First Look: New Watering System

The folks from Rain Brothers came out today and set up our new water tank.


This 550-gallon tank is made in Ohio and will be filled up for us by the Harlem Township Fire Department.


They also got a start on laying down the soaker tape, but they'll have to finish up later in the week. Since the tank is slightly uphill from the garden, the water system will work on gravity alone.


Once it is set up, we'll be able to test it out. When everything is ready to go, we'll open up planting to our individual planters.

In the long term, we'll hook up the tank to the gutters on the church to collect the rain water. With a small pump we'll be able to move the water to the entire garden--a big improvement over last year. Water was a major limitation for us last year. With the new system we'll be able to plant the entire plot this year, greatly increasing our harvest over our first year.

Water tank fundraiser: Moving towards a sustainable water system

We're very excited to announce that we are working with Rain Brothers, a local company specializing in rainwater harvesting and sustainable irrigation, to install a new water system in the garden. We'll be installing a 550-gallon tank and several rows of soaker tape that will water the garden as needed using only gravity. Last year, hand watering the garden several times a week using a bird's nest of hoses severely limited our output. With the new system, the watering will be done by gravity, meaning we can plant much more square footage.



Along with the increased output, we will be reducing the amount of water we use since the soaker tape will allow us to water more effectively. We'll also be saving money in the long run since we won't be using water from the line. Instead, we'll be getting it from the pond that catches the excess rainwater from the surrounding area.

But how will the water get from the pond to the tank? The Harlem Township Fire Department fills their trucks from our pond. When we need the tank to be filled, they will drive over and fill the tank for us. So with the exception of the gas needed to drive the fire trucks out to the church (which they are currently doing anyway), we won't need any extra energy to pump or distribute the water.

Most of the cost will be covered the by the budget for the garden provided by the three churches. But we need to raise an extra $300 to cover the rest. We've already had a few donations and the end is in sight. Please consider making a donation. All amounts are appreciated. Checks can be made out to Church of the Saviour - UM with a note that it is for the 3 Sisters Water Tank.

The extra produce from the garden will be a huge help to the Friends Who Share Food Pantry and people all over the Big Walnut area. We are thankful for the help of Rain Brothers who have been able to get us a deal on some of the supplies and have been a big help in planning the system. We also appreciate the willingness of the Harlem Township Fire Department to help in this project.

Tilling and fertilizing

It was a busy day today. A couple who volunteer in the garden brought over a tractor to till and fertilize. In a short time, the ground was turned over and some high quality horse manure was added. We also added the left over Milorganite from last year, which will hopefully help to keep the deer away again. The ground looks great already and should be even better in a couple of weeks when its time to plant.

The raspberries came back really well and are sending out lots of new shoots. The grape vine made it through the winter too and has lots of buds on it. We'll need to set up some real posts that can support the weight of it this year.