Remember when I used to host public garden tours? Those days are over! But we can still spend quality time strolling the grounds here at Clover Hill. Today, for instance, I’d like to share with you a video tour of the Kitchen Garden. Want to see what potatoes onions, broccoli, and other edibles look like in their infancy? Wanna see a nifty but inexpensive watering system? To join the tour, simply press the “play” arrow below.
Well. That was fun! I hope you didn’t sweat as much as I did during the tour. Our spring weather has been…insane.
Now, at the end of the video, I asked you to tell me about your own garden. And specifically, how you provide water to it. Oscillating sprinkler? Drip lines? Soaker hoses? Talk to me in the comments field below. And, once again, thank you for spending time with me. I don’t know how I’d manage this quarantine without your online companionship!
xKevin
Hungry for more? Get my email updates.
Mary W says
I live in Florida – my watering system is easy – it falls from the sky. Now white flies and powdery mildew are a completely frustrating other story. Fifty years ago I was done canning my tomato sauce by now but this year – I’m finally seeing tons of flowers on my tomatoes. My cucumbers are spreading and filled with 6″ potential pickles. I’ve eaten my first acorn squash and patiently awaiting the watermelons to form. My Tulsi fills the air with sweetness and I’ve watched at least 50 swallowtail butterfly caterpillars be devoured overnight from my two fennel plants. That was 2 weeks ago and yesterday I noticed another huge batch of baby butterfly caterpillars on the tips of the fennel fronds. I have got my harvest guard ready to swaddle the plants at night. Began a worm bed and it is making short work of my kitchen waste and I’ve had a wonderful time with my 4 yo grandson letting him pick spinach, chives, basil, oregano, and tons of mint. He has learned the names of the plants and which we eat and which we only smell and admire. He LOVES stevia and fennel the most. Made plum jelly yesterday. All’s right with this little corner of the world.
LJ says
What a sweet read, this morning, Mary. Thank you!
We usually get plenty of rain in SW PA, but then again, sometimes we don’t. I had to give up most gardening due to my Wildlife Preserve.. A small herd of deer, groundhog or two, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks.. When they ate my asparagus, I finally gave in. Wildlife Preserve it is! 🙂
Mariayn says
Indy here finally getting the garden going..its been a struggle of weather 27 overnight in mid May and rain over 7 inches in May and then the squirrels oh those little buggers we made raised beds using vinyl siding 6feet x 2feet hoping for good crops
gloria says
Still sprinkler system and hose for individual plants-
BTW-
I made your garden supports, using two large pieces(I think nine by six?) of wire rebar,with heavy ties to make them stay together as well as folding over the tops and interlacing them- It made a perfect arch and was quite inexpensive- It looks great so we are on to three more before next summer!!
You always give us such great ideas!!
Sandra Payette says
Great video, Kevin. I saw your little write up in “Women’s World” regarding cuttings for hedges and how to save money. Well done! It was the April 6/20 edition. Do you have pesky squirrels digging in your beautiful garden? I have a battle going on now. I found a site that suggests putting coffee grounds around my flowers so I’m trying that. If you have anything that works please let me know. Many thanks Kevin. Love your blog. xo
LORIE says
I think our hard water eventually plugged up our soaker hoses. I am trying a sprinkler hose this year, turned on its side, with the (larger) holes covered with wood mulch. The water may be too localized to be effective for the whole bed, we’ll see. Hmm, suppose I could poke more holes??
Leslie O'Flaherty says
Totally inspired this year by your garden. I’m having raised beds built to replace my lawn (can’t eat the grass). It’s a late start but hopefully the season will be long this year. And I want to copy your watering system. It’s simple and it works. Thanks for the inspiration!
SarahBeth says
Good Morning from West Michigan, Kevin. Always happy to see your posts. My watering system is similar to yours, although not so fancy. I use a homemade set of soaker hoses to each of my 6 raised beds and the six round ‘muck bucket’ pots for my herbs, lettuces and summer squashes. It works well, but I sure wish it were a little more robust. After 10 years, it is constantly in need of repair. Maybe it’s time for a whole garden redo.
My gardens looked so fetching in their frost covers last night. 91 two days ago, frost last night. Arggg!
Just one thing…..PLEASE! Pull the garlic mustard plant directly behind you in bloom as you sit in your pergola. You’re in for a world of trouble if you let that nasty ‘Hanta Virus of the woodland’ go to seed! Stay safe, stay sane, and happy gardening!
Carol says
Good morning Kevin and his regular readers. Well it’s freezing here in Kitchener…brrrr!
