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Posted by SteveB on June 20, 2008, 2:45 pm
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>
>> I want to improve my garden. I need to protect it from the brutal winds
>> we
>> have here sometimes, and I would like to shade a portion of it. I am
>> going
>> to build a framework similar to those at plant nurseries. I would also
>> like
>> to make raised beds to make it easier to access everything.
>>
>
> Sounds good
>
>> I was wondering about the water system. I would like to have some
>> sprayers
>> from the ceiling, as I see this reduces temperatures, and soaks
>> everything
>> as from a natural rain. Is this a good idea?
>
> Overhead spraying uses up more water than ground level watering due to
> evaporative loss. With frequent use it can also encourage fungi by
> leaving
> the leaves wet, raising humidity and bringing up spores from the ground if
> it
> squirts that far.
>
> However some types of plants will do much better with raised humidity and
> the
> coolness produced by the evaporative loss - provided you can afford the
> water
> and other possible consequences.
>
> I know of a rainforest maintained in a gully by spraying at intervals
> round
> the clock in a climate that gets about 25 in per year of rain and would
> never
> support such a thing naturally.
>
> You have to decide on how much you want to grow according to your climate
> and
> how much you want to create a microclimate.
>
> Should I have the water
>> coming in from the top, plus some coming in pipes in the ground? My
>> garden
>> is getting irrigated spotty right now because the pipes flow into
>> trenches,
>> and then gravity takes it to the plants. The plants at the top of the
>> ditch
>> get more water, and if something interrupts the flow, the plants at the
>> end
>> don't get hardly any water. I want to make an even distribution system
>> so
>> that they all get a proper amount of water.
>
> Drippers or "leaky" hoses will do this and conserve water too.
>
> I would like it all to come
>> down from above so that when the water is shut off, it drains out, making
>> it
>> less likely to freeze come cold weather.
>>
>
> Cannot comment due to lack of experience with gardens freezing.
>
>> Ideas and experiences appreciated.
>>
>> Steve
>>
>
> David
Sorry, I should have added that water is terribly expensive here. We are AG
1 zoning, and the water bill is a flat $100 a year with no meter for a 1
1/4" line.
Steve ;-)
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