Drip System Conversion

Another guest how-to post from Tom...

When we first bought the house in 2004, we had a number of large-scale renovations done – central heat and air, new kitchen appliances, a fence around the property (at the time, to keep the kids in), and a sprinkler system. I'd had some experience installing sprinkler systems myself, having created the system for our back yard in the old house, but this was a major renovation for us, so we contracted it out. They installed a pretty typical system – sprays for the lawn areas, mostly sprays covering the fence border areas as well.

As we've worked to convert lawn into growing area, the old spray system became less and less appropriate. It threw a lot of water into the air, and did a pretty good job of spraying the driveway and the sidewalk. We did a little bit of renovation of the spray system to support the beds in the south garden, but a spray system was still very inefficient, watering the mulched areas between the beds as much as the beds themselves. Now that we're converting more lawn to growing area, and entering the "new normal" of California drought, it was time for a change. So, for the past month worth of weekends, I've been working on converting our existing spray system into a drip system. While it's fundamentally a pretty straightforward process, there are definitely some lessons learned.

A basic converted sprinkler head to drip line looks something like this:

Our old sprinkler heads were attached to 1/2" PVC risers, so we had to remove the sprinkler head, possibly add a higher riser, attach a pressure regulator, then a 1/2" PVC to 1/2" poly coupling, and then a length of 1/2" poly hose to act as a water main (secured with a hose clamp). The individual drip system components would then get hooked to this 1/2" poly hose main.

Before actually doing any work, my first step was to walk around the whole house, mapping out where the spray heads come up, thinking about where I'd like the 1/2" poly main lines, and thinking about the kind of drip emitters that would be appropriate to use for the different areas of the garden. Finding all of the existing spray heads was sometimes challenging – I had to turn on the existing sprinklers occasionally to see where they were, and to re-learn exactly which sprinkler system valves controlled which sprinkler heads.

Next, I had to cap off the vast majority of the sprinkler heads. Our old lawn sprinklers were installed around the perimeter of the lawn, about every 6-8 feet, and nearly all of them had to be capped. This meant excavating the old sprinkler head, installing a cap over the end of the PVC riser, and burying it again. I consider myself fortunate that we do not live in an area where the ground freezes, or I would have had to excavate all of the pipe, too. All in all, I probably capped about 40-50 sprinkler heads.

Pop-up sprinkler on left, cap on right

Installing the pressure regulator, PVC to poly coupling, and poly hose wasn't too hard. Based on some advice I got from one of the innumerable YouTube videos I watched about this, I used a little WD-40 on the end of the coupling to help get the poly hose onto it. I had to make sure to apply pressure in both directions (holding the coupling on the riser, opposing the force of the poly hose), so that I didn't snap the pressure regulator.

The ends of the 1/2" poly hose mains are secured with these easy little clamps – you just bend the end of the hose onto it. For drip emitters, I used different things in different areas:

The woodland garden, the pollinator garden, and a few other areas have some sprays installed on some risers.

The raised beds are getting some drip-a-long hose – 1/4" poly hose that has inline drip emitters installed every 12 inches. I also used this in some narrow areas along the fence.

It's important to use tie-downs to keep the hose on the ground

In other fence areas, a couple of strawberry patches, and a few other spots have 360º or 180º little microsprays.

Finally, I've got 1 gph (gallon per hour) emitters installed directly into the 1/2" poly hose running to individual plants, like the blueberry bushes and raspberry canes.

Elizabeth posted recently about learning and mistakes, and there are definitely some lessons learned from this experience. Here are some:

Pressure regulation is important. The pressure regulators are among the most expensive parts of this operation (about $7/pop), but they're vitally important. Without lowering the pressure in the system to about 30psi, you're just asking for those 1/4" hoses to come loose and your drip system to turn into a small fountain system. It's also important for the drip-a-long hose – without pressure regulation, the water comes jetting out of the emitters, instead of dripping out.

The right tool for the job. There are a couple of tools that will make this job easier. One is a PVC pipe cutter. Mine looks something like this:

In addition to working on PVC pipe, it works wonders on the 1/2" poly hose, making quick clean cuts.

