Test Your Irrigation IQ

Courtesy of Wally S., Wally’s Market Garden, Pleasantdale SK

This is a burning question among new and experienced SPIN farmers alike.Get ready for the answer that drives everyone inside and outside of farming crazy: It depends. Your choice of irrigation will depend on lots of factors, including your type of soil and operation.

I use hand watering methods most of the time. I am not a big fan of mechanized systems  and specialized hoses because they are expensive and require management and maintenance. They might make you feel clever, but if you analyze the effort that goes into them, you might find they don’t really earn their keep.

Another factor to consider is potable water.  Many of you know my story, and that a big reason for my becoming an urban farmer was to ditch my expensive and elaborate irrigation system that depended on fluctuating river levels.  Now, I just turn on the tap. Potable water is the single most important issue when selling produce that is eaten fresh, because water can be the source of contamination, and using municipal water greatly reduces this risk.

Below is how I handle it for my multi-locational  an urban/peri-urban  11,000 sq.ft. farm.  But just because I prefer to hand water doesn’t mean other methods are not viable. These are the broad categories of crops just as a starting point.

IRRIGATION METHODS FOR SPECIFIC CROPS

Carrots
> > Overhead for germination
> > Flood irrigate during growing stage

Cucumbers
> > Overhead hand water with brush attachment around the plant

Leafy greens: Lettuce, chard, spinach, others
> > Flood irrigate by letting the hose with brush attachment lay on the ground. Move around to cover area. (mostly).
> > Overhead hand watering (sometimes)

Fresh herbs
> > Overhead, hand water
> > Dryland

Night shades: Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, egg plant
>> Flood irrigate
> > Do no use overhead since it can cause disease issues with these crops

Pumpkin
> > Overhead, hand water with brush attachment around the plant

Radish
> > Overhead hand water with brush attachment

Summer squash
> > Overhead, hand water with brush attachment around the plant

Winter squash
> > Overhead, hand water with brush attachment around the plant

 

Wally’s approach to irrigation is to keep it simple. He hand waters, mostly.

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