I have to make many many trips to my balcony to water all my plants and vegetables because our water is so hard. I moved from Windsor where the water isn’t hard so this is a pain. Someone suggested I hook up a hose to my kitchen sink which is way across the honey blonde carpet of my living room. Do you or anyone of your reader’s have a suggestion on what to buy, specifically?
Thanks Kevin for another great morning.
Sandy S. says
Three years after moving to La Junta, Co., my wonderful daughter and her husband, came out this Spring and installed a drip line system in my vegetable garden, yay! Now, I have time to enjoy my early mornings and might even catch up with the weeding!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi SaraBeth – Garlic mustard is pulled. It’s a terrible invasive here!
Julie Culshaw says
I am still using the old-fashioned method of watering can. Takes forever. I used to water with a hose, but now I let the water stand in a barrel until it warms up and then do it by hand.
I also followed the square foot method of gardening and it uses much less water as you only water the plants and not the entire bed.
Katrina Spears says
Hi Kevin! I’ve never posted but I share you video to my online garden club for my neighborhood of 2k people so far (especially since we’re quarantine)
I love your water system! do you have 2 Water Lines ? I have an 1899 restored victorian in Chicago on a double lot however i only dream of the yard/gardening space that you have! Thanks for all of your tips!
Katrina
patrice caden says
I live in northern Canada and it’s still freezing overnight. I’ve been covering my planter box and so far so good. Invasive insects have been a problem. I partner planted marigolds with my veggies. I’m hoping it works and this year I get some zucchini. thanks for the garden tour Kevin. I always enjoy all your recipes and advice.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Katrina – Thanks for sharing this site with your online garden community! There’s only one main water line here. I dug a trench from house faucet all the way up the hill to the Kitchen Garden. Then I buried the hose in the trench. The hose is split into 4 sections to handle veggie beds. More splits provide water for the pool garden and woodland garden. Buried hoses are terrific. Nobody sees them!
Judy Hines says
What an inspiration you are! That new watering system is spectacular.
I plant basil (easy to just do seeds) between tomatoes and thus never get hornworms. Early on, Ed puts a thick layer of grass clippings over the soil which turns the garden into compost. We are ancient so are cutting way back on the number of tomatoes. When I dug the holes (using my kneeler) the worms were huge. We do stake the matoes…..water with one of those nifty sprinklers that you adjust so only the garden gets watered. We live out a bit so at times critters have feasted on the matoes — use Liquid Fence which STINKS and does a good job. No more Theuret’s — too difficult to negotiate going down the stairs to water, etc.
Our Farmer’s Mkt near us is closed this summer due to Covic — one of the vendors grows gorgeous Theuret’s.
Kevin
We had an amazing crop of asparagus this year — ferns are now abundant. I like to eat asparagus raw.
Mastergardener Mary Lucius says
Your idea of drip irrigation is “spot on”. You do not waste water in the air and you have less diseases on the plant leaves. I have tried soaker hoses and the weep holes seem to be less efficient over time. Also pressure is not regulated and the water flow is less at the end. For 10 years I have had two drip irrigation systems that I have installed myself, one goes slightly downhill and I have over 200 feet of line “snaking” through a number of beds. On the back of the house where I have another spigot, I have second system. The drip line I use has built in pressure regulated emiters (don’t get the line where you have to punch in the emiters) and I chose from a variety of spacing for the emiters and gallons emitted per hour. At the spigot end I use a simple drip filter which helps to eliminate sediment from my well which could clog the lines over time. The lines become “pressurized” with a PSI of about 20 to 35 PSI? At a school garden, the pressure was 90 PSI so we used a simple connection that reduced the pressure. The fittings are simple pressure fitting where I push the 1/2 hose over the end of the connector, etc. As a women in her 60’s I got the inspiration to do this from an article in “This Old House Magazine” which I have sure a library would have an archived issue. Depending on the rain, twice a week I turn on my systems for several hours and read a book on my deck.
Mary Lucius says
Your idea of drip irrigation is “spot on”. You do not waste water in the air and you have less diseases on the plant leaves. I have tried soaker hoses and the weep holes seem to be less efficient over time. Also pressure is not regulated and the water flow is less at the end. For 10 years I have had two drip irrigation systems that I have installed myself, one goes slightly downhill and I have over 200 feet of line “snaking” through a number of beds. On the back of the house where I have another spigot, I have second system. The drip line I use has built in pressure regulated emiters (don’t get the line where you have to punch in the emiters) and I chose from a variety of spacing for the emiters and gallons emitted per hour. At the spigot end I use a simple drip filter which helps to eliminate sediment from my well which could clog the lines over time. The lines become “pressurized” with a PSI of about 20 to 35 PSI? At a school garden, the pressure was 90 PSI so we used a simple connection that reduced the pressure. The fittings are simple pressure fitting where I push the 1/2 hose over the end of the connector, etc. As a women in her 60’s I got the inspiration to do this from an article in “This Old House Magazine” which I have sure a library would have an archived issue. Depending on the rain, twice a week I turn on my systems for several hours and read a book on my deck.
