Fort Scott gardener finds an alternate irrigation system

Saturday, October 12, 2013
Jason E. Silvers/Tribune photo Harold "Pete" Allen discusses his water collection system behind his home located at 1248 S. Crawford St. Allen had two of the tanks, which collect rain water that is used to irrigate his garden, this summer when his garden was one of six included in a local garden tour. He has since added a third tank and plans to get a fourth container.

Fall may not be the time when Harold "Pete" Allen and others are thinking about a garden, but when next spring rolls around, he will be ready.

The local resident, who maintains a plant and vegetable garden behind his home at 1248 S. Crawford St., has a system that he is happy with, as he said it saves him money and produces better quality products from his garden.

During the spring and summer, Allen uses three large 250-gallon plastic containers connected to the guttering and downspout system on the roof of his house to catch rainfall that is used to irrigate his garden. A standard garden hose is connected to the tanks and a small water pump is connected to the spout of the tank.

"Then you turn the hose on and the pump, and it actually pumps the water out of the tanks," Allen said.

He said the huge barrels, which are also used in the manufacturing industry at cookie factories and for such products as pickles, syrup and sugar, are lightweight plastic and permanent. He said he bought the containers in Nevada, Mo.

"The amount of water that falls on the roof comes down and runs into my tanks through guttering and downspouts," he said.

Allen said depending on the amount of rain that falls during a particular period, he can get several hundred gallons of water which can be stored for several days.

"Typically on a one-inch rain, I can get about 500 gallons of water," he said. "For a two-inch rain, I can get 1,000 gallons. I typically use 100 gallons per day on hot days in the summertime on the garden. When it rains, I'll get five days of storage. So for the day it's raining plus the day after I don't have to water."

Allen said through use of the system he saves anywhere from $25 to $30 each month on water costs. Plus, he said water that comes straight from "Mother Nature" is the best option.

"The city water has chlorine and chemicals that affect the plants," he said. "Mother Nature is the best. The plants like it better."

Allen said he still uses city water at times.

"We never have enough rain to supply, so during a dry spell I will use city water," he said.

With fall and winter approaching, Allen said his water collection system is not in place right now but he will set it up again next spring.

"After the freeze is over with, probably in February," he said. "I was a little late this year getting it set up. It was late May or early June, so I missed out on the early spring rains."

Allen estimated that about eight inches of rain fell in the area during the most recent rain season. He currently has three barrels and plans on getting a fourth. He has also recently added more space to his roof.

"I've built the pads for them," he said. "I have another 400-square-feet of roof area to collect water from. I had 500-square-feet before the addition. Now I have 900-square-feet of roof area."

Allen said he grew up in Richards, Mo., where "we didn't have any water system out there at all."

"Every house had a cistern, and collected water the same as everyone," he said.

Allen's well-known garden, which was one of six local gardens featured on the Bourbon County Master Gardeners and Garden Club's Secret Garden Tour in June, typically contains tomatoes, potatoes, beets, carrots, onions, radishes, beans, lettuce and peas. Plenty of produce, Allen said, for his family of four, which includes his wife, Janice, and their daughter and grandson who live with them.

"We had a couple of watermelons this year," he said. "It's just about everything you'd want to eat. With that little area I can raise all the produce the four of us here can eat."

Although Allen said he doesn't maintain a garden during the fall, he has still been busy recently digging potatoes.

"I got five pounds of potatoes last night," he said. "Everything slows down now until spring. I've thought about a fall garden but I don't need one. I have all I can eat now; a freezer full of food."

Allen added he has kept busy this year repairing and painting roofs on his property that were damaged from the April 7 hailstorm.

Allen said he doesn't see much of the type of water collection system he uses, although he has friends who have inquired and are interested in installing a similar system.

"I think it's pretty rare," he said. "I have friends looking for tanks and looking to store water and use a water collection system. I think it's the best option for a garden, certainly."