Well, we've been working on our drip irrigation system with my dear family friend, Matt Mason of Artemisia Landscape Co. We've got over 100, 150-foot beds with double drip lines. I bought 5 miles of this brown tubing. And have been getting beds raised and the stuff in position.
Its been quite the wait for water this year. Our irrigation district has been piping our canals for the past four years and this is our first year under pressure. We've done away with our pumps and electric bills and are conserving 70% of our water to leave in-stream for endangered fish. Its been a fantastic project and much thanks to Mark Thalaker for leading us all by the nose... or kicking us in the ass.. however you look at it. Almost the entire project has been done with volunteer labor and large federal and state grants to pay for materials. I have very much enjoyed running the track hoe, pulling pipe with the bulldozer, helping my dear friend Glen on the welder, etc... A wonderful project in the winter to get to know my neighbors. In fact for two winters in a row I took an extra month off of graduate school to work in the mud and snow on the pipeline. And its all finally paying off!
The water and energy savings from the project also made our sub-district eligible for some irrigation system improvement grants. I got my drip system! Such a blessing for vegetables. But talk about a lot of work!! I'm so glad to be done with the PVC primer and glue. I was loosing brain cells every day, working with that stuff.
The water IS on, but I have to tell you that it came on over a month late due to dissension up the canyon about the completion of the project. It was touch and go for a while... whether we would have water at all. Needless to say, I was not eager to plant into ground with no irrigation. Not to mention in my greenhouse with no water. So, I'm feeling a tad behind what i was hoping for reasons out of my control. I have been making up for it. Totally took over my mother's garden and greenhouse in an effort to get my early start, since it wasn't going to happen on my two acres. So... I've got some photos below of things we got started that will fill our first boxes. Which are NEXT week!!!!! I am just keeping the faith that we'll have some gorgeous greens, and people will be forgiving of meager early boxes. I'm learning lots... and lots and doing my very very best.
drip line.... 5 miles of it.
Bak choi and Tat soi
beautiful Bok choi
Our resident great horned owl
Tomatoes in the greenhouse!!! Some already have tomatoes on them.
Darling robin eggs. They were little peepers with gaping mouths today.
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