I’ve been thinking a lot about irrigation, and some of the things that I’ve learned from experience over the last couple months. My veggie patch runs right a long a drip irrigation line that I have set up on a timer, but I haven’t installed drip emitters or tubing in the garden yet – mostly because I haven’t really felt like committing to figuring out where exactly to put the drip tubing.

Along the way, I’ve figured out that a hose with a fan spray is the easiest way to water my veggie patch, but this is how I washed away all of my lettuce seeds.

A micro-spray waterer is much less disruptive to seedlings, but it also is slow to use and has to be refilled and pumped back up several times before the patch is watered.

A watering can is fast and easy, and they’re not all made equal. My favorite is the old galvanized watering can I found in my garage – apparently we had been using it to store rusty nails. But this one waters a little too fast, so water runs off my veggie bed and onto my pathway.

While we’re on the subject – raised beds in Livermore may not be the most water-wise garden layout. In my garden, I’m planting directly into a 3-4 inch layer of compost that I’ve been careful not to compress by avoiding walking on it. Instead, I keep to my pathways that are made out of 1-2 inches of woodchips and mulched leaves. So when I water my veggie beds, whatever water doesn’t soak straight into the compost runs onto the pathway.

That might be ideal where water scarcity isn’t a concern. I could irrigate excessively and not worry that my plants would drown (they do if their roots stay waterlogged for too long). Or if I lived somewhere with ample rainfall, my slightly raised beds would keep my plants safe from overwatering and the excess water would wick up into my raised beds. That all sounds perfect.

But, I’m in California, where we’ve experienced years of drought, and continue to see fairly light rain. My veggie patch is made of compost sitting on top of my native clay soil, which is held up by a retaining wall. So assuming we got enough rain that my veggie patch couldn’t absorb it all, the excess would just run out through the retaining wall. Really, what I probably should have built was slightly sunken veggie beds with slightly raised paths so that excess water would stay on the surface of the veggie patch and soak in where the plant roots are. Live and learn – this might be a weekend project soon.

Usually we travel pretty often, so I’ll eventually setting up that drip irrigation system, but for now, I’ve had great luck protecting new seeded beds with recycled clear plastic covers (a dozen Costco croissants anyone?) and then using the hose with the fan spray.

I’m happy to say that today all of this is moot, because it’s raining!