Homesteaders

[kentuckychicks]

I use raised beds with the square foot method and containers.Even here I still will have plants that will start to droop by the time  I come home. I've done some automatic water lines but always seem to get an issue with them the dogs probably don't help. I was trying to get other ideas and came across the terracotta pots. I think I am gonna try it next year. The water/nutrients would be at the roots where they need it. And I think it will help save water. 

Maybe try a raised 5 gallon bucket on each raised bed that you connect a soaker hose to? Then you just fill them up in the am and you should have enough H2o to last the day.... I say should! Lol

 

[mara1]

That's a thought to. All my plants do well and produce plenty. It just can be a pain that I can't leave them unattended for even a short getaway.

 

[CedarAcres]

For you guys talking about watering systems I thought I'd share ours. We have a battery powered hose timer that we set up to go off early every morning. But you can set them to water at any intervals during the day you need. Our garden area is very large so we would set up three different zones with sprinklers. You set it up once in the spring, and then never have to deal with it again unless you want to adjust watering times. I originally set it up because I didn't want all my plants to suffer during our vacation. Our garden is about an acre or so from the house (if I had to guess) and we actually just laid hose that whole way along the ground and the grass just grew around it and you can't even see it. We have a spliter by the chicken coops for changing the water there. We have a well & low water pressure so we just leave the hose on at all times with no issues over the last few years. We also use straw around the plants and it does well keeping everything very moist. We usually have some left over that we use. It also really helps to keep the weeds down if you put some newspaper down under the straw around the plants or some paper bags, and it all composts by the next season!

Our other system that we are not currently using (although I wish we were) is my uncle had set up a pump by the stream on our property and it pumped water up the hose across the whole yard to the goat barn, chicken yard, and garden area for watering. Although I know most people probably don't have access to a stream on the property, if someone has a good rainwater collection system or saves grey water for plant watering I could see a pump like that being useful. The only reason we aren't using it now is the pump was very, very old and needs to be replaced. It's on my (long) list of things to do!

This is an old photo and shows only 1/3 of the gardens but you can see the straw that we use to keep moisture in and weeds out. We place a sprinkler along the side of the fence, mounted up on the top.



We are changing out gardens this year to instead of three seperate large areas, we're just fencing in one area. I felt like it was wasting a lot of space in between the garden areas and I was getting annoyed having to walk between three sections dealing with all the gates. I have to say I'm a "no fuss" gardener. I don't like to spend a lot of time weeding or watering since I have so many other chores and projects so I like to set everything up, do a little work here and there to maintain it, and enjoy the results!

 

[kentuckychicks]

Great setup! We do something close to this but my hubby made our own sprinklers with five gallon buckets filled with rocks a PVC pipe fitting for the hose and a seven foot tall PVC pipe coming up from the center of the bucket. It then has a cheap sprinkler on top. Our garden is so larger that a water system big enough was crazy! The lady in question lives in the desert so I was worried about burning her plants with this kind of watering system.... But the straw and newspaper for sure are great ideas ! Wonder how much heat the straw would hold in? I know NOTHING about desert gardening lol! We are all just brainstorming for her " embryo" garden. Where do you garden?

For you guys talking about watering systems I thought I'd share ours. We have a battery powered hose timer that we set up to go off early every morning. But you can set them to water at any intervals during the day you need. Our garden area is very large so we would set up three different zones with sprinklers. You set it up once in the spring, and then never have to deal with it again unless you want to adjust watering times. I originally set it up because I didn't want all my plants to suffer during our vacation. Our garden is about an acre or so from the house (if I had to guess) and we actually just laid hose that whole way along the ground and the grass just grew around it and you can't even see it. We have a spliter by the chicken coops for changing the water there. We have a well & low water pressure so we just leave the hose on at all times with no issues over the last few years. We also use straw around the plants and it does well keeping everything very moist. We usually have some left over that we use. It also really helps to keep the weeds down if you put some newspaper down under the straw around the plants or some paper bags, and it all composts by the next season! Our other system that we are not currently using (although I wish we were) is my uncle had set up a pump by the stream on our property and it pumped water up the hose across the whole yard to the goat barn, chicken yard, and garden area for watering. Although I know most people probably don't have access to a stream on the property, if someone has a good rainwater collection system or saves grey water for plant watering I could see a pump like that being useful. The only reason we aren't using it now is the pump was very, very old and needs to be replaced. It's on my (long) list of things to do! This is an old photo and shows only 1/3 of the gardens but you can see the straw that we use to keep moisture in and weeds out. We place a sprinkler along the side of the fence, mounted up on the top. We are changing out gardens this year to instead of three seperate large areas, we're just fencing in one area. I felt like it was wasting a lot of space in between the garden areas and I was getting annoyed having to walk between three sections dealing with all the gates. I have to say I'm a "no fuss" gardener. I don't like to spend a lot of time weeding or watering since I have so many other chores and projects so I like to set everything up, do a little work here and there to maintain it, and enjoy the results!