The other little tool I got is used to punch emitters and 1/4" hose couplers in the 1/2" poly hose. I initially bought a cheaper punch, but it's nice to have a tool that you can put the emitter in directly, and so it just punches the hole and installs the emitter in one step.

Shopping. I like supporting our local hardware store, but for this project, I found I needed to visit that big orange home improvement store. Their selection of products was vastly superior (our local store just didn't stock things like the pressure regulators), and they had quantities that I needed.

You don't have to be perfect. When setting up the system, you'll be tempted to obsess over getting the various emitters to drip directly on the roots of your plants, but you don't have to be that obsessive – the water will get into the soil and spread out.

All in all, it probably cost us around $400 and four(ish) weekends to get this project done, but it's very satisfying. We've got the drip running in the mornings, and it's great to see water going directly to where it's needed, and not just all over the place. I'm especially looking forward to its use in the raised beds, where the drip-a-long hose gets the water right down into the soil, instead of spraying on top of the leaves and hoping the water gets down where it's needed.

Fair Food

If you came to this post hoping to read about the kind of food that is deep-fried and sold at County Fairs throughout the summer, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. The kind of Fair Food that I want to discuss is the kind obtained from farmworkers who are paid a living wage for their hard work.

I just finished watching "Food Chains," a movie about this issue. I saw it on Netflix, but you can watch it if you click the link, for .99 cents. It's worth seeing.

I guess if you had asked me, before I watched the film, what I thought about the plight of US farmworkers, I would have said something like, "I know those people work hard, for very little money." That was the extent of my understanding. I read a book a few years ago called American Way of Eating by Tracie McMillan, and at the time was pretty impacted by her experience of what it's like to work in the fields and in the stockrooms of large box stores. But I really hadn't thought much more about it. The reading I've been doing lately has been more about urban farms, and young folks choosing a farming life in areas that are food deserts. Honorable work, to be sure, but small farms don't supply huge conglomerates like Safeway.

After watching the film, I'm simply horrified. I cannot believe that people who work 12 hours a day, doing the hardest of jobs, get paid yearly about what I get paid for working 15-20 hours a week (and I get my summers off). How can you pay rent? How can you feed a family? How can you pay for healthcare? How can you have any pleasure in your life at all? Imagine picking strawberries every day, all day, for 12 hours, and taking home $40. Think of your back. Think of your weariness. Think about having to pay someone to watch your children during that time. Think about what you'd make for dinner on that income. Think about having to live in a tent by the side of a river, or in a trailer home with 3 other families, over an hour's commute from your work. Think about leaving before dawn and coming home far after sunset. Would you have energy to play with your kids? Help them with homework? Cook a meal? Get creative with three cheap ingredients? Talk with your mate?

Listen, I get tired picking peas for 15 minutes.

Something has to change. We've relied on migrant farmworkers in this country for far too long, starting with slavery, moving up through the influx of immigrants from Asia, through the dustbowl immigrants, into our situation now. I've contacted some people about how I can get involved and help, but at the moment, all I know how to do is vote with my dollar. Whole Foods and Trader Joe's have signed the Fair Food agreement (you can read about that here), but Safeway has not. Target has not. Kroger and Publix have not. (Wal-mart actually has - they signed the agreement in 2014.) The Fair Food agreement basically says that the buyers (not the farmers) will supply a penny more per pound of food picked - that penny goes right to the workers, basically doubling their income. It also supports the rights of workers to be treated decently, avoid sexual harassment and not get coerced into slavery. Yes, there have been incidents of actual agricultural slavery.

After watching this film, I'm glad I grow most of our own produce here at home. I'm glad that farmer's markets are becoming more prevalent, so that folks can meet the farmers who grow their food. I'm glad I have a choice where I shop. Unfortunately I shop at Safeway for non-food supplies, as well as some things like Nutella. I've never set foot in a Wal-mart, but I might start, just to buy those supplies that I can't get at Whole Foods, therefore cutting Safeway out of the equation entirely. I want the people who grow and harvest our food to have a dignified life, and I'm willing to put my money towards organizations who feel the same way. How about you?

