Senda Verde Permaculture Eco Center

Tuesday 18 May 2010

Flood irrigation in the main kitchen garden

From Project. The kitchen garden pond and flood irrigation


Im hoping that I can use the natural irrigation channel that runs along top and behind the sloping raised bed kitchen garden. At the moment im using a tube to deliver water to the paths between the beds but its helping me to see the way I need to sculp the rest of the raised beds so that the water simply cascades from one swale to the next, back flooding I think its called.

From Project. The kitchen garden pond and flood irrigation
My mind is turning to irrigation systems as the weather hots up and I see that my loamy soil dries out very quickly. Ive got a timer and drip irrigation planned for the main poly tunnel, potting shed and new tomatoe areas, but I think for the kitchen garden it would be great to have a slow seep irrigation.

The ancient irrigation water course that runs right along the back of this veg garden is fed from the waterfall and I doubt better treated water to irrigate food crops could be found.
I was leaning on my shovel the other day taking a breather and I imagined the water tumbling down this massive 30 plus meter fall, the rocks, the pools, the pure nature of the surroundings and the water being totally in a natural ellement.
Victor Schauberger and Masaru Emoto theories were very much in mind when I thought of flood or slow seep irrigation, what a shame to stick this beautiful water into a black plastic irrigation tube when I can simply clear and repair the ancient stone canal and allow the water to caress only natural materials as it slowly seeps down from the high point through the land and into my permaculture kitchen garden.

Ive been enjoying the first salad greens of the year and they are exceptional confirming my belief that if we pay as much attention to the treatment of the water as we do to the treatment and creation of fertile soils we will see massive improvments in taste, hardiness and yield.

From Project. The kitchen garden pond and flood irrigation
Ive not done much to advance the kitchen garden pond but its doing its job, the garden is full of frogs and lizards, my 24 hour 7 day a week pest control.

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