This 550-gallon water tank (8 feet off the ground to create a little water pressure) supplies water to the greenhouse, an outside water hose, the orchard drip system, and potentially the guest house. It can be filled with river water (superior for irrigation) or well water (available during the winter). Perhaps this winter I will finally install my solar water pump. The tank is a relatively small 550 gallons because the solar pump can produce only 350 gallons a day, as I recall. When drip irrigating the orchard, I will be filling and draining the tank every day. The platform has solid walls so I can store hay inside it.
Control valves at the bottom of the platform. On the right side are the three orchard drip lines. The water line to the greenhouse is buried. This winter, for the first time, I'll have to build a foam housing to keep this assembly from freezing. Up till now I've been draining the pipes after each use, but this will no longer be practical since I'll be irrigating the greenhouse every day.
Timer and filter inside the greenhouse. The jog in the water line is to raise the timer above flood level, hopefully. In the background is my 3000-pound "water wall" which keep the greenhouse from freezing at night.
Just like the Ark coldframe, the 3/4" water pipe feeds 1/2" T-tape. The water line at the very top irrigates the greenhouse whenever I irrigate the orchard. This water is under considerable pressure, and the little bottles prevent the water from spewing across the room.
Looking east. I'm using the garden hose with fan sprayer to water the new seedlings until they're well established.
Looking west. I've planted mizuna, beets, lettuce, spinach, chard, siberian kale, and red russian kale. On the right side are my three trees: kumquat, orange, and strawberry guava. Since the sun is so low during the winter, I can plant vegetables underneath the trees as well as next to the windows.
The fan sprayer has a built-in own valve, but such dinky little valves can leak, which will drain the water tank overnight. I've learned to rely on a standard 3/4" pvc ball valve to turn the water on and off.
That concludes today's greenhouse tour. I'm already wondering how I'm going to combat the aphids this winter.
This is great, Gordon! Having a Drip Irrigation System for your vegetation will greatly help you save on water, energy, fertilizer, pesticides, and labor costs. This irrigation system clearly makes sense. By the way, that huge water tank definitely helps too! =)
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