Project FAIL

We make plenty of mistakes here on our hobby farm, and I think it's important to share them. Sometimes plants don't grow,  the deer get the choicest fruit, or bee colonies die. Things go wrong. In the now-immortal words of Taylor Swift (yes, I have a 'tween girl), I try to shake it off and move on, and learn from the experience (sometimes that's hard). One of the first things you realize when you start a garden - you can do everything right and still fail. And it's ok! The important thing is to keep trying, and rejoice over the successes (which by the way, far outnumber the failures, thank goodness). And sometimes, you set yourself up for failure without even realizing it.

For instance, this past weekend, I told Tom I needed a simple box made out of scrap wood. He started the project at the end of the day Sunday when he was bone-tired from working on the drip system. He tried to  knock something together. A little piece was wonky, so he tried to correct it; then another piece looked weird, and he tried to correct that, and before he knew it, the whole thing snowballed and he ended up winging it across the yard in anger. Lesson learned? Plan your project, don't just try to throw something together.

Now that I've had time to think about it, and watch the chickens more closely, I realize that they are doing just fine for their dust baths (a necessary activity for chickens, as it helps keep them clean and mite-free) by scratching down in the run and finding a nice patch of sawdust. No special box needed. I wish I had thought more about it before I requested Tom make one, as I could have saved him a great deal of frustration.

You can't see it, but there are deep holes in the litter where the chickens bathe

My own fail came when I made suet cakes for the wild birds. I've noticed the birds don't like the store-bought cakes; they really prefer the homemade ones, no surprise there! I made suet cakes this past Christmas with beef fat, and the birds went wild; I swore to always keep a supply on hand. This weekend I used the pork fat that Tom brought home from his sausage-making class. I rendered it in a huge pot, added peanut butter and birdseed just like last time, poured it into a dish and let it harden in the fridge. I added a slice to the suet feeder and waited for the birds to go crazy for it. Nothing. Not one bird visited. Then this happened:

Yuck

In our recent warm weather, the suet melted and dripped out of the feeder, and the whole thing fell apart. Every day our delighted dog goes out and licks up whatever he finds on the ground. I didn't realize that my homemade lard, without stabilizers, would drip away in the heat. I've wrapped up the remaining cakes and put them in the freezer, to wait for winter. Frankly, the birds have enough to eat right now without my help, as they showed me when they didn't even visit the feeder. Lesson learned? It's time to clean and store the bird feeders for the summer, as they can take care of themselves right now!

I tell this to my kids all the time, but it bears reminding ourselves as well: It's good to make mistakes. We learn better when we mess up. Success is wonderful, but it doesn't always provide the best lesson. Let's give ourselves permission to try, and keep trying!

Oh, and sorry for the Taylor Swift earworm. You'll be singing that all day. Another mistake. :)

The hills (and the gardens) are alive!

I just can't believe how much things have changed in the past week. We had a short but delicious rain late Sunday night/Monday morning, and since then temperatures have been heating up (supposed to be in the mid-80's this weekend) and life is bursting everywhere! Every time I go in to the garden, Western Fence Lizards scurry, native bees buzz all around, and butterflies and Crane flies whirl in the air, mating. New flowers appear every day. In the hills, the fiddlenecks have given way to vetch and native clovers.

In the garden, I can't keep up. New flowers are open every time I go outside.

cow parsnip

our apple tree

clematis

Douglas iris

forget-me-not

coral bells (or alum root, or Huechera)

ixia

mallow, about to unfurl

our namesake and the State flower, a California poppy

golden currant (Ribes aureum gracillimum)

salvia

sunrose

All this life makes me happy, but I do very much miss my honeybees. I'm so sorry they didn't make it through the winter to see these riches appear in spring. I wish they had lived! The garden just seems very quiet without honeybees. I do see one once in a while; I know a beekeeper about a half mile away, so I'm surprised I don't see more. Honeybees add life to the garden. My new colony will get some of the goods, but a lot of this will be gone in two weeks when they arrive. Oh well, different stuff will be blooming then.

I also found a new Fuligo septica (or 'dog vomit fungus') in the yard today. Turns out these aren't really fungi at all, see link for more info. I'm fascinated by them. They do almost always appear on wood chips, although I found my first one hanging off the side of the compost bin.

My seed potatoes arrived today. Or at least the first batch did, from Renee's. I think I double ordered and will also be getting some from Seed Savers. Whoops. And darn it, I think I ordered the same kind from both places.

