Upgrading watering system - advice please

stormymater · January 11, 2009

I have to conclude I need to setup automatic watering. When I am out of town the garden suffers & DH looks really guilty... so rather than come home to parched stressed plants I know I need one or two good timers.

I have well water with a pump & probably want to set the timer near the pump rather than out where spigots (&no electric) are. Think this could work?

Next is the delivery method. I am preparing 3 more beds for tomatoes this year - they will be 4 x 12 feet in parallel raised beds with 10 inch sides, dug down an additional foot, so about 22 - 24 inches deep. The pragmatic cheapskate in me (Git 'er dun!) is thinking of running a main hose perpendicular to the beds & using T-connectors to run a 24 foot length lopped up & back in each raised bed. Have considered putting this in 6 inches down versus laying on ground & covering with newspaper & lottsa clippings (thank goodness for freecycle).
The spendier more elegant side is thinking of drip irrigation with drippers to each tomato plant in the beds. This seems to get complicated fast though - whatwith filter, connecters & what seem to be lottsa fidlly little parts for me to drop, get gritty or lose in the soil as I am setting up.

Oh Tomatovillians, what do y'all recommend? It's gotta be some kind of watering that doesn't wet the leaves - been there dun that. Gotta be something this old wife can do on her own - been there dun that. I need to justify cost with efficiency, effectiveness, reliability... so can you help me out? TIA

troad · January 13, 2009

Stormy,
Have not used a timer set up and have not used the following delivery system but it sounds like a workable method. For a description of PVC pipe set up to use pumped water go to page 46 in the book 'How To Grow World Record Tomatoes" by Charles H. Wilber. Incidentially well water is recomended by the author too.
Len

PS Has anyone else read this book? Several interesting concepts.

stormymater · January 13, 2009

Thanks Troad - will see if I can beg/borrow a copy. The timer is an electrical stretch if I want it at the right spigot. Thinking of going down & dirty with the covered soaker hoses - realizing they'll need replacing in a few years b/c of all the sediment & iron in our water here. You can really see it on the white houses that use well water for spraying their lawns - it stains the sides of the houses pale orange!

Worth1 · January 13, 2009

If I were you I would go with the soaker hoses for right now.

6 inches is a little deep for them but do as you wish.

They also have battery operated timers you can purchase that will make the installation a lot simpler. (No wires to run or bury)

I wish there was a sticky or thread area for irrigation here as every year folks ask about it and every year others and my self give out good information on drip and formulas for calculating water pressure and flow rates for this sort of thing.

Worth

stormymater · January 13, 2009

Thanks Worth = do you think it would be better to leave the hoses on the ground & cover with newspaper & mulch instead of burying?

Worth1 · January 13, 2009

I would put mulch over them for one reason you can get the hoses up real easy and the things still spray water a little.

Do you know what your water pressure is?

PS look at my leggy tomatoes on the other thread.

Worth

amideutch · January 13, 2009

Stormy, if you get a battery operated timer switch do not go low buck as the quality is commensurate with the price. Speaking from experience as I had a timer setup hooked up to a soaker hose at my surrogate garden at work. If you put the soaker hose under the mulch as Worth has suggested you should only have to water once a day as the mulch will help keep in the moisture. And yes you can over water your plants. Ami

stormymater · January 13, 2009

Without having to hobble downstairs & out back (we do have a pressure gauge at the pump) I can't be precise. I can however tell you I can fill a 5 gallon bucket of the furthest spigot in < 45 seconds - can't it w/o hose being attached as water shoots straight out hard 10+ feet!

stormymater · January 13, 2009

Ami - any brands you recommend from experience?

amideutch · January 14, 2009

Stormy, I'm totally in the dark as far as water timers being made in the States. As I said when I bought mine I bought the cheapest one I could find and it crapped out after a month of use. One of the better brands here in Germany is "Gardena" which I see is sold in the States too. Ami

jcmorse33 · January 14, 2009

I actually got started with two of these kits last year:
http://www.dripirrigation.com/drip_i...oducts_id=1074

Put it on my wish list and my wife and my parents didn't coordinate so I got two... LOL! Worked well since it let me put my garden beds and my container plants on different timers. I know the timer in this kit probably is a cheap one, but both have worked flawlessly for me thus far.

stormymater · January 14, 2009

thanks Ami - the hunt begins... will go with soaker hoses this year & hunt down a good timer. Have the neighbors saving newspaper (our paper is small LOL).

karpes · January 14, 2009

If you are going to mount the timer and sprinkler valve near a well pump you could use one of the Orbit lawn sprinkler timers. You would need a 120 volt outlet to plug in the 24 volt transformer. Other than the timer (about $40) you only need the sprinkler valve (about $15). I have spent a lot of money on these cheap faucet mounted timers and they are just a waste of time. The lawn sprinkler timers are very dependable but you do need a source of electrical power.

