Since the weather has finally begun to warm up there was a lot of focus put into setting up drip tape around the farm. Heather, our field supervisor, showed us how she builds the overhead irrigation with PVC pipes and different water headers. When working with both types of watering systems, the way in which the water pressure is distributed is pretty important. If there is too much pressure in a drip system then they can become loose and fall off from the main line or burst open and create leaks that are a hassle to fix. With overhead, high pressure is needed in order for it to work effectively. To make the water pressure stronger you can use a PVC pipe larger in diameter for the base line and have pipes smaller in diameter that fit into the base which serve as the headers for the sprinklers. Along with that it is important to calculate the diameter of the water distribution within each sprinkler and space them accordingly so you can save water and evenly reach all the crops.
We transplanted 3 full beds of corn, continued harvesting radishes and salad mix for the market stand, and thinned baby radishes that were direct seeded into the field. The extra sprouts were used in the salad mix to add spice. There was a wind storm that happened Tuesday evening and when we arrived at GRuB Wednesday morning the hoop house was nearly destroyed. So most of our time on Wednesday involved rebuilding it, setting up drip tape inside, and planting tomatoes and cucumbers inside. We also had a lot of volunteers show up and so we tackled a lot of beds with heavy weed infestations. On Friday we were slightly short staffed and weren’t as productive as we could have been with more helping hands. Drip tape was set up in all of the transplanted onion beds, each 100 feet long, 3 beds in total. We also seeded more lettuce, flowers, cucumbers, cilantro, and bok choy.
Next week is going to involve a lot more group weeding and harvesting of crops for the beginning of the season!
Be First to Comment