They need a cool place to stay until I plant them next week, so they'll live in a corner of the bedroom for a while (honestly the coolest place in our house that's not our fridge).

Next week, new raised beds get built, and all the spring planting begins! Good times.

Living Wall, part 2

Back when we made our Vertical Strawberry Wall, Tom also prepared a second pallet for me. It's been sitting out on the front porch for weeks now. I'm sure my neighbors were wondering....  This weekend I finally made another living wall out of the pallet.

Our front porch is tricky; it's in shade most of the day, but around 3:30 the sun starts creeping up and by 4 the porch is in full direct sun. It gets about two hours before the sun starts dropping behind trees. So, not a lot of sun, but very hot when the sun is there. Plus the porch traps heat and in the summer can be quite warm. I've only ever been able to grow coleus in this location. so my original idea was a wall of coleus - which would be pretty, right? All those different leaves. But when I visited The Moraga Garden Center, I changed my mind. I hadn't been there in years and had forgotten how many interesting plants they carry there (thank you Jo for the suggestion!). The staff is knowledgeable and I had lots of help.

I got sidetracked picking out Lewisia for a different part of the garden - I've always wanted this plant and it's always sold out everywhere that carries it, which believe me isn't very many places. I scored three - one white, one peach, one pinky yellow.

But eventually I got busy picking out stuff for the living wall. I chose several colors of sedum and some campanula for the base plants, then added some different kinds of low-growing geraniums and fuchsias for accent. Kate helped me plant everything, and I think it turned out beautifully.

The thing I've experienced from the strawberry wall is that for a few days, dirt comes out. Gravity happens! It's a bit messy for a while, and then the roots start holding on to the dirt and everything starts to look cleaner. You could plant practically anything in a pallet - lettuce? If you've got a small balcony or porch, this is the way to go, I think. Regular containers are expensive!

In the vegetable beds, I pulled out the Asian Braising Greens as they were bolting. I fed what I could to the chickens and composted the rest. Then I seeded some carrots in that bed. The whole bed will eventually be carrots, but I plan to succession plant them so we get a harvest over several months.

Tom finished the drip system; it ended up costing about twice what we thought it would, and I'll let Tom tell you in a separate post all about the process. We both certainly have learned a lot. I'm looking forward to hand-watering only my containers.

I cleaned the chicken coop as I do every weekend. It takes about an hour. I don't clean the whole run: I am using the Deep Litter Method there and will only clean that out once or twice a year. But I do clean the hen house once a week. I pull out the soiled straw and add it to my compost bin, and then replace with fresh straw. I change the water and add food to the feeder. I rake the run and add another layer of pine shavings. There is absolutely no smell at all in the coop except for pine. The chickens are getting big, and every so often, amid the 'peeps,' we hear a 'BWAK!' They're growing up.

I spent a good amount of time today painting some new garden markers. I enjoy this task, and it was a pleasure to sit on the back porch in the sun and make another ten markers or so. Here's a few:

I can't tell you how many times I hear, whilst folding laundry in the bedroom, folks walking by the garden and saying, "What's that? Oh, I see, it's broccoli!" or whatever. Especially parents with kids seem to enjoy pointing out the signs and holding the kids up to look. I told Tom today, I used to hope people would stop and look at my flower garden and noticeably enjoy it. But that happened rarely. Since we put in a vegetable garden, not a day goes by that someone new doesn't stop and take a long look. It is my goal to make our vegetable gardens look as beautiful as our flower gardens, and show others that a yard planned this way can look wonderful. Hopefully it will inspire other folks to do the same.

Speaking of the flower garden, I planted about 50 sunflower seeds today, of five different varieties. Sometimes I have luck, sometimes not. The salvias are starting to bloom; I have them in every color, and I've never met a salvia I didn't like. Soon they will vying with the poppies for attention. Bumblebees and carpenter bees are all over the Western Redbud. I can't wait to pick up my new honeybee colony on April 11 (still hoping to find a swarm, though). Butterflies have started visiting.

And speaking of butterflies, here's a photo my co-worker took of a Pipevine Swallowtail, which are hatching in great quantities all over the property near our school. They are really gorgeous.

Isn't that a great shot?

Happy Spring! Hope you're able to garden, whatever your weather!