Won't Use Soaker Hoses Again This Season

 
Last year I used soaker hoses for the first time to irrigate my
vegetable garden.  They worked great and I had a good crop.  The problem
is that living in town,  I'm on city water and sewer with a water meter.
Our sewer bill is based on our water usage even though the water used
never enters the sewer.  My combined bills for water and sewer were
super high using the soaker hoses.  I realize there are no free rides
but this season I will water each plant by hand with a measured two
gallon of water per plant each week depending on rainfall.  When I was
researching the use of soaker hoses,  it all sounded good.  In my
research,  soaker hoses were said to conserve your water usage but not
so as I have discovered in my case.  I was running two 50' soaker hoses
for a total of four hours a week.  My water and sewer bill more that
doubled!  I also planted far more crops than my wife and I could use so
I ended up giving away at least half of all the vegetables I grew to
friends and family.  Cost me a lot of money for a few thank you's that I
got!  This season I'm not going to over plant and only grow what two
people can reasonably consume.  I may raise a few tomato transplants for
my one neighbor.  Gave him eight plants last year and he showed his
gratitude with a case of beer which I didn't expect but was a very nice
gesture on his part indeed :)  Gave another neighbor eight plants also
and he let them all die because he didn't want to pay to water them at
all.  Guess this year he will have to buy all his plants at a nursery if
he wants any!  The funny thing is that after he lost all his plants,  he
ask me if I wanted to sell him some tomatoes.  I just gave him a bunch
of them.  The more I think about that,  I realize how dumb I was!  Won't
happen this year.  After he kills all his plants and wants to buy for
(free) some of my tomatoes,  I'll say:  sure $1.00 each.  How many would
you like?  LOL  Live, learn and get a bit wiser each year :)

Rich

 I have five rain barrels that gets me through between rains. Preserve those
tomatoes and will never have extra tomatoes again. Extra tomatoes also help
make great compost. Get a couple of hens and feed them your garden scraps
and get fresh eggs every morning.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R  (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

 On 12/26/2010 1:52 AM, EVP MAN wrote:

Now that you've learned that soaker hoses are wasteful, move on and try
proper drip irrigation which gives you drop-by-drop control over how much
each plant receives. AFAIK it is the most efficient method of irrigation
available. Add on an automatic controller which monitors soil moisture and
you will have the ultimate.

 
I don't think I'll have the funds for a drip irrigation system so I'll
no doubt use a gallon milk jug to water each plant.  I've read a few
articles on the net where you can bury half a soda bottle near the base
of each plant and use them as a drip irrigation system.  Perhaps I may
experiment with that method also.  You sure hit the nail right on the
head when you called soaker hoses wasteful.  Soaker hoses may be ok for
square foot gardening but with two - three feet between plants,  there
is just way too much water being placed where it isn't needed.
Hopefully we will get more rain this season.  Last year sure was dry in
my area.  I hope each season my soil structure improves also.  I have
heavy clay and this will be my third season working to improve it.  I've
been adding cow manure, compost, grass clippings, dried leaves in the
fall and most any other kind of organic matter.  I know it will take
time but I'm getting nice crops and it should improve with each passing
year :)

Rich from PA   Zone 5-6

 On Sun, 26 Dec 2010 01:52:48 -0500, White_Noise_1@webtv.net (EVP MAN)
wrote:


You don't say where you live (climate wise) so it's difficult to offer
explicit advice.  But in any event soaker hoses are probably the best
of any watering alternatives.  You'll use less water if you bury the
soaker hoses with a heavy application of mulch, you'll use less water
because you'll lose less.  Also the better your soil is amended with
organic material the more water it will hold and hold it longer. There
really is no simple/inexpensive work around with how your water/sewer
company bills but I know that many small town municipalities bill
exactly the same way (it's very common), they charge for town sewer by
how much water you use with no regard for how you use that water, if I
lived in town I'd have the same.  The only alternative I know of is to
drill your own well (if permitted), but if you're heavily into
gardening you'd do much better to move to a rural location.  Not
growing so much is an excellent idea regardless where you live, who
needs all that extra labor just for the luxury of being able to show
off all your give-away crops.  It's best to grow only what you can
use.  Contrary to what so many think the home vegetable garden over
time offers no savings, it's a big expense, it's strictly a hobby...
even farming professionally is a huge gamble.  With a home vegetable
garden over time you will have a few good crops but they need to be
weighed against the years when crops fail, and usually there will be
more bad years than good.  In a way you are fortunate that you need to
do a lot of irrigating, what do you think happens to crops when it
rains nearly every day.