I love the idea of having a giant garden. The very aspect of being overwhelmed with fresh veggies or stunning flowers just makes me grin. I don’t, however, like the idea of spending countless hours holding a garden hose while I painstakingly go from plant to plant to make sure it has an ample amount of water to thrive and flourish. So how do I have the garden of my dreams and avoid holding a garden hose all day? I stock up on milk….jugs to be specific.
Drip irrigation is a great solution for watering your garden and with a little help from items you would normally discard anyway, it can be easy and cheap. Here’s all you need to know to get started.
Project Time: Varies depending on Garden Size
Experience Level: Beginner Gardener
Tools Needed: 1 Large Nail, 1 Garden Spade
Materials Needed: Lots of Milk Jugs or Other Plastic Containers Such as Large Water Bottles, 2 Liters or Buckets
Sweat Factor: Low (Especially if it stays this cold!!!)
Satisfaction Meter: Moderate – You probably won’t be doing cart wheels or dancing in the rain with an umbrella while singing a song (although if you do we would really like you to video it and send us a copy), but you will feel a sense of accomplishment for being both environmentally friendly and a pure champion to your plants for giving them the gift of water.
How to Make Milk Work for You:
1. After consuming all the contents of your milk jug, water bottle, or 2 Liter, rinse the container out thoroughly with soap and water. Don’t discard the container’s cap. You will need it later on.
2. Using a large nail, poke a hole in the bottom of each container. You can poke one or more holes depending on how much water you want to flow through. Remember the more holes, the faster the water will flow out.
3. Survey your garden area for the best places to put your jugs or containers. You want to choose places where the water will reach the root zones of several plants. Once you have strategically eyeballed your target zones, use a garden spade to loosen the soil or dig a small divot in the area you want to place each of your jugs or containers.
4. Add water and put the cap back on your container.
5. Verify that the jug is working by lifting the jug and checking to see if the ground underneath is wet. If it’s dry, you need a bigger hole or more holes in the bottom of your container.
BONUS TIP: If you see rain clouds rolling in, remove the caps of each container. Rainwater is a garden’s best friend!