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Another example of working with a space, with the moment of flowing water, to design systems that help distribute and equalize water into soil. In this case a gently running hose can provide all the information one needs to sculpt a pathway to distribute water across an entire relatively level high tunnel. It can be adjusted and edited and refined over time, and quite literally in this case, was done with sharp stones and old bones. Some seriously old school techniques here.
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Happy growing!
38 Comments
Another great video! I watch your videos every night before bed.
When you get down too far to continue removing soil from the trench, you could build it back up with compost. A great way to fertigate the crops
I love the "hands on/or in approach" 😆
I need to do that in my raised beds as well as around my fruit trees so that at least when it rains the water is distributed where it can best be used so that water isn't wasted washing over grass down to my neighbors property.
We have been thinking about how to best distribute water into our tropical greenhouse and this was an idea we had and after seeing this in practice we are going to give it a try too thanks for the video Sean!
I know you don't like to add new plastic, but you can also use some kinds of drip irrigation with gravity fed irrigation. Flag drip emitters will work with less than 1 psi. It's very slow, but that doesn't matter because you aren't there watering the plants. Space the emitters every 6 inches, and it waters itself.
Your soil is so different from mine. I had nothing much more then dirty beach sand when I moved in here. Most of it initially repelled any water. The water would ball up and just sit on the surface or run downhill if there was any grade at all. I could use with a little of that clay you have.
A great way to save time and labour by using gravity to help water and letting the rain in as well. When you discuss the plants I'd love to hear about how you over winter the figs as I got my first figs this spring and am not sure what to do with them this winter. Great info! Thankyou!
The water manifold that you are using as a valve is a choke point in your water system. If you look inside the ball valve itself is half the diameter of a hose reducing flow especially in a low pressure system like yours. I appreciate your videos and learn alot
Love it!
I don't know how you can get away with figs inside the tunnel. I know I'm way far south (Arkansas) but the figs in my backyard near Memphis, in one year would be close to 15 feet tall, and of similar diameter. I think my soil was tooo good, with excessive nitrogen for them as they grew huge, but not a lot of fruit. I probably need them in some kind of container to keep them smaller and force them to fruit. Someday. Anyway, lovin the videos, and keeping up after watching the Verge series.
My first thought for the watering would be.. gravity fed drip irrigation, fed from say a 30-50 gallon elevated tank, filled via solar pump. It's not completely passive, but about as good as you'll likely get, without living someplace with a significantly elevated water source such as a pond 10s of feet higher, or from a flowing creek or river via ram-pump.
Do you have any recommendations for working with and improving heavy clay soil? I live in Arizona and just don't know where to begin when it comes to amending it.
I've learned quite a bit from your videos. Thank you for sharing the knowledge. Greetings from Costa Rica.
❤❤❤
Can you imagine how much fun a child will have in this area?
Folks press the like button.
Genius!
Why not just put in gravity fed drip irrigation?
Thank you. I love this idea for watering 🙏🙏🙏
I think I'm inspired; thank you!!
I've said this before – well, I wrote it – I love the slow flow of the water. I find it SO relaxing. It's such a gentle caring for the plants and ourselves. Your kid is going to have a blast playing in the dirt, though your dirt is very rich and not really dirt. Take care! 🤗💛🤗
Is that a one year old currant seedling at 8:39? I just bought some seed, and also harvested some fruit for the seed this year and I don't know how much growth I should be expecting first year! Hope you guys enjoy the rest of the season, can't believe it's already August 😆❤
Irrigation trenches have proven themsleves over and over… Nice to see you ’under engineering’ them ! Thinking of soil life, aĺ over distribution of wqter is important. That’s why myndrip irrigation (i don’t get rain at qll in summer) is very close knit
Barefoot and barehanded participating in creation, love it!
Great video there eh! Found this very calming to watch and what a great idea for future gardening… thanks for sharing
I felt a slight twinge of jealousy over the absence of chiggers in upstate NY while watching you move swales with bare hands and talk about being barefoot in the garden.
Simple, but labor intensive process to distribute water.
Beautiful!❤🌿💦
Water would drain away in the sand at the south side of my greenhouse. While I was rebuilding the foundation and it was dug out, I put down a water barrier and a flexible perforated tube from one end to the other. Now I can fill that tube with water and it saturates the soil from the bottom.
Interested to hear how your ginger responds to more intense watering. I hadn't appreciated what a difference this makes to some plants until recently. We have had a very wet 12 months and it is just past mid-winter. I was running low on potatoes and remembered there had been some purple fleshed fingerling potatoes in a bed I'd forgotten about that gets little sun. Wasn't expecting much but instead I got an amazing harvest and some of the fingerlings were double or triple their normal size. They obviously loved the wet that has turned the grass to moss. Not necessarily the case with other types of potato I guess. These are real survivors. .
This was just what I needed in the middle of the work day – paleo water play. Obv, it's a great idea! The tomatoes look so good.
I never ever go wrong watching EdibleAcres and so many of these vids I can watch many times the info may seem low or basic to some that Shawn gives but that is so far from the reality. Just in this vid there are at lease a few hours of study if you look at it simple and clear. Alas just look at the insects around the garden and the Ants crawling over things, what do you see??? in this ?? What do I see plants that a little insects have no worry about climbing around and being dead 10 seconds later, for jut push the little guy aside and say thank you pick the tomato or what ever eat it and give back the little waste piece to them to enjoy until next time…..aaaaaaaahhhh beautiful and so relaxing
That is a gorgeous food forest!
Random question, around 8:43, a plant with beautiful pinnate compound leaves (I don't know the right botanical term) appears on the left side of the screen, it looks taller, with a woody stem. Would you share what plant that is? Great video. It reminds me of being a child, in a lovely way. 🙂
You have inspired me so much , because of you my husband and I built our first high tunnel . You responded to my question regarding the tarp . I lost my husband during Covid. We only got to enjoy the green house together for a couple of years before that happened. Just wanted to say THANK YOU !! I’m doing my best to carry on with it . Keep inspiring others!
Great tutorial! I will try to build this in my hightunnel as I am fed up hand watering with cans of my valuable rain water for hours twice a week. It is so exhausting.
Thanks for the inspiration! Really nice natural technique
I love this idea! Thanks😊