4 ms·

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)

by 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.

by m0zg 6y ago

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.