How to Make a Cheap Irrigation System
Plan some of your gardening activity to be close to and around the house., Stop at some construction sites during your daily activities., Clean out the pails with a stiff brush and a scraper., Start washing all or some of your dishes by hand., Water...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Plan some of your gardening activity to be close to and around the house.
Herbs, salad vegetables and and flower gardens are the best for this.
The proximity to the house is important, to provide you with the motivation to do the carrying work needed to water the plants. -
Step 2: Stop at some construction sites during your daily activities.
(Just don't go out driving around wasting gas, remember that you want to keep this at zero dollars.) Look in the big open dumpsters for the 5 gallon (18.9 L) pails that drywallers and painters throw out. , The plastic will become very clean and the old paint sometimes just peels away.
Toss the refuse you've removed from the pails into a plastic bag and put that out with the normal trash. , Use dish pans in your sink so that you can pour the water directly into the 5 gallon (18.9 L) pail(s).
If the dishpan is hard to find, check the thrift stores or purchase one from home goods stores everywhere.
Yes, there is a small expense in obtaining this but it will last for years.
In the end, you will see a profit and not an expense! Repeat the washing and pouring process many times. , Use the water straight from the pails that you have been filling. , You can also scoop out the bathwater if you have baths now and then and even have shower water go into the pail.
As well as saving costs on irrigation, you are now also saving the planet by using less water, using fewer harsh chemicals (automatic dish-washing detergents are very expensive and harmful to septic and sewer systems) and electricity (related to that dishwasher), taking some pressure off the septic tank or the municipal sewer system, and getting some exercise to boot.
If you also compost the food scraps, you'll be gaining some good nourishment for the garden too.
Heck...this isn't for free...you are actually making money doing this! -
Step 3: Clean out the pails with a stiff brush and a scraper.
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Step 4: Start washing all or some of your dishes by hand.
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Step 5: Water the garden just outside your kitchen doors or wherever it is located.
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Step 6: Continue this system as much as possible.
Detailed Guide
Herbs, salad vegetables and and flower gardens are the best for this.
The proximity to the house is important, to provide you with the motivation to do the carrying work needed to water the plants.
(Just don't go out driving around wasting gas, remember that you want to keep this at zero dollars.) Look in the big open dumpsters for the 5 gallon (18.9 L) pails that drywallers and painters throw out. , The plastic will become very clean and the old paint sometimes just peels away.
Toss the refuse you've removed from the pails into a plastic bag and put that out with the normal trash. , Use dish pans in your sink so that you can pour the water directly into the 5 gallon (18.9 L) pail(s).
If the dishpan is hard to find, check the thrift stores or purchase one from home goods stores everywhere.
Yes, there is a small expense in obtaining this but it will last for years.
In the end, you will see a profit and not an expense! Repeat the washing and pouring process many times. , Use the water straight from the pails that you have been filling. , You can also scoop out the bathwater if you have baths now and then and even have shower water go into the pail.
As well as saving costs on irrigation, you are now also saving the planet by using less water, using fewer harsh chemicals (automatic dish-washing detergents are very expensive and harmful to septic and sewer systems) and electricity (related to that dishwasher), taking some pressure off the septic tank or the municipal sewer system, and getting some exercise to boot.
If you also compost the food scraps, you'll be gaining some good nourishment for the garden too.
Heck...this isn't for free...you are actually making money doing this!
About the Author
Kimberly Miller
Creates helpful guides on DIY projects to inspire and educate readers.
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