from the creek. This is an adventure.

Eggplant is a plant I rarely grow as my garden seems to be flea beetle central. These two plants have been under mosquito netting until they began blooming. Maybe they are big and healthy enough to survive now.

Creek Water and Fire Hose

A few years ago, the old water hose wore out. The replacement hose is a discharge hose, better described as a small fire hose. It is designed to move as much water as possible in the least amount of time.

There is no way to water my thirsty plants this way without getting wet, very wet. That is not a problem in the hot weather

The biggest problem is reducing the water flow enough to not uproot the plants while trying to water them. Mulch helps.

My garden never has enough room in it. This year the butternut squash are growing up over the shade house. It does save space and shades the interior, but the vines can’t put down extra roots. If any of the squash get too big, they need supporting. And the vines try their best to escape and spread all over. There are three plants on each side. All take a gallon of water a day once they are twice this size. At least the squash bug eggs are easy to spot on the leaves and vines up on the cattle panel.

Waiting For Rain

Twice a week now I argue with the hose. My thirsty plants look good. I’m picking squash and watching tomatoes hoping they will turn red sometime soon.

My garden survives because I can water it. My pastures were ready to cut for hay. The balers haven’t gotten here. In another week, there will be no hay, only straw.

The clouds drift by. Maybe my pastures will be under the right cloud soon.