People with acreage how do you water ?

[Nyboy]

@baymule and I, and I am sure a lot of other gardeners are facing a problem with watering. I asked @Nifty to add a section on irrigation.When you have acreage how do you water it? When garden is far from house what do you do?

 

[thistlebloom]

I do a lot of hose dragging. We have one frostproof hydrant next to the drive way, and two hose bibs on the house. One in front and one in back. Way, way inadequate. When it's been hot for an extended length of time, like this summer has been, I am almost unable to keep up with the watering. Have to get up at the crack of dawn so I can get most of the driest areas done before I leave for work.

I added up all the hose last winter when I was putting them away and I have a total of 725' altogether. One of those 90' doesn't really count because it's my work hose.
But I still have to drag it around!

I would love to be able to have a hydrant by every garden area, and one for the animals too. In the winter I haul the animals water from the house.

 

[Nyboy]

Thistle it is interesting how each part of country uses different names. You use hydrant and bibs. Where I am from a hydrant is only used for where fireman hook their hose to on street. Faucet is use for anything that turns on and off water, from sink, bathtub to garden.

 

[Smart Red]

I water new plantings their first year. After that it is God's job to keep things watered. To do this, I have a collection of water hoses and two mobile hose reels much like these. With about 200 feet on each reel and the ability to hook one reel to another, I have a pretty extended ability to water. There are few things on the property that I've planted further away then the hoses reach.

For the row of sugar maple trees between the small alfalfa field and the quarry, I put three 55 gallon barrels of water in the back of the truck and drove over there to water by the bucket. That would be my irrigation method of choice for long distance watering.

I keep hoping someday for water to be buried to the garden, the shed, and the pond, but I can make do until that time.

 

[thistlebloom]

Oh we have hydrants for firemen too, and the thingys on the house can be faucets, spigots or...hose bibs.

The hydrants I'm talking about have the vertical pipe that goes down below the frost line, and the water drains down when it's off so there's nothing to freeze when it's below, uh, freezing. They have a handle that lifts up like an old well hand pump.
You don't have those? Or do you just call them faucets?

 

[Smart Red]

The hydrants I'm talking about have the vertical pipe that goes down below the frost line, and the water drains down when it's off so there's nothing to freeze when it's below, uh, freezing. They have a handle that lifts up like an old well hand pump.
You don't have those? Or do you just call them faucets?

I call them "old well hand pumps" or just well hand pumps for the newer ones.

 

[thistlebloom]

If you want to go to a hardware store and buy one around here, they're called frostproof hydrants. I didn't make up the name, honest.

 

[ninnymary]

Oh we have hydrants for firemen too, and the thingys on the house can be faucets, spigots or...hose bibs.

The hydrants I'm talking about have the vertical pipe that goes down below the frost line, and the water drains down when it's off so there's nothing to freeze when it's below, uh, freezing. They have a handle that lifts up like an old well hand pump.
You don't have those? Or do you just call them faucets?

I really didn't know what you were talking about. The only bibs I know are for babies.

Mary

 

[thistlebloom]

I really didn't know what you were talking about. The only bibs I know are for babies.

Mary

I'm just trying to expand your horizons Mary.

 

[ninnymary]

Thistle, I'm learning from the best!

Mary