IRRIGATION Groundswell Farm

Well Polk St. Well − Hand pounded with surface pump GH Well − 5 gal./min − Buried line to wash station HH Well − Don’t use − Extremely high iron Wash Station Well − 2016!

Water Testing Annually for OG cert. More for food safety? Kent County Health Dept. Need “Non-detect” for E coli Steps − Fill out paper work − E coli bottle has powder in bottom − Food for E coli – don’t spill! − Wash hands − Wash tap or outlet with bleach − Run tap or spigot for 5 minutes − Put in Styrofoam container − Immediately drive to Kent County Health Dept. (Fuller north of 196)

Buried Irrigation Extend in 2016? PVC Pipes − Purple Stuff − PVC Cement

When to water Weekly − Seeds before germination − New transplants − Drip − Celery − Potatoes − Summer HH In drought − Entire field! − 24 Hours a day

When to water? Crops for overnight watering Celery, potatoes, peas, lettuce, sweet potato, onion, leek, shallot, bean, celeriac, garlic, scallion, squash (unless mildew), fennel, parsley, chard, tomatillos

Soil moisture at Quincy St. Look Feel Squeeze test

Flooding Quincy St. − If 3+ inches in 24 hours − Macatawa River spills into fields − Block culvert from incoming water − Food Safety − Till in crops in contact with water unless: − Never eaten raw − Edible portion above flood line − Not yet flowering − Flood Prep − Vehicles, Tractors, Implements & Rototiller moved − Transplants on tables − Electricity off to GH, HH, white cooler, etc. (wash?) − Wheel Hoes to dry & loosen soil Polk St. − Plant quick-growing crops to replace loss

Soil Moisture at Polk St. Squeeze test

Sprinklers 2 Hr. Micro for: HH, small plantings, seeds before germination, 4 – 8 Hr. Large Sprinklers for: Large plantings of germinated seeds, transplants & mature crops

Garden Hoses Potable Hoses for wash station Red for GH & Hose Reel Green for other uses

Drip Irrigation Weed Barrier − Lay by hand Plastic Mulch − Automatically laid out by plastic mulch layer

Greenhouse Watering Once per day 1 to 3 passes thru GH − temperature − sun vs. cloud − Skip wet trays for 1 st and/or 2 nd pass − Drench dry trays in 1 st & 2 nd pass Sheen Train workers twice, by 2 different people

Hoophouse Watering Micro sprinklers best Large sprinklers hit walls Winter − Almost none needed − Water at planting time once or twice − Excess humidity common − Roll up sides to let out moisture Summer

Watering at Planting Watering Cans Fish Hose to mainline Mainline turned on Plants well-watered & loaded onto cart If Weed Barrier Drip line, Scissors, Knives, Stakes, Pounder, Pins or soil bags

Questions?