Its been a busy week. I've been enjoying my spring break by taking advantage of the extra daylight savings hour, riding my bmx bike the last 2 days after work, and I took today off to pedal a bike up Saddleback mountain. Spring is my favorite season.
Somewhere in there I also found time to get the irrigation system going in the garden. I made it out of 1/2 inch PVC pipe, some corner an T fittings with threads on top, some sprinkler risers and brass sprinkler heads. I used 12" risers for the sprinkler heads, I figured the extra height will help the spray reach over the garden once the plants are much bigger. I attached the PVC pipe to the wooden edge of the garden and placed sprinklers at the corners and the two long sides. I got the wrong fitting to attach the hose to the sprinkler system, so I had to go back to the hardware store (a couple times) until I got right. I added a second valve and a hose bib upstream of the sprinkler valve so I will have a hose right at the garden and I can use it while the sprinklers are off.
Once I got everything built I had a very fun time trying to adjust the sprinkler heads so they don't spray out of the garden, in the dark, getting all wet. I still have to fine tune it a bit. I have been trying to figure out the right amount of time to leave the sprinklers on. Some plants look fine and others look wilted and thirsty. I have a couple of cauliflower plants that I transplanted from my dad's garden that are the most wilted. I think they may be losing water because their roots only reach the top layer of soil, which dries quickly on these hot days. I think I need to get a bag of mulch to put over the soil, this will help keep the water in the soil by blocking the bright sunlight. I an technically only allowed to water with sprinklers 3 days a week, due to the water district's water conservation program. So I am hoping I can soak the soil on the watering days and have it stay moist on the non-watering days. I would like to grow my garden with as little water as possible while still keeping it healthy. I actually work at a water district so I am well aware of the importance of saving water.
I have decided to try starting my seeds indoors. I do some posts on that in the future.
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