Homestead farming: Methods conserve water in observance of Earth Day

East Coventry >> A local organic farmer recently made a change to his water system that will increase productivity and help conserve one of Earth’s most important resources.

David Ryle is the owner and grower of Jubilee Hill Farm, where his passion for sustainability is evident.

“Anybody can grow produce. Anybody can grow vegetables…I feel like part of my responsibility, especially as an organic farmer, is safeguarding precious resources,” Ryle said.

He said water is a resource he wants to protect.

April 22 is international Earth Day, marking its 45th anniversary this year. According to the Earth Day website, one of the goals for this year is joining efforts of economic growth and sustainability.

Just a week before Earth Day, Ryle installed an extensive irrigation system over 80 raised soil beds on his farm in order to preserve water.

“It’s going to slowly drip water where my plants need it. It’s going to be a lot less wasteful,” he said.

When Ryle started the farm about three years ago, he was able to water all the crops directly. Now that the farm has expanded, he no longer has the time to do this.

“I needed a system that can water the plants while I’m doing other things on the farm,” he said.

Ryle said he considered several options, including a sprinkler system or an irrigation system. He said sprinklers aren’t that efficient. A lot of the water doesn’t actually land on the roots of the plants.

“It’s a tremendous waste of electricity and water,” he said.

So Ryle decided to purchase a water system from the company Rain-Flo Irrigation in Lancaster County.

“It’s an investment, but it’s really going to save money, save water and it’s better for our resources,” he said. “It’s going to allow me to take care of the plants on a larger scale as a one-man show.”

The main water line of the system is called a manifold. The manifold runs from a tap on the house through a filter and then through a pressure regulator. Ryle said it’s very helpful to have a system that directs the amount of water that reaches crops. He said too little pressure means the plants aren’t getting enough water and too much pressure can lead to breaking the irrigation system.

Once through the pressure regulator, water continues to travel through the main line to the raised soil beds on the farm. Drip tape with several little holes is attached to the main water line. The thin strips of tape are laid lengthwise across the soil beds. The drip tape slowly trickles water into the plant roots.

Ryle said having an irrigation system that waters roots instead of the leaves of plants is very important. He said one of the dangers of farming on a hot day is watering a plant leaf.

“If you’re spraying water on your plants when the sun is really bearing down, the beads of water on the leaves concentrate the light. It’s like steaming your plants,” Ryle said.

Ryle said the irrigation kit he used can be used on gardens in place of sprinklers.

“Any gardener in the area can do this…it would be an investment for Earth Day. Do this to save money, save water and be better for our resources,” he said.

Ryle said with the irrigation system, he will save thousands of gallons of water in one season and hundreds of dollars. He said it’s careless to think that water doesn’t need to be conserved, especially with the current drought in the West.

California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a statewide drought emergency in the state asking all Californians to reduce their water use by 20 percent, according to the organization Save Our Water. Save our Water is a statewide program that encourages California residents to conserve water.

Pennsylvania has also had drought warnings this year. The Department of Environmental Protection issued a drought watch for 27 counties in Pennsylvania including Berks County at the end of March, according to astate press release.

Ryle said water preservation is very important all year long. In addition to the irrigation system, he uses row covers to protect plants and help save water. A row cover is a white, light fabric that goes over the plants in soil beds to protect them against frost and pests as well as reduce the need to water.

Ryle said the covers end up being a mini greenhouse for plants in the ground. It helps trap in heat and keep the plants cozy from the cold, he said. The covers stay on most of the season and also help conserve water. When there’s a shortage of rain, the row covers reduce moisture lost and raise the humidity around the plants.

Ryle said sometimes people are under the misconception that if they have water, there’s no reason to conserve it, but that isn’t true.

“We treat petroleum like it’s our most precious resource but water is right up there. The air, the soil, the water: these are the most fundamental things,” he said.