Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Many hydrants are turned on with a key, which is a big iron wrench that turns a bolt on the hydrant
to open the flow of water. You will need to decide whether to keep the water on at all times, or only
have it on during specific hours. Whatever you decide, don't lose the key!
Hydrant situations usually work best when the hydrant is very close to the garden. You can run a
hose across a sidewalk, but beware of any tripping danger you might be creating—make sure to tape
down the hose or build a shallow, secured ramp to cover it, so nobody is hurt while passing by. If you
run a hose across a street, protect the hose from traffic wear and tear. Using a protective speed bump
sometimes requires another permit (from a different city department) as well as additional costs, so be
sure to check into this first if you're considering stretching a hose across a street.
You will need to maintain the hose connection to the hydrant. Neighbors often get upset if water
is leaking or spurting out of the hydrant. Permanently wet sidewalks and surrounding muddy or grassy
areas aren't attractive and can be a hazard. If the hydrant is outside the perimeter (either fenced or un-
fenced) of your garden, there is also the chance that someone, out of malice, may slice your hose. It is a
bummer, but it happens. Have a spare hose on hand just in case, and alert the police if this occurs.
Tap into an existing irrigation system.
Particularly with institutions and corporate office parks, there
may be an existing irrigation system you can tap into. Beware: working with a facility's maintenance
people can be frustrating. Their job is primarily to keep up pristine lawns and landscapes—plants,
shrubs, and trees. They may have opinions about the beauty (or value) of vegetable gardens. You'll have
to work this out with the partners that control the property.
There are some costs to convert a sprinkler head to a water source. And there might be a system-
wide timer that controls when you have access to water. None of these issues are insurmountable, but
generally, the more issues to navigate, the slower (and sometimes more costly) the process can be.
Install a water source.
If you are working with an established community garden support organization,
they may have a process and available funds to install a tap in your community garden. Otherwise, your
city officials might allow and even fund a dedicated water source.
Installing a water source isn't a difficult procedure, but it can be a difficult process. Some cities re-
quire an added, and costly, backflow protector. The logic is that if someone in your garden hooks up a
sprayer to a hose (to distribute chemicals or other matter onto the garden), and if there is a fire down
the block and firefighters tap the hydrant, the water use could create a backflow that would suction the
water—and whatever chemicals being used—into the general water supply, contaminating the water. Of
course, if you're gardening organically (and I hope you are), this shouldn't be an issue, but city rules
might flatly require a backflow protector. If the issue comes up, you can state your case, but the rules
may be the rules. Backflow protectors are not only expensive; they often require excavation to install.
Installing your own water source, preferably inside the garden, is a dream. Work with your city or-
ganizations to see if this is possible, but expect it to cost quite a bit, take some time, and involve hag-
gling.
Use rain barrels.
When discussing water for your community garden, the subject of rain barrels usually
comes up. Depending on the size of your garden, proximity to a roof substantial enough to provide
adequate runoff, and predictable rainfall, this scenario might work for you. There will be expenses to
reroute the gutters from the building roof into the rain barrel or other capture mechanism, and there will
be costs for the capture mechanism itself. If you are not near a building, it is possible to build capture
