Drip Irrigation Systems For Container Gardens

Drip Irrigation Systems For Container Gardens

Tube watering can place less stress on a plant such as this Armenian Cucumber vine.

My vegetable garden is facing summer and with it comes the fierce heat that often destroys most of these tender plants.

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In my quest to prepare for this event and preserve as much of my hard work as possible I installed a simple drip irrigation system on my balcony.

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You see I garden in containers. My watering chore starts in the kitchen of my tiny apartment. It is brought in from the sink and carried to the vegetable bearing plants on my patio.

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A Place For Reflection

I garden for self-sufficiency and survival. I garden for peace and pleasure. It can be a place for meditation and reflection. The effect of this garden’s energies and her inhabitants are a much welcome distraction in a world that is hate riddled and filled with violence, ignorant nonsense.In this place I have my little, green plant friends sharing their gifts with me. The flowers are their smiles. The fruit of this labor is a nutritional addition to my diet and those of my family. These are my rewards. They are a welcome time out in my hectic schedule. The plants are arranged in an attractive fashion that is practical and decorative. It is labor of love project. Always changing. They do their growing thing while I observe. I want to keep them around as long as possible and enjoy their activity. I would rather watch my plants in action than most television programs these days.

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Before the drip system was installed, the effect of water pouring from the bucket drove deep wells into each container. This leads to soil erosion and delicate roots being exposed  in some cases. I would eventually have to replace soils in each pot. With the drip system, this is reduced to a minimum and the water source is dribbled directly to the root systems. From here it can be collected by the plant and processed. The tubes and supplies are inexpensive and the assembly is not complicated. My project cost just under $60 for the lines and the pump. It took just under a 2 hours to set up.

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The results? I now can carry those same buckets to a reservoir. From there the water is pumped to the sensitive root structures and I save on soil and watering time. 

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I am still fine tuning this system. I was a bit sloppy in the set up. The drip tubes spray here and there where they are connected to the main line, but I just arrange a smaller pot to catch the over spray so the water is salvaged. In time I will have all of it directed where it needs to be. My next step on this will be the addition of a misting system…

 

Related Articles on www.Squidoo.com from this author:

Growing Armenian Cucumbers In A Window Box

Creating A Miniature Vegetable Garden

 

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Side Tracked – Preparing Survival Garden

The garden at 10 weeks is flourishing! It is a simple process just don’t forget to water and do not over water.

Over the last few weeks I have not been here because it is spring and time to garden.

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I have set up my survival garden in containers once again on my small patio.

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Though I have not recently written here on this blog it does not mean I am not writing. I am simply side-tracked on another venue.

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The issues I am facing in my garden at this time are the watering routines and watching out for pests. All in all it is a nice adventure and I would love to share some of my activity with you.

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It is important that you grow your own foods.

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In the turbulent attitude in our world, there is change on the horizon. This means higher food prices and the possibilities of certain food contamination. Growing your own vegetables and fruits allows you to control the amount of chemicals that soaked up by these plants and ingested eventually by you. Most of the produce  in a regular market were picked green and then gassed and sent to the store. This leaves them with very little taste and ingredients that are not good for you.

Home Grown Foods Taste Better

They certainly taste better out of a home garden. Plus, being outside in the fresh air and enjoying the energies of not only the sun and plants alike is a good activity. It helps remove us from unimportant, stressful nonsense and realigns our priorities. The activity is good for our circulation and certainly the foods we will be gathering is healthier for not the way we grow them but because of the efforts we put into the garden.  Just like making chicken soup, we are adding love to the product.

Experiment In Your Garden

I am experimenting with various plants for long term production. Among them are a couple of citrus trees and two types of berries. I added a grape vine as well, but am not sure how this is going to work out because I will have to restrict it’s growth for the time being. If I can and will get them to cooperate i will have a source for important vitamins with these treasures. At the end of the season while it is still a bit warm I will perform a technique on them that will help them be comfortable in the smaller growing area. It is a delicate procedure which involves trimming back the roots and pruning carefully. Bonsai can be applied to any number of plants. By retarding their growth, the various plants I grow will fit neatly into the tiny area I have available. The other benefit is that they will be easily transported in the event I want to leave my home. I can take them with me.

For additional information and tips on container gardening see the following links:

Growing Armenian Cucumbers In A Window Box

Drip Irrigation Systems For Container Gardens

Creating  A Miniature Garden

Are you considering a garden or do you have one now? I would love to see what you are growing!

2013 Garden In Containers

Section 4 of my container garden 2013 – Image: M Burgess

My 2013 survival container garden is in as of last week.

Well, its more of a hobby garden but once it gets going it gives me some great veggies!

It’s been some considerable time since I have posted and for that I apologize. I have been side tracked on other projects.

Speaking of sidetracked, my container garden was planted in just that manner…

New Plants For Garden 2013

I really had other plans but sometimes you gotta do what comes to mind and this was an excellent idea!

Coming home last Wednesday I remembered I wanted new Green Pepper plants and shot into the plant nursery parking lot. Little did I know I would be refurbishing my entire stash! My former plants were subjected to winter’s blast and did not make it through this season’s cold spell.

I love my little oasis in the desert. You see, I live in a brutal climate known as Southern Nevada. You tell me YOU can’t garden? Can you carry a bucket of water to a  porch? That’s how I do it! The majority of the work is setting the pots up with the soil and the planting. From there it is a cake walk. I find it a very comforting activity watching them grow tasty things. It is a good spot to rest in and just enjoy them.

For a beginning prepper, a garden is something that may be over looked. It is an important piece of your shelter at home planning. Plan and tend it well and it will be there when you need it. I plant tomatoes, peppers, and other goods that can grow small scale. I have two Guinea Pigs and myself so this small garden is adequate for our needs.

Lemon Tree Blossoms 2013
Image: M Burgess

I have a citrus [lemon] tree in a large pot just because I want to see if it flourishes. And it has. It is now over 2 years old and budding like crazy! God willing the wind will not knock the tiny lemons off from it and I will have them on hand. To me it is a Vitamin C plant. That’s why I chose it.

What do I need for sure to cook with that is fresh and cannot be bottled, preserved, pickled, or dried? Those are the thoughts behind the plantings I do.

What inspires your garden?

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