5 ms·

My parents had a rather large garden (I wouldn't call it a farm), and we grew 3 crops a year in it. As a kid/teenager I hated it at the time, since they made me

by m0zg 6y ago

My parents had a rather large garden (I wouldn't call it a farm), and we grew 3 crops a year in it. As a kid/teenager I hated it at the time, since they made me work there. Fast forward 30 years I have a bunch of raised beds in my backyard, grow produce, and find it more rewarding in that non-monetary fashion, than just about any other thing I've done. Properly set up (basically just automatic drip irrigation, which is super cheap) it's very low maintenance. So yeah, I agree with the author. As an engineer, doing this to make money is stupid. But as a lifestyle thing I think it's a lot of fun. And then you also get to eat what you grow, in addition to the "lifestyle".

Scoundreller 6y ago
> basically just automatic drip irrigation, which is super cheap Any preferred go-to guide on setting that up? I'm thinking of something with an IBC, and some type of moisture sensing automation, so I can pre-fertilize the water and walk away for 2 weeks if I wanted to without coming back to death.
- m0zg 6y ago
  I didn't go high tech like that. I just went to home depot and bought some cheap tubing, fittings, pressure compensating drippers (which auto-regulate the flow), stakes, and a 3-way Orbit timer. They have free catalog at the store, which you can just take to plan out your set up. I also don't use fertilizer in the water - instead I use manure in the soil. So I laid out the thicker plastic tubing, then connected smaller tubing that goes to each plant. Set up the timers to give it sufficient time (you may need to set them up to water twice a day if you have very hot weather and want to save some water). Then you just turn it on and walk away. It takes care of itself. In my garden I also have to sprinkle some pellets against slugs, and install a motion sensitive scarecrow sprinkler which scares away the deer. That's pretty much it. Check on it every now and then to make sure your plants aren't wilted in the afternoon. Once you dial in the timings, it's completely hands off.
  - tomglynch 6y ago
    Fantastic comment. I can actually see myself doing this. How often do you add manure through the soil?
    - m0zg 6y ago
      I'm not aiming to maximize yield, so I only add it once a year, to sort of "replenish" things. I also have a compost heap in which I compost grass clippings and autumn leaves, so I mix that in as well. If I wanted to maximize yield, fertilization would have to be customized more (and I'd probably just use liquid fertilizer out of a watering can). What I have is adequate for my simple set up. My parents were concerned about yields (because they sold part of the produce for extra income), so they fertilized several times a year, mostly either with manure or with guano (chicken poop), but they used granulated nitrogen fertilizer as well. Then again, they harvested three crops every year, and I only harvest one. It's not hot enough where I live to grow more than that.
  - koyote 6y ago
    Do you have any issues with other pests? I have a tiny terrace garden with several potted plants and a part from slug pellets I also run into leaf miners and aphids and whatnot. So I see myself inspecting my plants daily and often spraying or manually removing bugs. This is much more time-consuming than the watering aspect.
- dylan604 6y ago
  Seems to me if you want to do this, you're missing out on the experience. Push a button, get a prize is not very rewarding in the long run. When I started my backyard growing habit, it was never meant as a self-sustaining venture. It became part of my morning routine, I'd water the plants and just keep an eye on things. Watching the plant's growth from day to day is rather impressive. It's amazing how fast different plants grow in 24hrs. I even did a timelapse overnight of a squash plant's journey. I also started checking things out with a flash light right after dark. The slug hunting became sport. TL;DR if you honestly think you can have a small raised bed/container garden survive with nothing more than drip irrigation, then disappointment is in your future.
  - lostlogin 6y ago
    > Seems to me if you want to do this, you're missing out on the experience. Push a button, get a prize is not very rewarding in the long run. I disagree. I installed Home Assistant, got some smart plugs and ESP chips and bought a solenoid. Sitting on the deck and seeing the sprinkler go at sundown +30mins or getting the Slack alert as it turns on and off is very satisfying. There is plenty of hard work to do, but I really believe that automating the watering is more efficient when done by my automation. It was quite inexpensive too.
    - sixstringtheory 6y ago
      I love the experience but hate feeling chained to my garden when I want to take a weeks long trip into the wilderness. I primarily want to automate looking after my garden in my absence.
  - Scoundreller 6y ago
    Oh, I’m with you. The issue is that it’s my mom’s backyard and I’m usually not there during the week. So far she’s able to manage, but trying to make it easier for her. Even got several mystery squash that took over the lawn. I start it all from seed myself (have good South exposure at the apartment), but once the last frost is out of the way, out of the city and in the ground they go.

