MIA on the Urban Homestead

My apologies for this longer than intended absence from blogging. My only good excuse is that I have been knee deep in homesteading activities such as canning and bringing in the harvest.

Closely followed by home repairs/restoration on my version of TOH. In short making hay while there is daylight.

This is the view looking down the garden path toward the backyard. The patio is to the left behind the PVC lattice almost completely hidden by green beans. Right foreground is a very good looking Zucchini plant that has only produced one squash to date (note to self plant in front yard for full sun). Chard directly behind is picking up the slack producing very well. To the far right is the row of Roma Tomatoes lined with Marigolds doing what they do best bug patrol. Hard to see but between the 'golds are onions both yellow & red.

Here is a really fugal version of drip irrigation. One of the many items that attracted me to DH was his collection of plastic pails & buckets that he had hoarded away after years of collecting but I digress sorry back to the subject of drip irrigation.
In short the concept is very simple - a slow steady drip of water that finds it way to the deepest portion of a plants root system, a small area of wet soil that extends down to a foot or more vs. a large soggy area that only extends down a few inches (surface watering).
Each container has a small hole drilled in the bottom about the size of half a pea. That hole I found was best to place about two inches from the edge. This works well when I place the container up close along side the plants stalk as well as the original area where the root ball was first planted.
Good method to deliver either compost or manure tea.
There are 13 Romas on that one plant ... now if only they would grow to a pound each!

~~ pelenaka ~~