Organic Gardening Info from Peaceful Valley

I have built a bottomless 4′x8′ wooden box to contain my soil block transplants. I intend to water them automatically on a timer. I am considering placing a lenght of 1/2″ poly tubing on wire hoops down the length of the box. I would like to directly insert fogger-mister(IRE200) in the tubing. My question is how many misters and at what spacing do I have to install them to evenly water the entire area of the box?

And, is it even possible to insert the mister directly into the poly tubing?

Olive & Citrus trees just arrived in stock here at Peaceful Valley and they are waiting to grace your landscape with their lovely foliage.

I had the opportunity to talk to Steve McCulley of Apollo Olive Oil, which produces world class, highly sought after oil. Their delicious selections have won many awards. What followed was an informal interview about how to grow olive oils, and what you might use them for.

Q. What do people need to know about growing olive trees, (ie. climate, establishment, etc.)?

A. The first thing to know is that they do well in a Mediterranean climate… they like hot dry summers and a wet winter & fall which we have here (Nevada County).

They establish best on drip irrigation, and if you are able to experiment with mist-ers instead of drip irrigation they seem to like that. Our neighbors have used mist-ers and it seems to work well for them. You can dry farm, but olive trees do best on drip during the summer.

The reason for this is that olive tree roots do not tend to go very deep, they stay just below the surface. Because of this it is better to prep the soil in a wide radius around the tree. You’ll want to rip the soil pretty thoroughly to give the roots a chance to spread. While not very particular, olive trees like rocky soil in general.

Q. Is it different if you are growing olive trees for ornamental reasons (vs. oil or olive production)?

A. It’s different for ornamental growing. You can’t really do anything wrong… in fact they tend to do well. I have eighteen 100-year-old olive trees on our property. Their not for olive production, but they have very nice foliage. The black olives can be nice for ornamental growing, but even without they are nice to look at.

Ornamental olive trees are very low up-keep. They are very drought tolerant, there are very few diseases, and do well on drip.

Q. How easy would it be for our customers to make their own olive oil?

A. Well, each tree that is fruiting can produce 50-100 lbs. of olives at maturity, which takes about 4 years. Pressing olives is very difficult, so most people would take them to a miller, who will generally have a one ton minimum. So, for most people it’s not easy.

It is easy, however, to cure your own olives. There are all kinds of methods and recipes available. We teach workshops on curing olives and it is really a great way to enjoy really fresh, really interesting flavors of olives. Mission is a good pick for curing.

Visit Apollo Olive Oil’s Site Here.

My fingers are still sore, my back hurts, and I tweaked my foot a little bit.  But I shouldn’t have to water by hand at all this summer!  All in all I would say that’s a fair tradeoff.

Following up on Amber’s earlier post, Spring is the time to get your drip irrigation systems in working order, or install any drip irrigation before the weather gets too warm (it will be upon us soon!).

This weekend I tackled my raised vegetable beds that I watered by hand last year, extending the existing ½” drip irrigation tubing from the yard around the beds.  Because my beds form a U-shape, this was fairly easy and straightforward.  If I can install them like a pro, anyone can!

Step 1: Connect/Continue ½” tubing and put an end cap on it
Step 2: Punch holes in ½” tubing and attach ¼” tubing
Step 3: End ¼” tubing with appropriate drip

It really is that simple! 

After three trips to my local hardware store for drip irrigations parts, the job is very very close to being done.  It only took me a few hours too!

Already have your drip system installed? 

Now is the time of year to flush it by unscrewing the end cap(s) and drip heads that can be removed, turning on your water for a minute to let it flush debris away, and then connecting it all back together.   This will allow any sediment in the lines to flush out, leaving your system clean and ready for another growing season.

Drip systems beat hand watering any day in my book…

Now that the days are sunnier and the weeks are drier, folks are starting to consider their irrigation needs. I installed my drip system last year about this time (okay, it was more like right before I planted tomatoes in May, but I could’ve saved myself a lot of effort hand watering if I’d done it earlier). The experience was more fun than I thought it would be, it’s kind of like playing with Legos!

The first step, if you haven’t done it already, is to draw a diagram of your garden area with measurements. Be sure to indicate where the water sources are. Next, figure out what you are going to plant and where it will live. A really good idea if you are intercropping or incorporating perennials into the plan, is to put plants with like water-use and fertilizing needs together.

After those important steps, you can decide on what kinds of supplies you need! Check out the Irrigation section of the catalog, each piece has really a good description about what it does, how it connects to the system, etc. When deciding on Poly Tubing verses T-Tape versus Soaker Hose and the accompanying parts, it depends on what you are watering. Beds with crops that are planted close together, like greens and carrots, like either the T-Tape or the Soaker hose. Beds with more space between plants, like Tomatoes or Peppers, do well with Poly Tubing and emitters.

Remember that drip irrigation is a good investment in the long run, and it takes some trial and error to create a system that works for your needs. Believe it or not, after figuring it all out and piecing it all together, the satisfaction of your accomplishment will be sweet!