One backup source, rainwater, could even be the primary source of water for your vegetable garden, as it is here at Liberty Ridge.
Pictured is our setup, with a corner of a raised bed in the foreground, and the irrigation system, comprising the red "pickle barrel" perched on the bed and several 1,500 gallon storage tanks in the background, connected by a 2-inch flexible water line. To water the bed, just open the spigot on the pickle barrel, and 50 gallons of water drain into the bed through a 50-foot soaker hose.
(Incidentally, the picture was taken in mid-May. The tomatoes in the foreground are now almost four feet high, caged, and starting to produce fruit. Can't wait for the first taste!)
In this episode, I discuss the ins and outs of catching, storing, and using rainwater to irrigate a vegetable garden:
- How much water can you catch from a rainstorm?
- How much storage capacity is enough?
- How do you connect your storage container to your catchment source (your roof)?
- How do you prevent algae and mosquitoes from growing in the water?
- - - - - - - -Pete Ferron