Improvements to irrigation on the way

We have been scratching our heads for some time about how to improve our irrigation,with lots of experiments of different watering techniques trialled, we are still finding our way through it all. Our soil is sandy and this means that it has poorer water holding capacity compared to other types so we have to apply alot when its dry. Our crops require regular watering because they are largely leafy greens, so making the irrgation of the beds effecient is a big challenge.

One big step for us this year has been the installation of a ring pipe around site, this was done with the help of the digger man who came along and did it in no time, totally amazing to watch! Anyhow, with this large diameter pipe dug in place, it will mean better pressure for us and easy access to water across the site, reducing time spent lugging pipes around. This is going to be linked in with 2 new water tanks that were delived  in April, which we are going to use to collect run off from our glasshouse. From the tanks it can then be pumped around the ring pipe and onto the veg beds through either sprinklers or drip tape.

We currently are trying out drip tape on more of the beds this year to see how it goes, so far it is coming in very useful for soaking the winter broad beans which are in flower and need plenty of moisture during this critical period to set good pods.  More to follow on this with pictures of the new tanks.