Tonga

In March of 2023 my family got to go with another family to the friendly Island of Tonga. The other family’s daughter was going to be baptized there and we wanted to support.

It was a lovely time and a learning experience for all. I loved the community and happiness that all on the island seemed to share. Tonga will have a special place in my heart from now on, and not just because of coconut bread.

I could talk about the vacation and island for hours, so I’ll summarize three of the most memorable things from Tonga for me. 

  1. Their spirituality: Everyone is religious, there are church bells that ring many mornings, for 5 solid minutes
  2. Their singing: it is full voice, everyone sings, no accompaniment, and no one cares how they sound
  3. Their community: If someone needs a tractor, they borrow from someone who has. It’s not thought of that “you should take care of yourself”. It’s more, “We all should take care of eachother”

Those are my thoughts, and here is a recording of that singing

I recommend anyone go and visit. Even though it isn’t super touristy or easy to get to. The people and snorkeling are something I do not think you can find anywhere else.

Tree update

Mowing

I’m excited that everyone is asking “how are the trees doing?” They are still alive (mostly) When I came back from Tonga I came back to a meadow of weeds with trees hidden inside.

I was trying to get my lawn mower to cut it all, but it was not going well. Luckily a friend saw me in need and brought a tractor with his mower deck. He made quick work of the rows of trees, leaving me to mow in between the trees. It still took some time, but I got through it before a low-grade heat wave came

Irrigation woes.

Unfortunately, I had to pull all the irrigation lines so they wouldn’t accidentally get mowed, When I pulled them back out they were all kinked up. Meaning I (and my daughters) had to walk all the lines to find the kinks and unkink them. That is 2 lines per 18 rows, and the longest row is 630’. Doing math, that’s about 4 miles of walking!

At one moment I thought, I better water these by hand instead. That was a silly thought, and I quickly went back to walking. Drip tape is great! However, roll it up, and don’t let it fold over itself if you do not want to kink it up.

Extra plants for Soils Grant 

If you remember from a prior post (https://www.foxagritech.com/diy-orchard-irrigation/) I was a recipient of a healthy soils grant. They are granting me about 9000 dollars to plant a windbreak and hedgerow. Olives count as a windbreak. So my trees along the road are achieving that purpose. 

However I still needed a hedgerow. I purchased 20 Lavender plants, a couple elderberry trees, and a bunch of milkweed seed. Hopefully the milkweed seeds and I are friends. Now I need to plant all of that along the road.

Irrigation Problem

I have a problem that I do not understand. I’ve asked smart people how this works but haven’t gotten my answer. If anyone knows fluid dynamics, or the answer to this question I’d love a text, call, or comment.

The problem:

I have a drip tape line at the end of my submain. It goes up hill, and through more 1”poly pipe than any other line. Unfortunately, due to that, water isn’t going all the way down that drip tape. Probably about halfway. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s up higher than all the others, or because it goes through more poly pipe before getting to the tape. Or a combination of the two. 

The question: 

is there a way with my current setup to get water pushed all the way down those pipes. I’m nervous to turn up the pressure regulator (I can adjust it) beyond 15 PSI. The drip tape is rated at 15 PSI. Because then the pressure will be higher/near the valve and the closer tape. I do not wish to blow out the tape (it was expensive).

My fix:

Since I couldn’t figure it out. And I need a hedgerow along the outside of my property… I’m going to run an additional line straight from my well that does the perimeter. That will water everything on the outside. And I will then just not send water to the last line of my pipes.

Even though I do have a solution, I’m still curious why it is a problem in the first place. I (mostly) followed the plans that were detailed by a company that does this for a living.

Thanks for reading/caring/helping!