by m0zg 6y ago

Scoundreller 6y ago

> basically just automatic drip irrigation, which is super cheap Any preferred go-to guide on setting that up? I'm thinking of something with an IBC, and some type of moisture sensing automation, so I can pre-fertilize the water and walk away for 2 weeks if I wanted to without coming back to death.

m0zg 6y ago
I didn't go high tech like that. I just went to home depot and bought some cheap tubing, fittings, pressure compensating drippers (which auto-regulate the flow), stakes, and a 3-way Orbit timer. They have free catalog at the store, which you can just take to plan out your set up. I also don't use fertilizer in the water - instead I use manure in the soil. So I laid out the thicker plastic tubing, then connected smaller tubing that goes to each plant. Set up the timers to give it sufficient time (you may need to set them up to water twice a day if you have very hot weather and want to save some water). Then you just turn it on and walk away. It takes care of itself. In my garden I also have to sprinkle some pellets against slugs, and install a motion sensitive scarecrow sprinkler which scares away the deer. That's pretty much it. Check on it every now and then to make sure your plants aren't wilted in the afternoon. Once you dial in the timings, it's completely hands off.
- tomglynch 6y ago
  Fantastic comment. I can actually see myself doing this. How often do you add manure through the soil?
  - m0zg 6y ago
    I'm not aiming to maximize yield, so I only add it once a year, to sort of "replenish" things. I also have a compost heap in which I compost grass clippings and autumn leaves, so I mix that in as well. If I wanted to maximize yield, fertilization would have to be customized more (and I'd probably just use liquid fertilizer out of a watering can). What I have is adequate for my simple set up. My parents were concerned about yields (because they sold part of the produce for extra income), so they fertilized several times a year, mostly either with manure or with guano (chicken poop), but they used granulated nitrogen fertilizer as well. Then again, they harvested three crops every year, and I only harvest one. It's not hot enough where I live to grow more than that.
- koyote 6y ago
  Do you have any issues with other pests? I have a tiny terrace garden with several potted plants and a part from slug pellets I also run into leaf miners and aphids and whatnot. So I see myself inspecting my plants daily and often spraying or manually removing bugs. This is much more time-consuming than the watering aspect.
dylan604 6y ago
Seems to me if you want to do this, you're missing out on the experience. Push a button, get a prize is not very rewarding in the long run. When I started my backyard growing habit, it was never meant as a self-sustaining venture. It became part of my morning routine, I'd water the plants and just keep an eye on things. Watching the plant's growth from day to day is rather impressive. It's amazing how fast different plants grow in 24hrs. I even did a timelapse overnight of a squash plant's journey. I also started checking things out with a flash light right after dark. The slug hunting became sport. TL;DR if you honestly think you can have a small raised bed/container garden survive with nothing more than drip irrigation, then disappointment is in your future.
- lostlogin 6y ago
  > Seems to me if you want to do this, you're missing out on the experience. Push a button, get a prize is not very rewarding in the long run. I disagree. I installed Home Assistant, got some smart plugs and ESP chips and bought a solenoid. Sitting on the deck and seeing the sprinkler go at sundown +30mins or getting the Slack alert as it turns on and off is very satisfying. There is plenty of hard work to do, but I really believe that automating the watering is more efficient when done by my automation. It was quite inexpensive too.
  - sixstringtheory 6y ago
    I love the experience but hate feeling chained to my garden when I want to take a weeks long trip into the wilderness. I primarily want to automate looking after my garden in my absence.
- Scoundreller 6y ago
  Oh, I’m with you. The issue is that it’s my mom’s backyard and I’m usually not there during the week. So far she’s able to manage, but trying to make it easier for her. Even got several mystery squash that took over the lawn. I start it all from seed myself (have good South exposure at the apartment), but once the last frost is out of the way, out of the city and in the ground they go.