Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

That http://www.chapinlivingwaters.org/ is well worth a look.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 5/24/2007 at 2:14 PM Ken Hargesheimer wrote:

>Bucket Drip Irrigation     The bucket must be suspended at least l meter
>above the ground.  A tube is connected to the dripline and the other end
>is placed in the bucket to siphon the water out.  Assuming the bucket is
>20 liters, fill it twice for each row of vegetables.  The dripline can be
>moved to another row for irrigating.  Each row of vegetables is irrigated
>every other day.  Plant a row of vegetables on each side of the dripline
>and use 40 liters of water.
>
>  Bucket Kits  The key to the simple drip irrigation system that we use is
>the gravity fed "bucket kit".  The bucket kit consists of four 8m lines
>[or two of 50 ft or one of 100’] of drip tape connected to a bucket
>suspended 1m above the vegetable bed.   Water is poured into the bucket
>and is evenly distributed to 100 watering points.  By filling the bucket
>twice a day, a small kitchen garden can be watered.  Studies in Kenya have
>shown that two of these kits can provide the water needed to produce
>enough vegetables to feed a family of seven during the dry season.  These
>bucket kits are available in most countries (US$15), save water, save
>labor, and are easy to use.  Go to Chapinlivingwaters.org.
>
>  Using sleeves
>  Farmers in Honduras invented a VERY cheap drip irrigation system. They
>buy the regular black poly hose. Then they punch holes in it where they
>want them with a nail or ice pick.  A hot nail is best.  Then take short
>sections  [5 inches] of the same hose, cut it lengthwise to form a sleeve,
>and place a sleeve over each hole. This sleeve applies pressure to the
>hole, only letting a little water out, like a drip. This technology is
>quite cheap, VERY simple to do.  Maintenance is also simple, because if a
>hole plugs up, you can often unplug it merely by taking the sleeve off and
>then replacing it.
>
>  Using screws
>  Farmers in Nicaragua are using cheap round tubing and wood screws.  If
>drip tape is unavailable, this is a great alternative. We tried it with
>great success.  The screw is inserted completely into the tubing at each
>planting location so that it protrudes through the opposite wall. It is
>then backed off to allow water to drip through that side. The flow is set
>by screwing it in or out as needed. This even allows for variations in
>pressure due to terrain.
>
>  Pin holes for drip
>  I am wondering if a dripline could be made by using a hot pin or very
>small nail, etc. to punch holes in the poly tubing. I mean really tiny
>holes.
>
>  Ken Hargesheimer
>  minifarms@gmail.com
>
>
>Michelle Kuhns <chimellers@yahoo.com> wrote:          Ken,
>I would be very interested in ways to make your own drip irrigation.
>Please pass it on!
>
>thanks,
>michelle in Tucson
>
>