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  • From: Richard Moyer <ramoyer AT gmail.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Market-farming Digest, Vol 100, Issue 2
  • Date: Sun, 1 May 2011 13:38:04 -0400

Joan,
Here's some of my ideas, from observation and experience:
Was at a conference where David Stern, garlic grower in NY, show pics
of their system to gravity water his tomatoes with drip.
If I remember right, they built a strong platform behind a high shed,
put a large tank on it, then guttered water from the roof of the shed
into the tank. The elevation of the platform created enough head
(water pressure) to drip irrigate their tomatoes without pressurizing
the tank. So I suggest you elevate your pond water high enough, at
the garden, to increase flow. Is it too far to pump from your ponds,
with a (low volume?) pump, (at night?), into a large, elevated tank by
your garden? 300 gallons way too small for 1.5 acres, unless you have
a Gunga Din on staff.

More ideas:
Not sure if it would give you enough pressure, but do you have a
tractor with a loader, or some sort of boom pole, whereby you could
set your 300 gallon tank as high as possible, to speed outflow, on top
of any platform you have or could build, whether of soil, rock or
metal or lumber? Can you thereby drain your 300 gallon tank quickly
into a larger, elevated tank by the garden?

Also, do you have any building with a roof or any trailer with a roof
you could move and secure onsite, whereby you could catch rainwater
into one large, or a series of tanks or barrels at the 1.5 acres?
Not sure your situation, but some of that time spent in hauling water
could be spent in creating roof space at your garden, when you do get
occasional rains. Even a tarp stretched tight, one corner low, can
deliver a lot of water into an opening, but erect that with any
rainstorm winds in mind. Before our current water system, we
irrigated with plenty of pressure for drip from captured rainwater,
200 gallons tanks in series, below our chicken house built on a low
hill.
Some folks put header lines on both field ends of drip lines, to
ensure adequate delivery of water all along the drip line.

In summary, find ways to elevate your water at your garden, perhaps
ways to increase your storage capacity at the garden as well, as 300
gallon is way too small for 1.5 acres. Consider catching and storing
rainwater. To avoid evaporation from bare soil, consider mulching,
and methods to quickly close the plant canopy.
Enough of my babble, other please join in with what you've done or seen.
Richard Moyer
SW VA, where our record spring runoffs (yet again today) are coursing
toward farms along the Mississippi River watershed.

On 5/1/11, market-farming-request AT lists.ibiblio.org
<market-farming-request AT lists.ibiblio.org> wrote:
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> 1. need help for water delivery (Joan Vibert)
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> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 01 May 2011 10:54:24 -0500
> From: Joan Vibert <joan AT windwalker-farm.com>
> Subject: [Market-farming] need help for water delivery
> To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Message-ID: <C9E2EC60.95B6E%joan AT windwalker-farm.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Our new garden area, about 1 1/2 acres, is in a remote location (but the
> soil is great!). It is very near to both of our ponds and we plan to pump
> water from a pond for irrigation. Right now we are filling a 300 gallon
> plastic water tank and hauling it out to the garden and letting it gravity
> feed, which is very slow and frustrating. Its fine for a single row of drip
> but we have way too many rows to deal with it this way. My question is: is
> there a way without electricity to pressurize this tank to deliver water
> faster? I?ve googled it but am not finding the right info ? or at least I
> can?t understand it.
>
> We have a good pump to bring the water out of the pond and into pvc pipes.
> I just don?t want to have to listen to the pump run all of the time when I?m
> out there if I don?t have to.
>
> Hoping someone has good guidance for us -
>
> Joan
> Windwalker Farm
> Ottawa, KS
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  • Re: [Market-farming] Market-farming Digest, Vol 100, Issue 2, Richard Moyer, 05/01/2011

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