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Any suggestions?  I'll have to use a barrel of water since I can't run a pipe out there in freezing weather..
Am thinking of a small pump which I don't have yet, and a timer which I have, and soaker hose or spaghetti tubing. It has to be able to water for up to 3 weeks. I tried the timer without a pump but there must not have been enough water pressure (I'm guessing) because nothing came through the timer.

what are you growing thru' the winter, and how? (soil beds / pots /bench) don't use soaker hose, it clogs up real quick, better of using capillary matting if it's on a bench.

Quote from: tonybloke on October 10, 2009, 17:53:06
what are you growing thru' the winter, and how? (soil beds / pots /bench) don't use soaker hose, it clogs up real quick, better of using capillary matting if it's on a bench.

Tonybloke, If you go to http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,46505.0.html
which I posted Oct 23 2008 titled "Pictures- Began Building a walk-in Solar Coldframe" in the "Under Glass" forum you'll see what I'm growing in. Very small stuff!  An in ground bed for lettuces and one pepper and one eggplant which will probably die off shortly but I'm curious to see how long they'll make it.  Why would soaker hoses clog so quickly- are you putting soil over yours? 

I don't use the things, anie, but my neighbours did, and theirs clogged up real quick. if you growing in the ground, no need for automatic watering in the winter, most plants won't transpire much in winter, so a two or three week interval between waterings will be fine. lettuce (if you grow the right sort) can stand quite hard frosts.

you could put a weighted floater at top of barrel.

or soil heating cable to keep hoses from icing up.

I agree with Tonybloke, and I'd add that 5% too much water in winter is twice as bad as none at all.

Unless of course you're using pots or growbags - in which case capillary mats are by far the best.

Capillary will always provide just enough and not too much - I've seen it referred to as 'reproducing the soil-water column that plants enjoy in open ground' (California Rare Fruit Growers - crfg.org).

I used to lose 10-20% of my citrus every year until I started using capillary.

You don't need to spend money on a capillary system - it's foolproof - just a mat on a platform in a big tray of water. You can make reservoirs from upended water bottles - like a budgie watering station.

Cheers.

During the delay in answers I decided to try catching the  roof run-off water and trickle it into the cold-frame via hose and spaghetti tubing (because I may be gone a  much longer time than expected and on sunny days it becomes quite warm in here.)  These are in ground beds, only a few pots.

Tomorrow is Test It Day- it is supposed to rain. I'm not sure there will be enough water pressure to force it through because I had to place the ugly recycled trough catching the water low enough so neighbors can't see it over the fence.