"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...

"SteveB" toquerville@zionvistas wrote in message
...
I want to improve my garden. I need to protect it from the brutal winds
we
have here sometimes, and I would like to shade a portion of it. I am
going
to build a framework similar to those at plant nurseries. I would also
like
to make raised beds to make it easier to access everything.


Sounds good

I was wondering about the water system. I would like to have some
sprayers
from the ceiling, as I see this reduces temperatures, and soaks
everything
as from a natural rain. Is this a good idea?

Overhead spraying uses up more water than ground level watering due to
evaporative loss. With frequent use it can also encourage fungi by
leaving
the leaves wet, raising humidity and bringing up spores from the ground if
it
squirts that far.

However some types of plants will do much better with raised humidity and
the
coolness produced by the evaporative loss - provided you can afford the
water
and other possible consequences.

I know of a rainforest maintained in a gully by spraying at intervals
round
the clock in a climate that gets about 25 in per year of rain and would
never
support such a thing naturally.

You have to decide on how much you want to grow according to your climate
and
how much you want to create a microclimate.

Should I have the water
coming in from the top, plus some coming in pipes in the ground? My
garden
is getting irrigated spotty right now because the pipes flow into
trenches,
and then gravity takes it to the plants. The plants at the top of the
ditch
get more water, and if something interrupts the flow, the plants at the
end
don't get hardly any water. I want to make an even distribution system
so
that they all get a proper amount of water.

Drippers or "leaky" hoses will do this and conserve water too.

I would like it all to come
down from above so that when the water is shut off, it drains out, making
it
less likely to freeze come cold weather.


Cannot comment due to lack of experience with gardens freezing.

Ideas and experiences appreciated.

Steve


David

Sorry, I should have added that water is terribly expensive here. We are AG
1 zoning, and the water bill is a flat $100 a year with no meter for a 1
1/4" line.

Steve ;-)