Irrigating The Garden

Last week I planted the garden full of Fava Beans. I was worrying that maybe I planted them too late in the season because it started to get quite chilly, but as soon as I put them in the ground we got a "warm wave" which is not as hot as a "heat wave", but is significantly warmer than normal for this time of year. So, the fava have had a week of nice, sunny, warm weather and hopefully should be showing their little heads soon. Since we have had no rain since I planted them I needed to set up a sprinkler for them. It took three attempts but I think I got it right. First try: I set up our big oscillating sprinkler, the kind that sprays back and forth in a big arc overhead. The problem was that it oversprayed so much that it was spraying over the fence and into our neighbor's yard! They have 2 kids and a dog so I didn't want to make a wet patch over there every day for the kids and dog to get muddy in. So, try number 2: We got 2 pulsating sprinklers:

This style didn't work because it throws water out in a curve and soaked the fences. We just weren't happy with the performance. So try number three was this:

These are two "square" sprinklers hooked up together. These cover the entire garden and I can control it so that the spray almost, but not quite, reaches the fences. Success!

The picture below is of the composting area. I have two bins working right now. The one on the right is as big as it will get. The one on the left will hold more and there's still a section I can add to make it as tall as the other one. That piece of plywood is to chip/shred on. I lean it up against the tree when not in use but when I have leaves and trimmings to shred into the bins then I lay it down to make a nice firm surface to work on.

Last week I also planted 2 kinds of kale into two of my planter boxes. The seed packet indicated that it would take 10-14 days to germinate but I planted them in November 12th, and it's now the 18th. This morning I saw the first of the little seedlings poking their heads out so they are eager to get going!

That's all the garden update I have for now. Once the fava sprout I will share a photo.