What kind/type of irrigation do you use and why?

[sjoella]

I have a very basic setup when it comes to watering my garden. I love my current garden, but feel that some type of watering system would be beneficial.

I get that...what I dont get is the choices. So I went to my local Home Depot hoping to find someone to talk to and found nothing outside of sprinklers and hoses.

So, I came here. What system did you use. Was it a success or did you just waste money? If you tried one then another...why? What would you recommend for about 1000 sq ft garden? I attached a pic of my garden a few weeks old so you can see what I currently have.

Thank you!

[Rockporter]

I don't have a sprinkler system but if I could I would probably use a type of drip hose system or soaker hose system. Drip hose and soaker hoses can be cut and have new conectors added for each piece you want to use. This seems like a good way to put the water where you want it and it is of course movable as well.

[Dak]

I've been very happy with the system I built from dripworks.com. You might need to look at their 3/4" tubing vs their 1/2", which eliminates being able to buy one of their kits.

They have a Mother's Day special going today, free shipping on orders over $99. Promo code: MDFS13. Expires midnight, PST.

[Cole_Robbie]

I was going to say the same thing about checking out dripworks. They have a great site to at least window-shop. Their prices are not usually the lowest, though. Amazon has cheap stuff, but of course the quality is always in question.

I use drip tape and throw it away after one season. A 1000 ft roll is $50. The header line and fittings get re-used. The best fertilizer injector I have found is a $25 Hozon brass fitting.

[sprtsguy76]

I use rainbird drip products. For a bigger garden i think one would need decent water pressure and a few scattered hose/water outlets. I have three strategically placed outlets for my 500-600 sq ft garden. I have a complex mix of raised beds with containers. I love the setup I have for the raised beds which is 1/2" tubing to the bed followed by 1/4" tubing and 1gph emitters spaced at 6" intervals. For containers I'm trying drip emitters too but one or two is not enough per container. Not getting even coverage with those. I might change em out to the 360 fan sprayers I have from last year.

Damon

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[Jaysan]

I use a drip system with a timer for my containers and raised bed. I use the emitters called shrubblers.
Got two of the "Pro" kits here.

http://www.berryhilldrip.com/ANTELCO...r-Sprayer.html

I really like the shrubbler emitters they are adjustable and water in a circle pattern. You can water in a small area or in one as big as a about a foot.

I live just down the road from these folks. They have lots of irrigation stuff.

[TightenUp]

i use a soaker hose on all beds and love them. i use tent stakes to hold them in place and then mulch right on top of them. this is what my father did for years and i've adopted the practice.

these hoses can be put on a timer if needed or just turned on/off whenever. the tent stakes makes the hose very easy to lay down and keep in place

http://www.amazon.com/10-Piece-Galva...ds=tent+stakes

[WhippoorwillG]

I use drip tape with a 15psi pressure reducer. It is great for covering large areas without wasting water.

I loath soaker hose except on small beds because of uneven watering and unreliable performance.

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[cajunman56]

I use a soaker hose.

[RebelRidin]

I use a drip line system I set up with parts from dripworks.com I push the limits for the 1/2" main using the 1/4" drip hose and 10 psi regulator but I can jst supply my entire 400 sq ft of raised beds with one main. Of course higher pressure regulators can be used to increase that but the 10 psi worked out just right for me.

Each bed has 4 x 4 feet of line with the 6" 1/2 gph dripline. That makes about 10 gallons/hour for a 16 ft sq bed which comes to about 1 inch of rain equivalent per hour. Each bed can be turned on and off individually as each has its own feed and microvalve from the mainline. I used the vinyl tubing as it was more flexible.

I thought cost was reasonable at about $180 for the whole garden. I am expecting perhaps ten years service before it might need replacing as it is all UV stabilized and usually under mulch besides. Next to the raised beds and compost based fill I think it is the best thing I could have done for my garden.

[BennB]

I am not a pro by any means but I have planned and installed several irrigation systems from traditional pop-up lawn systems, to drip systems for gardens and patios, and hybrid systems that do both for my own homes and gardens.