Lisa says
Lots of soaker hoses here on timers. Gardening is more fun when you find ways to automate the daily chores! I’ve learned to invest money on good quality hoses – the cheap ones don’t last and it’s not fun to have to replace them every season.
How do your hoses get into the boxes? I don’ t see any up and over, so I’m assuming you fed them under the sides?
polly says
Could you do a video on making your modified watering hoses. I use the same soaker hose but i ‘wind’ them around. I like your system better with a BAR going across the ‘top’ of the bed and the ‘tubes’ coming off it. Can you show the ‘pieces parts’ that you purchased and how they are assembled and if any special sealant or ‘plumbers tape’ etc is used please .. OH.. and could you do that tomorrow please (grin).
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Lisa – I tried to answer your question in the video. Yes, water lines run under the boxes. This way, if I need to replace a box, I can simply lift it off without interfering with the water works.
Hi Polly – The pieces of cut hose fit very snugly into the plastic “T”s and elbows that connect them. Will film the how-to next time I make adjustments to one of the beds. Promise!
brenda Howell says
I’ve surmised that you don’t want to be political in any way on your blog. But to say, “The weather, like current world events, is extra-crazy this year”, grieves me.
I am an African American woman who has enjoyed your blog for many years. I feel like your comment was flip and insensitive. Either don’t mention recent events or at least give more than a ‘bleet’ about horrific acts of hate and the devastating consequences of the global pandemic.
Escapism is sorely indeed needed right now but trivializing current events just doesn’t cut it.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Brenda – My heart is breaking with yours. I did not mean to be flip or insensitive.
Kathy Bence says
Kathy near Boise. We get no rain for months so I use drip irrigation. It was a challenge to set it all up last year but saves a ton of water and time hand watering. I have it on a timer to drip 2 hours every afternoon at 4:30 and believe me, that’s not too much!! Always enjoy your posts and videos. Thanks Kevin.
Keely says
Thank you for the great video! Usually I water by hand with the sprayer hose (or don’t and everything dies) but now I’m working on setting up a drip system, which was the most thoughtful Mother’s Day present! Fingers crossed for me!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Kathy – Drip irrigation is a life saver!
Hi Keely – Fingers and toes crossed. (You will love drip irrigation.)
Troy says
I’ve got to much garden and not enough time for hand watering. Been using a heavy seaweed or chopped leaf mulch, soaker hoses and cheap timers for years. Just turn on the timer and walk away. the heavy mulch prevents weeds, holds moisture and feeds the soil as it decomposes as well as keeping it from becoming compacted. When I use the broad fork to lighlty aerate the soil it practically falls in to the ten inch depth of the tines.
How’s that hardy Kiwi doing? Is it producing?
I’ve got a few to plant if I can ever decide where to put them!
Beverly, zone 6, eastern PA says
I have 11 outdoor watering cans. With my aging hands, I struggle to turn on the faucet once and fill all of them with the hose. I use them as needed until all are empty then I fill them again and process repeats. (They do not sit long enough to grow mosquitoes.) When serious dryness develops, I use a water wand and hose and stroll the beds purposefully. I have a drip irrigation system that’s been in my garage for 10 years, uninstalled.
We are currently in our 3rd consecutive year of excess rainfall. My soil is enriched with gobs of homemade compost which helps with water retention. Each spring I want to believe that the growing season will be a perfect one, with evenly spaced rainfalls. No such luck.
Maralee Thompson says
Hi from Kansas City. I use a sprinkler system to water my garden or a hise on my raised bed. What do you use for mulch? Love the cattle panels. Do you have a video on potatoes? I’d like to try that. Stay safe.
Kristi says
We have a huge rain barrell tank that is uphill from my garden and we use that along with gravity to water as needed. But here in our part of Ohio, that is not really much. Mostly just when plants are set out and maybe in July/August during a dry spell.
Jacqueline Guest says
Hi Kevin,
Again, many thanks for sharing my Sunday morning tea and toast with me. I am making notes about raised beds and auto watering systems. Efficient for water conservation and takes the worry out of travelling for work. Now all I have to do is put my notes into action…
Stay warm and stay well.
Jacquie