Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] How do you irrigate?

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: <clearviewfarm AT bluefrog.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] How do you irrigate?
  • Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:39:49 -0700

IMHO, whether or not you will need irrigation depends alot on the weather.  I think that variability in rainfall has a much greater impact on your need to water, than overall rainfall for a given season.  In other words, if you get copious amounts of rain early on, then it turns dry, your crop will suffer more than if it was dry all along (as long as the crop emerges).  That is due to a lack of deep rooting when there is plenty of moisture around.  Then, if it turns dry the plants don't have an adequate root system to go after deep lying water.  I have seen summers that have lots of overall moisture, show moisture stress when things dry out, simply due to the aforementioned circumstances.

Kurt Forman
Clearview Farm
Palmyra, NY 14522

--- sunnfarm AT netscape.com wrote:

From: <sunnfarm AT netscape.com>
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] How do you irrigate?
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:32:04 -0700

Southeast PA. soils are generally heavy and even in a very dry year without irrigation the reigon of Lancaster, Chester, Berks and Lebanon counties always have some of the best looking crops in the northeast. You probably will not need as much water as you think. I grew all types of vegetable crops on those eastern PA limestone soils for years without irrigation and never lost a crop. There is a usefull moisture reserve in the subsoil that gets you through dry spells as long as your not in a hardpan area. Here in NJ we have an aquifer 20ft down that gives us unlimited water, my 6" 80ft deep well capacity is 300gpm...Bob.

--- garlicgrower AT green-logic.com wrote:

From: "Alliums" <garlicgrower AT green-logic.com>
To: "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [Market-farming] How do you irrigate?
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:37:45 -0400

 

Hi, Folks!

I’m looking at a 7 acre property that doesn’t have a water source (unusual in Southeastern PA).  It has a well for the house, but nothing else.  Should we dig another well for irrigation?  Should we gather the water that flows to the bottom of the property into a pond?  If we do a well, should we have a holding tank and if so, how big?

 

I’m interested in what type of water source everyone else here accesses to water their crops.  Should I just look elsewhere?  This property is on a major road, so has great farm stand potential.

 

Thanks for your input.

 

Dorene in Phoenixville, PA (USDA Zone 6)_______________________________________________ Market-farming mailing list Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming
 


Netscape.  Just the Net You Need._______________________________________________ Market-farming mailing list Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming



Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page