Rosemary Tea
Auror
Working on a story where the characters, who live in a town, have a kitchen garden, which is the primary source of food for them. It occurred to me that they'd have to water the garden, at least during the dry season, but how would they do that at a pre-industrial level of technology?
Every garden I've ever watered had irrigation lines in the beds, or, at the very least, a hose and spigot. These characters wouldn't have any of that. I imagine their main water source would be a well, and perhaps a rain barrel. Not ruling out a more sophisticated irrigation system, but it would have to be feasible for a home garden in a non-industrialized society (no rubber or plastic hoses, no tap water). The only other garden watering method I know is the watering can, but that would be a horribly inefficient way to water a quarter acre (give or take) of vegetables and herbs.
They could, of course, minimize the need for watering by using permaculture methods, but that wouldn't eliminate the need entirely. So how would they do it? Trudge back and forth with the watering can? Or would there be a more efficient way?
Every garden I've ever watered had irrigation lines in the beds, or, at the very least, a hose and spigot. These characters wouldn't have any of that. I imagine their main water source would be a well, and perhaps a rain barrel. Not ruling out a more sophisticated irrigation system, but it would have to be feasible for a home garden in a non-industrialized society (no rubber or plastic hoses, no tap water). The only other garden watering method I know is the watering can, but that would be a horribly inefficient way to water a quarter acre (give or take) of vegetables and herbs.
They could, of course, minimize the need for watering by using permaculture methods, but that wouldn't eliminate the need entirely. So how would they do it? Trudge back and forth with the watering can? Or would there be a more efficient way?