Last year there was a drought, I was short of water and had to transport 35 gals a day from Atlanta to Pickens to maintain key plants. I then resolved to increase my 6,000 gal storage capacity and in May I installed a 2,100 gal tank in a separate location and filled it from my other tanks. More rain quickly refilled the depleted tanks.
I irrigate my vegetables and fruit trees plentifully and they are producing a bumper crop of squash, cucumbers, apples, pears and also tomatoes, okra etc. However with minimal rain past 3/4 weeks my big tanks are almost dry so I must tap into the new storage tank, which is separate from the other tanks. I could pump directly to the crops or refill the main storage tanks. To refill I could run a line directly to the tanks or tap into an existing feeder line. I decided to tap into a nearby 4″ line which runs from the house gutters to two two 1,400 gal tanks. I scrounged around and found enough fittings and surplus 1″ pipe to do the job.
I uneventfully pumped 1,000 gals. The rain forecast for today and tomorrow is no longer forecast, so time to irrigate.
Btw – our Giant Korean pear tree is now producing and its pears are pest free and large and juicy. They could be sweeter but this is the beginning of the season and our early picks have not fully matured.
