Irrigation is something all plants need. In a bucket farm or garden it is a critical necessity. Some people go to elaborate lengths to achieve this simple task. I prefer the simpler methods my self.
Make watering devices from common household junk. It is cheap, easy & serves the need without expense. I like to use 1 & 2 liter soft drink bottles as water supplies. I fit them with inexpensive PVC fittings attached to a piece of ½” PVC pipe cut to 12”. I cap off the pipe at the bottom end, drill 6-8 1/8” holes in the bottom 4” of the pipe, cut the bottom off of the bottle, jam the pipe into the soil in my bucket about 6” deep then fill the bottle with water. This irrigates the plants with little or no mess. Once this is in place just simply re-fill the bottle as required.
Everyone has broken terra cotta pots around if they garden at all. Break the pots in to smaller pieces 2”-3” in size, soak these pieces in water then jam them edge down into the soil & cover them with about ½”-1” of soil. The water that they are holding will help keep your plants looking great! Remove them & repeat as needed.
Bucket gardens use buckets with holes drilled in them for drainage. You may also slip a bucket with plants into an un-drilled bucket ½ full of water. The water wick into the plant bucket and serve to irrigate it for several days. This ia a useful technique if you will be gone for several days.
As you can see using common, ordinary household junk can be easy, cheap & a good way to go when bucket gardening or farming.
Copyright © 2009 Donald R Houston, PhD. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the author's consent.
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Comments: 3
Good info and not hard to do. Thank you.
Good stuff ,Donald.