Raised bed and drip irrigation on the cheap

[mikemansker]

I have a 3 x 18 raised bed (actually three 3 x 6 beds I built on the cheap.

I won't say this will work for you, but this is the second season and I think it will last a few more as it doesn't show any signs of deterioration after season 1. The whole thing is built from cedar privacy fence pickets and corner brackets purchsed for about $20.00 a set (4) on Amazon. There is a 2x4 brace at the middle of each of the beds to provide support.

Probably the most expensive part was the 12 x 12 pavers surrounding the bed. I don't remember what they cost each, but I imagine that the cost was around $50.00.

The drip irrigation is controlled by an Orbit controller purchased for about $35.00. With this, you can control which bed gets watered when and for how long.

The drip line is solid from under the deck and is buried pretty shallow from the deck to the raised beds. From there I used Toro 53640 Blue Stripe Drip 1/4-Inch Tubing Sprinkler with Emitters, 100-Feet available at Amazon for about $23.00.

As I said, this works great for me and fits right into my "do it on the cheap" philosophy.

I also did an absolutely squirrel proof feeder from cheap materials at Lowes. I'd be glad to share the idea with you.

Photos of the system.