As you can see, I mounted the manifold to the side of one of my raised beds, close to the rain barrels.  I used a block of cedar to create the clearance needed to connect the hose fittings. Water is fed from the rain barrels to a transfer pump which pressurizes the system. The pump provides sufficient pressure to run the entire system wide open and the manifold allows me to turn individual zones on or off. The water lines run along the ground as unobtrusively as possible and I used lots of elbows to neaten up the install. To hold the lines in place I crafted straps from a polypropylene bottle recovered from my recycling bin.

Although a straight line is the shortest distance between two points this would have required that two of the three lines run directly across main walkway into the patio, so, in the name of aesthetics and to prevent tripping risk, I ran two of the water lines around the perimeter of the garden. The good news is that I had the 200 extra feet of tubing lying around anyway. At the bed, the water line runs up the side, through an access hole cut into the top board and down the length of the bed. “Misters” are installed at varying points along the water line. This system is made by Mister Landscaper and was purchased at Lowes. It’s exceedingly simple to install and can easily be expanded or moved to suit your changing needs. Note that I arranged it so that the misters are pointing away from the seating area. In the heat of the summer I may just decide to turn those misters around.

Now, without a working pump, I’m forced to water my east garden mostly by hand which is a thankless task to be sure. So I immediately jumped on the internet to search for a replacement impeller. Naturally the only place to get one is directly from Water Ace. Now Water Ace isn’t exactly on the cutting edge of the technology curve. Their website has no e-commerce facility, hell, it doesn’t even list my pump model or the parts I needed. So I resorted to calling them directly and found myself on hold because they were “experiencing unusually heavy call volume”.  After about a 5 minute wait the phone rep came on and knew exactly what part I needed. That’s when I learned that these little plastic parts are expensive, $8.32 each expensive. Really? Considering that mine lasted only two seasons I imagine that they have themselves a tidy little replacement parts business going on. Anyway, I decided to order three of them because lord knows if these parts will continue to be available in coming years. The total out of pocket cost including shipping and tax was just north of $29.

This time of year we’ll use the greenhouse to sprout seeds and harden off seedlings. In the fall I’ll experiment to see how long I can get tomatoes to grow until winter.

Now all John has to do is build the 2^nd one!

I think from this point forward I’m going to take advantage of the valve system I have. If you look at the photo, you’ll see there are shutoff valves between the two barrels to the left. The next time the barrels are filled I will close off these valves so that the two barrels are isolated. That way, if we once again leave open the tap, we won’t lose more than half the water. I am also hatching an idea to build a second backup system for my lawn and emergencies. 

ADDENDUM

Several hours after posting we were blessed with a torrential downpour and my rain barrels are once again full — nearly 200 gallons. It’s amazing how much water runs off a roof. I have now closed the stops to the last two barrels in the series as a precaution. I will open them only if the first two barrels run dry.

I chose a varietal called “Reliance Seedless” which seems to be pretty well respected with a good reputation for hardiness.

My only concern is that the soil in this location is almost pure sand. For the initial planting, I dug my holes to 10″ deep and 20″ across and filled them with a mix of composted leaves, chicken manure and sandy soil. This should be enough for the vines to establish. To keep the vines healthy I’m probably going to have to amend the soil over this entire area.

About “Reiliance”: The Seedless Reliance grape produces pink-fruited seedless grape that tops for flavor and texture. An excellent eating grape that is good for jellies and juices. Stores well. Has medium-sized clusters. Hardy and vigorous growing — a good strong variety. You will enjoy a generous midseason harvest. Dr. James Moore at the University of Arkansas developed and patented this variety.

This year, I once again have the berry bug and I vowed to take a better stab at this. So I first found a better location with more direct sun. Next I selected more mature plants in 10″ pots. I chose thornless blackberries (var Apache). I dug a trench along the length of the trellis and amended the sandy soil with composted leaves and chicken manure. Finally, I built a trellis structure to support the canes that can get to 8 ft. If the berries don’t work out, I can use the trellis for peas or beans.

About “Apache”: Largest of the Arkansas thornless, Apache was the highest yielding of the thornless options in research trials conducted at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. Introduced by Dr. John Clark and Dr. James Morris—after 11 years of trait selection, according to Baker—Apache’s flavor is very good, rated between that of Arapaho and Navaho; soluble solids (percent sugar) averages 10.7 percent. This variety is erect and stands up better than most all varieties. No disease problems have been found, and no signs of orange rust have been spotted in any of the plantings. It has excellent quality, and a glossy black conical-shaped fruit.