 

[CedarAcres]

Great setup! We do something close to this but my hubby made our own sprinklers with five gallon buckets filled with rocks a PVC pipe fitting for the hose and a seven foot tall PVC pipe coming up from the center of the bucket. It then has a cheap sprinkler on top. Our garden is so larger that a water system big enough was crazy! The lady in question lives in the desert so I was worried about burning her plants with this kind of watering system.... But the straw and newspaper for sure are great ideas ! Wonder how much heat the straw would hold in? I know NOTHING about desert gardening lol! We are all just brainstorming for her " embryo" garden. Where do you garden?

That's a neat sprinkler idea! Does the extra height help the range of the sprinkler? I'm sure we'll have to revise our system a bit once we switch all the fences around.. once it's all one area we might need to mount the sprinklers in the center higher up, rather than the edges because it will be too big an area. We're in Connecticut, so no desert knowledge here! Was just about to ask where you are from and then I saw your name! haha

If heat is an issue, then maybe eliminate the newspaper and just straw or even another type of mulch to just help retain moisture. And burning the plants with watering during the day would be an issue. Maybe a soaker hose system? That way it spares the plant from getting burnt. A really good deep watering the night before and in the morning so that the water really has a chance to seep in and the plants get a chance to absorb it, and then maybe a few times with the soaker hose throughout the day. You guys probably already discussed all of this! I did not read the whole thread.

 

[chicken-lady13]

Ok ! I was born & raised in Tennessee. I met and married a good old Kentucky boy & have lived in Kentucky for 10 years now. We are about 45 min. from Louisville . My family in Tennessee is in the nursery business in which they do very well. The lady with the green houses , maybe u can eventually add another house. Plants are for sure in demand and maybe in your area the demand is great and people proubley really like the ideal that yours are locally grown and organic. The lady with the raised beds in Arizona , I think your beds look great ! The mesh and news paper ideals are really great ideals to help you out with your difficult growing conditions. Best of luck to u ! U did say you have a drip system in place didn't u ?. That will really help u out with the moisture problems. Great Ideal ! Hey to Kentucky chick! I don't think we are to far apart. My soil is a mixture of really good rich soil and clay. I just avoid the clay areas on my property. I still have about 4 tomatoes from my garden left to eat. I hate that because I love them and next harvest seems so far away. I really like this thread and will be checking in regularly.

 

[mara1]

Well I'm jealous love Tennessee and Kentucky. Was down in the Smoky's late spring. Even seen some mommy's with cubs.

 

[kentuckychicks]

Holy Crap!!!! Cocoa took FOUR count em One Two Three Four unassisted steps just now!!! They were shaky wobbly and she look as if she had drank a fifth of vodka but I'm so excited! Took her back to the vet for her second round of steroids today so three hours later we have some improvement! We are to keep up the therapy we have been doing and go back for a third round of steroids in a weeks time.

Is it work? Yes! Do I want to do leg stretches and massages like 50 freaking times a day? Not so much! But when her little butt took her first four steps at 12 days old I was beyond happy and sooooo work it! It's like freaking Christmas !! Lol

 

[kentuckychicks]

Ugh sorry my smart phone thinks it's smarter than I am! I'm from Kentucky but I'm not illiterate I promise! : ) lol

I'm just so excited and I just can't hide it! ......Aaaaaannnnddddd now I'm dancing around singing that! I really am the crazy goat lady!

 

[mara1]

oh I assume its a goat. Okay I'm happy for you. Steroids can be a wonderful thing when used properly.