Here is a picture of the sugar snap pea row I created this weekend; this is a 30 inch wide row, using a single .9 GPH per foot emitter poly drip irrigation tubing.

A few items I have learned since last year, is that the row I am preparing for direct seeding needs to be level, as I only have a single drip tube emitter to moisten almost 1 foot of area. Last year, I didn’t have that issue, as the rows were narrow, at only 15 inches of area on the top to work, versus the 30 inch wide row I will be working with this year. So far, I have planted carrots 4 rows across with this setup, versus the 1 or maybe 2 rows I would have been able to produce last year. To prepare the above row, I used these steps:

1. Cleared the row of debris, like twigs and other tree material using a rake.
2. Used the broadfork to “deeply” aerate and loosen soil and sprinkled 1 wheelbarrow of compost into the row area.
3. Leveled the area and removed debris that may have been discovered(rock,twigs,etc) during the broadfork and compost process, using a rake.
4. Used a “soil roller” to further level out the row area – this helps to get this slightly loosened topsoil flattened and allow the water to move further away from the tube during watering.
5. Once these steps are completed, you can install your drip tube again and seed your bed, or seed your bed and then install your drip. I install the drip irrigation and then direct seed the beds, as my seeder is designed for this, as I don’t want to have to cut/move the drip tubing multiple times per year(just once per year), just for the purpose of seeding a bed.