For the garden, a drip system is really the way to go. The nice thing with just about any drip irrigation system is you can vary how much water is delivered to each plant each cycle, so you can water tomatoes lettuce, peppers, all differently, but at the same time. Drip systems will also result in way way less water use and
will help keep down weeds and diseases. Also, although they call them "drip systems" you don't need to do just do a drippers. You can get spray emitters that work great for larger areas or work in drip lines that work just like a soaker hose.

Your garden is regularly shaped, the rows appear even, and your plant spacing is relatively uniform. All that is good and should make an drip irrigation system easy to layout and install.

Any system has four main components. Main lines that deliver that distribute the water, laterals that deliver water from the main line, emitters that meter water to the plants, and a controller that turns the system on and off. The controller is generally optional, but recommended and can be as simple as a hose timer.

Main lines: You generally have two choices. Hard lines like PCV and flexible HDPE (Poly) lines. Either type can be installed either above ground or below ground. Since this is your first system, I would recommend going with 0.7" poly installed above ground for the greatest flexibility. Poly line is very inexpensive. The expense is in the fittings and couplers, but you can reduce this by planning well.

Laterals: If you go with poly mains, your only real option is 1/4" poly. Very cheap for the line, again the cost is in the fittings on both ends, but that is not too bad.

Emitters: There are many emitters for 1/4 poly lines (anything with a 1/4 barb). You can get drippers that drip a set amount per hour (a gallon, half gallon, 2 gallons etc), blubbers that cover a larger area and are adjustable, sprayers to cover bedding plants and larger areas...the choices are nearly endless.

Controllers: You can use a standard irrigation controller set up or just a hose timer like you are using now. I usually go with a high quality programmable digital hose timer that has at least two programmable cycles.

Laying out the system. I took the liberty of doing a rough sketch up of your garden showing how I would layout the main lines in multiple loops. Sorry my handwriting is so bad. The main thing is that you want the pressure to be even so the more internal connections and loops the better. If you have one long main line the pressure drop will not allow the emitters to work uniformly. The 1/4" laterals have a lot of pressure drop, so you want these to be no more than 6' long if they have one emitter on them or about 3' with two emitters.

You will get the best price on components if you order them on-line. The key to this is drawing it up in advance and planning it out so you can get everything you need. I have had good luck with Irrigation Direct (www.IrrigationDirect.com) and I like their "direct-loc" fittings. I am not affiliated, just a customer. But if you don't have enough most home stores carry a decent stock of tubing, connections, and emitters and they are more or less interchangeable. My guess is you could put in a good system for between $50 and $75 (before tax and shipping) assuming you use your existing hose controllers.

Good luck!

Benn

[joseph]

First day the irrigation system was active in the North Field. This field is solid set so that I don't have to move pipe frequently.


First day the irrigation system was active in the South Field. This is a 2 acre field, so I have to move the irrigation pipe 5 times during the week to water the whole field. The pipe are connected with a quick-disconnect latch, so I can pick the pipe up in the middle, disconnect it by twisting, move it, and re-latch it in one smooth operation. I sure feel weak the first time I move these heavy pipes. I sure feel buff by fall.


Rainbird malfunctioned leading to a puddle of water in the field.


Our water storage reservoir at the end of the growing season.


Canal that moves the water about ten miles from the storage reservoir to my fields. The last mile is through buried pipe.


Moving 4" diameter 40 foot long irrigation pipes to winter storage.

[macmanmatty]

for tomatoes no irrigation needed. water on the leaves causes diseases and the less of that the better. Here is my no watering planting method. Start the plants early and get them big. You want about as tall as your water table is deep. My water table is about at 24-30 inches at planting time so I get them about that tall. Then at planting time I get out the post hole diggers and dig until I hit the water table then back fill about with about 1-2 inches of native soil on top of the water. Then plant and cover all stem and leaves up to the first set or two. No irrigation needed.

[jdcooper]

BennB, that was a great post, thanks for the detailed explanation!

[Cole_Robbie]

I just hooked up my old Hozon injector to the drip system in my new high tunnel, and it does not work at all. Apparently there is not enough water flowing through the system to create enough suction to make it siphon. It worked for me last year because I was attaching it to a drip system that covered about a 2-3 acre field.

I have an "EZ-Flow" injector that I'm going to try next to see if it makes any difference. I was not a fan of its design, but maybe I can make it work for a high tunnel.