Organic Gardening Info from Peaceful Valley

For Nevada County residents with old drip tape and poly tubing… recycle it at Riverhill Farm!

We’ve made arrangements with a recycler who will take used drip tape and poly tube to leave a bin at our farm to collect these materials for recycling.

If you have used drip tape and poly tube you want to recycle, you will be able to bring it to Riverhill Farm. The drip tape and poly tube need to be kept separate. You can now bring any old, damaged, unusable drip tape and poly tube and put it in the bin to be recycled into new drip tape and poly tube.  The bin is very large, so there is no limitation on quantity that you may bring.  It is in our parking area with easy access.  I expect it will be here for one week.

If you need directions to the farm, call me at 263-1886, or you can get directions from our website at www.riverhillfarm.com.  We are just three miles from Nevada City at the end of Cement Hill Road.

Alan
Riverhill Farm
13500 Cement Hill Road
Nevada City

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!