Friday Fantasy: Automatic Watering

I posted some water management tips over at the Yard Farm blog the other day, including the recommendation to automate ones watering schedule. I have even been offered to have said system installed by Yard Farm's lovely entrepreneur and gardener extraordinaire, Zach Herigodt. I didn't want the yard all dug up while listing the house, however - and now the fact that we're moving in 2 months (most likely) prevents me from delving into a big project that i'll just be leaving behind.

Onions blooming and falling over, butter lettuce bolting before harvest and peppers very confused. The garden suffers.

Letting the Freckles Romain go to seed for saving.This is one massive drought, and a timer hooked to water to all my gardens at once, with drip lines that are closer together would really help the garden out. As it is, i barely have time to water one garden once a day, much less all three plus the way-too-well draining planters in the front. Serious bolting, seriously bitter lettuce, seriously stunted peppers.

I have worked a few installs with Yard Farm and have gotten some experience with PVC cutting and connecting, so i think i'll be able to do the work for myself in the future. I'll need to rent a trencher, buy some weird pvc glue/poison, and invest in a pvc cutting tool. The drip lines aren't cheap, neither are their connectors or the timer - but i think i know enough about how to install the system that i'll be able to do it myself, saving on the labor to pay a crew to do it for me. (If only i could get Zach's crew to come out to Oregon with me, oh well).  For now, i'll go back to praying for rain and watering whenever i can. The rain barrel is officially empty and i continue to wish that i'd bought a nicer watering wand years ago. Off i go to turn off the drip system and spray about with my thumb at the end of the hose before i head to the gym. It's not the best system, but it's all i have the time for today.

The up side: I got a few peas to eat, and will be saving these heirloom pea seeds for planting at our next homestead.Rain Rain come and play!!!!