Automatic watering systems

[sweetcorn]

What's the best watering system to use????

I have two 1m x 10m beds on heavy clay, and was wanting to put in a soaker hose type system which will work automatically, fed from a water butt on a greenhouse.

Anybody use anything like that??

Can you extend if you want to use the system in other parts of the garden at a later stage?

[Alison]

Yes I do stuff like that but you have to be realistic as the pressure you get from a butt isn't that hot. Do a search and you'll find a fair bit of discussion re soaker hose etc.

[vegman]

You mention 'Heavy Clay' as the soil type. Maybe you would be better digging in planty of Garden Compost and in the Autumn a dressing of lime to help break up the clay. Clay in its self is fertile but just in the wrong form for plants to access it efficiently. Plenty of organic matter will do the job and build up good water retention like a sponge so watering systems shouldnt be necessary. Might take two or three years but you will bet the desired result.

[sweetcorn]

Vegman, that sounds encouraging. I have dug over thoroughly (one spade's depth) and incorporated muck and compost, and will be adding more muck and compost too into raised beds. I was going to test the soil to see how acid it is - isn't lime added to acid soils? Or have I got that wrong....?

I had heard that raised beds dry up really quickly tho ...

[vegman]

Hi Sweetcorn, Lime is used to increased a soils Alkaline content to suit what you grow. Generally vegetables require a "PH" of around 6 or 7 to grow well with cabbage family memebers needing a little higher at about 7 or 8.

PH is expressed as a number from 0 to 14 with 7 being 'neutral'. 180gms of hydrated lime / sq m. will raise the PH by 0.5. its best to raise the PH to the required level over a number of years rather than all at once. Lime should be put on the soil in the Autumn on rough dug soil and left to stand til spring.

Dont get too hung up on this subject though as most veg will give decent results in most soils.

If your raised beds are 'boxed in' and contain plenty of organic matter I find no reason why they should have a tendancy to dry out. The fact that one shouldnt walk on the beds except for winter digging allows the soil to have greater penetrable depth so the roots can go deep. Thats why generally speaking, plants can be spaced much closer together using this method give higher yields per sq. m.