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.
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.
