Getting Water to the Worm Beds

The irrigation system for our worm beds reached another milestone in October: the concrete was poured around the 4×4 support posts. By October 19, the pipe was laid, the swing couplers and risers were installed, and the straps and valves were ready for installation after the concrete cured. The remaining work included those fittings and connecting the new line to our two-inch main. It’s a fairly ordinary collection of pipe, fittings, posts, and concrete, but each piece has taken its turn on the project list.

The purpose of all this work is to get moisture into the beds so the biological work can move along. The beds are filled with wood chips, and keeping that material moist is an important part of making it suitable for worms. Access has also been part of the planning: we need to get around the beds for weeding, harvesting material, and eventually replacing logs. The irrigation has to fit into all that activity. This is one of those farm projects where the usefulness of the finished system depends on a lot of small construction decisions.

Irrigation trench beside the log-sided worm beds.

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