I'm sure everyone's thinking about watering the garden here in mid Nov. Ok, maybe not.
Ran across a Japanese system that's kind of a combo of drip and micro sprinklers, Sumi Soak.
It's a flat drip line with holes that shoot the water droplets upwards at a high angle and doesn't go very wide. Supposed to be good even coverage in the shape of a rectangle unlike the micro sprinklers that make circles and the drip that in my case with heavy soil, make tiny circles at each emitter(hole). Supposed to be good for germination and short plants. Narrow enough that I could do two lines in my 22' wide tunnel or a single for morning sun side. Doesn't work well for tall plants like maters so drip would still do those.
Podcast I watched of a market gardener that makes his living from it, says the sumi soaker is awesome for germinating carrots. Light on details otherwise.
Searched Youtube and found a good presentation from Tilmor, the funky tractor people. The original funky tractor was the Allis Chalmers model G, row crop tractor. Tilmor and a couple other companies created their own version of it.
Anyway, here's Tilmor's explainer video of the Sumi Soaker - Sumisansui Mark II Irrigation System Overview. Since it's flat, you can roll it up on a hand crank spool. Portable. Can just hook it to a hose or tie it into an existing drip system.
Found some cool pipe clamps. We have Cintas services where I work for entrance rugs and uniforms. The uniforms get hung on a rack provided by them and the Tee bracket caught my eye. Made by a company called Railex. They have Tee brackets and cross clamps. One cross clamp is for two pipe ends to attach to a pipe and the other type is for two continuous pipes to cross each other.
KT is their designation for a pipe size that matches the OD of chain link top rail
This is the one that has three pipes meeting. Two ends and one pass thru - good for framing in gable vents/fans. Extra holes to pin the pipes to prevent linear movement, aka run a screw in to keep and from pulling out and prevent clamp from sliding on thru pipe.
This is the bypass cross - good for my lengthwise truss ties going end to end. No holes but I'll run a screw in each pipe for good measure.
All are better designs than what I can get from a high tunnel supplier and for a decent price($8 instead of $4). I can't think of anywhere I could have used them already because the trusses are all weird angles - no 90 degree angles. End walls with gable vents and the truss ties can use these though.
I had already not been looking forward to using the flat bar straps for the last of the framing. "Everything's 90 degrees. Someone's gotta make what I need" he grumbled.
This is what the 90 degree cross clamps look like.
This is what I used for the odd angle Tee connections. End cap with tab bolts into strap. Works for any angle.
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. Calm wind.
Borrowed a ladder from the neighbor that I'll strap down to the roof of the SUV every which way I can. Poly and wiggle wire/track are here. ---------------
Need two verticals inside the pentagon like shape for the gable vents. Add two horizontal cross bars in between the verticals with the connectors that make the pipes flush with each other.
I can see the -- end of the tunnel