»Survival Gardening: Drip Irrigation in English (Kenya)«
The first step of installing a drip irrigation system is constructing raised planting beds in preparation for the drip line placement. This will help grow vegetables in the dry season through irrigation.
After bed preparation, place two drip irrigation lines on each one meter wide raised planting bed. Make sure that the drip holes in the irrigation lines are turned upwards since this will ensure that each plant receive the same amount of water. Place the drip line 7-8 inches or 18-20 cm from the edge of the planting bed. Secure the drip lines in place using wire staples or forked sticks and make a stand for holding water with the bottom of the container at least one meter above the planting bed.
Drip connection
Drips are then connected to the container by drilling a hole in the bottom of the bucket to match the size of the connector then attaching it to the bucket or container. Insert the feed lines into the fitting. Once connections are made, secure the bucket to the stand and connect feed lines to the drips.
A special connector is made by cutting off a 2.5 cm piece at the other end of the drip line. Fold 2.5 cm of the end of the drip line over itself twice and slide the cut off sleeve over the folded drip line.
Transplants location
The top of the water container is then covered with a cloth to serve as a coarse filter that will help filter out materials that might clog the drip filter or drip line.
Wet spots at each drip hole are used to identify the location for planting your transplants. Make planting holes and plant each of the transplants at the same depth as they have been growing. Provide additional water to help plants survive the shock of transplanting and the mulch the beds.
Optimal watering
For every 15 meter raised bed containing 100 plants, you will need to provide 20 liters of water both morning and evening. One raised bed will provide enough vegetables to feed a family of 5-7. In order to optimize production, it is important to plant 2 rows of plants in each raised bed.
Using compost materials, raised planting beds and drip irrigation will help improve soil nutrient level, allow more air and moisture and productivity.
