Irrigation Techniques- Garden Steps

Here in Tennessee, we have a drought almost every July and August- a period of 6 weeks to 2 months  (and sometimes a bit more, or less) in which we get little to no rain, unless a hurricane powers up the Mississippi river valley to us, in which case those south of us face dreadful flooding. Most summers, we need to irrigate.

In Garden Steps, Ernest Cobb condemns frequent watering from above for the same reasons modern garden advisers use:

1. Water is unlikely to penetrate the ground very far, thus creating plants with weak, shallow root systems. Then when the hurricane winds hit, you're in trouble.

2. A crust can form from the soil on top that does get wet, keeping delicate seedlings you plant late in the season for fall crops from breaking through. August is already a tough month in terms of insects and heat, so why make it harder on plants?

So what can we do instead?

I've tried spraying the garden with a hose, but some plants seem more susceptible to powdery mildew on their leaves when they are heat stressed, then hit by water. Root watering is better.

Cobb suggests sinking large food cans (like tomato cans or juice cans) into the ground with holes punched in the sides, tops open. Plant around the cans. Fill them with water that can gradually soak into the soil. Just watch out for the holes to clog, especially in clay soil. I've seen variations on this theme with half wine barrels and broken pots.

Another method is pictured above. Sink pipes with periodic holes in them about 1 ft underground. Put elbows at the end attached to buckets for reservoirs. The reservoirs pictured are said to be too high, as water exits the pipe underground with too much force, but it works OK. This is a drip irrigation method. Drip kits available now reduce the work, but might be expensive, depending on your area, your garden, and your water supply.

I'm going to use a modified drip irrigation system, with gallon milk jugs with small holes punched toward the bottom, above ground. I saw it online. We'll see how it works.