stormymater · January 14, 2009

TY - Karpes - will get on-line & hunt it down. I have electric (120V) right next to the pump so that should work well for us. All about getting water to the right place at the right times - tired of seeing a guilty face when I climb outta the car & head straight for the garden (no matter when day/night I get home LOL).

karpes · January 14, 2009

You can find everything you need at Lowes or Home Depot. Lowe’s sells the Orbit. It’s easy to hook up. Just mount the timer and sprinkler valve. Run a twin wire from the timer to the sprinkler valve. Connect the two wires from the supplied transformer then plug it in. If you use a multiple zone timer then you have to run extra twin wire between the timer and each additional sprinkler valve. They come with easy understand instruction, Good luck,

January 11, 2009	#1
stormymater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pleasure Island, NC 8a Posts: 1,162	Upgrading watering system - advice please I have to conclude I need to setup automatic watering. When I am out of town the garden suffers & DH looks really guilty... so rather than come home to parched stressed plants I know I need one or two good timers. I have well water with a pump & probably want to set the timer near the pump rather than out where spigots (&no electric) are. Think this could work? Next is the delivery method. I am preparing 3 more beds for tomatoes this year - they will be 4 x 12 feet in parallel raised beds with 10 inch sides, dug down an additional foot, so about 22 - 24 inches deep. The pragmatic cheapskate in me (Git 'er dun!) is thinking of running a main hose perpendicular to the beds & using T-connectors to run a 24 foot length lopped up & back in each raised bed. Have considered putting this in 6 inches down versus laying on ground & covering with newspaper & lottsa clippings (thank goodness for freecycle). The spendier more elegant side is thinking of drip irrigation with drippers to each tomato plant in the beds. This seems to get complicated fast though - whatwith filter, connecters & what seem to be lottsa fidlly little parts for me to drop, get gritty or lose in the soil as I am setting up. Oh Tomatovillians, what do y'all recommend? It's gotta be some kind of watering that doesn't wet the leaves - been there dun that. Gotta be something this old wife can do on her own - been there dun that. I need to justify cost with efficiency, effectiveness, reliability... so can you help me out? TIA

January 13, 2009	#2
troad Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Des Moines, WA. Posts: 358	Stormy, Have not used a timer set up and have not used the following delivery system but it sounds like a workable method. For a description of PVC pipe set up to use pumped water go to page 46 in the book 'How To Grow World Record Tomatoes" by Charles H. Wilber. Incidentially well water is recomended by the author too. Len PS Has anyone else read this book? Several interesting concepts. __________________ There's a fine line between gardening and madness.

January 13, 2009	#7
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	Stormy, if you get a battery operated timer switch do not go low buck as the quality is commensurate with the price. Speaking from experience as I had a timer setup hooked up to a soaker hose at my surrogate garden at work. If you put the soaker hose under the mulch as Worth has suggested you should only have to water once a day as the mulch will help keep in the moisture. And yes you can over water your plants. Ami __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!'

January 14, 2009	#10
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	Stormy, I'm totally in the dark as far as water timers being made in the States. As I said when I bought mine I bought the cheapest one I could find and it crapped out after a month of use. One of the better brands here in Germany is "Gardena" which I see is sold in the States too. Ami __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!'

January 13, 2009	#4
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	If I were you I would go with the soaker hoses for right now. 6 inches is a little deep for them but do as you wish. They also have battery operated timers you can purchase that will make the installation a lot simpler. (No wires to run or bury) I wish there was a sticky or thread area for irrigation here as every year folks ask about it and every year others and my self give out good information on drip and formulas for calculating water pressure and flow rates for this sort of thing. Worth

January 14, 2009	#11
jcmorse33 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Central Virginia Posts: 242	I actually got started with two of these kits last year: http://www.dripirrigation.com/drip_i...oducts_id=1074 Put it on my wish list and my wife and my parents didn't coordinate so I got two... LOL! Worked well since it let me put my garden beds and my container plants on different timers. I know the timer in this kit probably is a cheap one, but both have worked flawlessly for me thus far.

January 14, 2009	#13
karpes Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2008 Location: Louisiana Posts: 73	If you are going to mount the timer and sprinkler valve near a well pump you could use one of the Orbit lawn sprinkler timers. You would need a 120 volt outlet to plug in the 24 volt transformer. Other than the timer (about $40) you only need the sprinkler valve (about $15). I have spent a lot of money on these cheap faucet mounted timers and they are just a waste of time. The lawn sprinkler timers are very dependable but you do need a source of electrical power.