You are right ken it is cheaper to make it own my own than buying. it will also reduce travelling costs to lusaka which is 700km from chinsali.There my request is guide me on how to make it.

You are right ken it is cheaper to make it own my own than buying. it will also reduce travelling costs to lusaka which is 700km from chinsali.There my request is guide me on how to make it.

Black poly tubing is very cheap but if you cannot find it, find a substitute tubing.

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Workshops [urban & rural] in organic, no-till, permanent-bed, gardening, mini-farming, mini-ranching, with bucket drip irrigation, worldwide, in English & Español

Bucket Drip Irrigation

The bucket must be suspended at least l meter above the ground. A tube is connected to the dripline and the other end is placed in the bucket to siphon the water out. Assuming the bucket is 20 liters, fill it twice for each row of vegetables. The dripline can be moved to another row for irrigating. Each row of vegetables is irrigated every other day. Plant a row of vegetables on each side of the dripline and use 40 liters of water.

Bucket Kits
The key to the simple drip irrigation system that we use is the gravity fed "bucket kit". The bucket kit consists of four 8m lines [or two of 50 ft or one of 100’] of drip tape connected to a bucket suspended 1m above the vegetable bed. Water is poured into the bucket and is evenly distributed to 100 watering points. By filling the bucket twice a day, a small kitchen garden can be watered. Studies in Kenya have shown that two of these kits can provide the water needed to produce enough vegetables to feed a family of seven during the dry season. These bucket kits are available in most countries (US$15), save water, save labor, and are easy to use. Go to Chapinlivingwaters.org.

Using sleeves
Farmers in Honduras invented a VERY cheap drip irrigation system. They buy the regular black poly hose. Then they punch holes in it where they want them with a nail or ice pick. A hot nail is best. Then take short sections [5 inches] of the same hose, cut it lengthwise to form a sleeve, and place a sleeve over each hole. This sleeve applies pressure to the hole, only letting a little water out, like a drip. This technology is quite cheap, VERY simple to do. Maintenance is also simple, because if a hole plugs up, you can unplug it by taking the sleeve off and then replacing it.

Using screws
Farmers in Nicaragua are using cheap round tubing and wood screws. We tried it with great success. The screw is inserted completely into the tubing, every 12 inches, so that it protrudes through the opposite side. It is then backed off to allow water to drip through that side. The flow is set by screwing it in or out as needed. This even allows for variations in pressure due to terrain.

Pin holes for drip
I am wondering if a dripline could be made by using a hot pin or very small hot nail, etc. to punch holes in the poly tubing. I mean really tiny holes.

DIY drip kit:
Roger Pigott [San Diego workshop] decided to use two bucket drip systems on a bed in the garden but he did not want to siphon the water. Kits from Echonet.org are $25 each. He went to the hardware store and purchased: 100' of ½" black poly tubing; a post to hang buckets on; a faucet rosette washer and nut; ¾" ring washers; ¾" swivel tubing adapter; union - ¾" pipe threads and garden hose threads. One for each bucket. He drilled a 3/4 inch hole in the bottom of the buckets and installed the fittings. He then connected the tubing from the buckets to a header. He has five driplines connected to the header using tees and ells. He used wood screws for the drip outlets. There is about 60' of dripline. He planted seed in the five rows and laid the dripline over the seed. Very original thinking!

Buy enough hose to connect the drip line to the top of the bucket to siphon out the water. It takes about 1-2 hours for the bucket to empty. The dripline can be moved to another row of vegetables or plant a row of vegetables on each side of the dripline. Use more water. If one is willing to carry the water, one line will irrigate several rows during the day.

Plant green manure/cover crops to cut and leave on top of the soil to improve the soil. This is a MUST. Also, can be intercropped with the food crop.

Tue, Dec 30, 2008

Dear Ken,

Thank you for all the DVD’s you sent me. Thank you for all the info. I am applying it in my own vegetable patch. It is working. Got half a pocket of potatoes off a square metre. So would imagine about 10 pounds per square yard. This off previously dead low, carbon soil. Sure next crop will be better. Got yams coming up on same spot already. Want to plant herbs and spices.

Your advise is so simple. People do not believe me when I tell them. I am so excited about growing things now. This coming from a commercial plum farmer. May you be blessed this holy season a thousand times more than you blessed me with you help. Jeremy Karsen, middagkrans@mwebbiz.co.za

Project room: Kyomya, Uganda
We have been working on improving farming techniques for almost a year. Unfortunately, the farmers are planting small plots of land that only feed their family. There is no other choice but to try new techniques to improve the output of their plot. Ken Hargesheimer suggested the "no till" farming techniques as well as the "drip system". Both have proven effective at increasing production by at least 5 fold. The time is now for Kyomya to become a model agricultural village. [nabuur.com]

Drip photo.doc

Hi to all neighbours,
Hope you are all fine as we are. It is some time without visiting you but have had some problems with deaths. One member, Zamina lost her mother and was there to help her in some way.
I have used this reply to tell you what is happening with some attachments.
The gardens are doing well and soon we are beginning to harvest and sell. Here are some of he photos.
We also managed to give out the fruit trees to the farmers, oranges, mangoes and ovaccados.
Paddy

003.jpg

Further to my posts on rainwater harvesting in this thread, I have noticed the following developments on rainwater harvesting by other villages on nabuur:

- Nakyerongosa village on nabuur has uploaded photographs of water jars of 2000 litres each provided at the village to collect rainwater

- Walude Mtwalib at Bweyogerere village on nabuur has posted on Kagulu village on nabuur about his extensive experience in setting up similar jars of 1500 litres capacity, and other rainwater harvesting techniques. He is willing to guide on this, and has provided his contact details on the thread on Kagulu village.

It seems that enough progress has already been made by other villages in the region, and the low-cost technology can be easily adapted by all villages in the short-term.

Vijai

Hi Vijai,

You are right. If Padde can contact me on 0782 48 17 48, i will find out the practical rainwater harvesting needs in his village and arrange to provide technical support.

Cheers
--
Walude

Hi all,

In response to my recent posts on Nakyerongosa village on nabuur about rainwater harvesting, Asuman Kaggwa, who represents this village, has informed me through an email that he will be happy to share his experiences with rainwater harvesting at his village. They have posted photographs of 2000 litre water jars on their village pages on nabuur, and Asuman can be directly contacted for any advice on rainwater harvesting.

This will be in addition to the the help extended by Walude as in this thread above.

Vijai