Drip Hose?
 

In a Raised bed is a Drip Hose necessary? I guess what I am asking is do I need to put one down around the regular Garden bed? Then also the Dedicated tomato Bed?

I am planning on using Mulch anyway? So if you use a good Mulch or Compost does this not keep the bed wet? I am trying to work smarter not harder here, Beale. :D

Whatever it takes. soaker hose, drippers, standing there with a hose, all kinds of options. If it doesn't rain before your plants use up the soil moisture, you will need to water one way or another.

The 'do I want irrigation?' question depends on the weather. My weather has been very unpredictable the past few years. I tend to have flash droughts where we go a month without any rain. I quickly make back the time spent putting in irrigation, because it makes watering go so much faster.

I like drip tape better than soaker hose, largely for the sake of being able to attach a fertilizer injector. Even if I was fully organic, I would still use the injector to add organic ferts or molasses.

[QUOTE=Cole_Robbie;454808]The 'do I want irrigation?' question depends on the weather. My weather has been very unpredictable the past few years. I tend to have flash droughts where we go a month without any rain. I quickly make back the time spent putting in irrigation, because it makes watering go so much faster.

I like drip tape better than soaker hose, largely for the sake of being able to attach a fertilizer injector. Even if I was fully organic, I would still use the injector to add organic ferts or molasses.[/QUOTE]


I have never heard of Drip Tape? Can this be found local Or is it something I need to order On-Line? Beale.

You probably have to order it. I buy 1000 foot rolls from Morgan County Seed Company for about $36. I realize that amount is a lifetime supply for a lot of home gardeners, but I still think it's worth it. Drip tape is so cheap that I only use it for one season and then throw it away.

Here is a manufacturer's link:
[url]http://www.jains.com/irrigation/drip%20tape/drip%20tape.htm[/url]

[QUOTE=Cole_Robbie;454901]You probably have to order it. I buy 1000 foot rolls from Morgan County Seed Company for about $36. I realize that amount is a lifetime supply for a lot of home gardeners, but I still think it's worth it. Drip tape is so cheap that I only use it for one season and then throw it away.

Here is a manufacturer's link:
[URL]http://www.jains.com/irrigation/drip%20tape/drip%20tape.htm[/URL][/QUOTE]


Thank You! Beale.

For raised beds, another factor is time. For me, I'm at home 24/7 at least 5 days a week, so I enjoy watering with a water hose. While watering, I often notice weeds that I missed, bugs, etc.

The only problem with the site Cole put up is they list in liters per hour and not gallons per hour.
There are 3.785 liters to 1 gallon.
I remember way back when they sold whiskey and such in liters and quarts for the same price.
I always bought liters because you got more.:lol:

I read on that site that Chapin is the last name of the guy who invented drip tape. I didn't know that. Chapin is the brand, but it looks like they got bought by Jain, which is an Indian company, thus, I presume anyway, the use of the metric system.

I thought I would toss the conversion up so folks would know what it was.
Not everybody but some folks think a liter is close to a gallon when it is really close to a quart.

Salt if you keep adding tomato plants, peppers and more beds soon you will have a full time job just watering.
It will get old after a while trust me.:lol:

Worth

I've bought drip tape from these folks in the past:
[url]http://www.dripworks.com/category/drip-tape[/url]
but they had John Deere brand when I got it. Last roll I got from Rain-Flo when I got my plastic mulch layer last year, but I know there are several other places to order it from. By the way, I really like using drip tape, and though I feel guilty or waste when I do it, I also treat it as a disposable, though the first year I used it I took it up and reused it the following year without major problem besides time spent. My understanding is that especially if you bury it under either mulch or soil, you can get several years' use out of it.

Yes it will get to be a pain. I'm hoping we can afford to build an irrigation system for the new 19 x 69' garden, but I know it will have to wait until January of 2016. Until then, break out the hoses.

Beale, the one thing I like most about slow drip is that it is easier to water deeply. I always water my roses slow.

Drip tape, black plastic mulch, and greenhouse plastic are all supposed to be recyclable, but I can't find anyone who will take it. I even called the Ag department of the local university, and they couldn't tell me anywhere to take it.

[QUOTE=Cole_Robbie;454960]Drip tape, black plastic mulch, and greenhouse plastic are all supposed to be recyclable, but I can't find anyone who will take it. I even called the Ag department of the local university, and they couldn't tell me anywhere to take it.[/QUOTE]

Glass is recyclable but our folks want pick it up in the recycle container at the curb.
Only paper plastic and beer and soda cans etc.
I dont drink beer in the can I dont drink sodas at all so that just about does it for me.
So I dont recycle.
The things are out on the street, the wind blows and I get everyone's so called recycle stuff in my yard and along the road.:evil:
So here is the recycle if you may.
They buy it and use it, they recycle it and put it in the recycle bin the wind blows it out and into my yard.
I then pick it up recycle it into my trash container and off to the land fill it goes.
Now thats what I call recycling.:lol:

Worth

[QUOTE=Worth1;454936]The only problem with the site Cole put up is they list in liters per hour and not gallons per hour.
There are 3.785 liters to 1 gallon.
I remember way back when they sold whiskey and such in liters and quarts for the same price.
I always bought liters because you got more.:lol:[/QUOTE]

For some reason, the conversion that I remember best is 1/5 gal = 755 mL. Can't imagine where I picked that up!

[QUOTE=Stvrob;454962]For some reason, the conversion that I remember best is 1/5 gal = 755 mL. Can't imagine where I picked that up![/QUOTE]

Here is an interesting tidbit I just picked up, I always wondered why they sold them(5ths) in the first place.
[url]http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFifth_%2528unit%2529&ei=ubn4VMPrPMrtggSSpoSYDw&usg=AFQjCNGVo3pCGeI7tFhuM_GtH59yeLMtaA&sig2=VmMAK6qTsk-GI8qIH-NqQA&bvm=bv.87519884,d.eXY&cad=rja[/url]

I looked into the drip hose. need to do some measurements 1st then decide what size hose I want and spacing of the Nipples? I need Gallons per minute, and size of area. Is this correct? Beale.

[QUOTE=EBCIII;455110]I looked into the drip hose. need to do some measurements 1st then decide what size hose I want and spacing of the Nipples? I need Gallons per minute, and size of area. Is this correct? Beale.[/QUOTE]

You can work in metric or English. Doesn't really matter.

[QUOTE=EBCIII;455110]I looked into the drip hose. need to do some measurements 1st then decide what size hose I want and spacing of the Nipples? I need Gallons per minute, and size of area. Is this correct? Beale.[/QUOTE]

I think you just need to worry about getting something and seeing how long it takes for the plants to get enough water.
All of them will be in liters or gallon per hour.
So if you had one that said 1/2 gallon per hour per emitter at 30 psi and you had 20 emitters you would have 10 gallons per hour.
You would have 0.666 gallons a minute.
Divide gallons per hour by 60.
At my faucet at around 50 psi with a 3/4 copper pipe run around 70 feet from the meter and trough my house lord knows where I got about 10 gallons a minute.

No worries.
For me for what i did at my house I ran a 1-1/2 line from my meter to rid myself of friction loss for something else.
This is something you dont need to worry about either at this time I would suspect.
The only reason you would need to know the GPM is if you had a ton of plants and wanted to make sure you had enough water to irrigate and that sort of thing.
You on the other hand are looking at only 2 raised beds or a little more.
This should be of no concern you will have plenty of water.

My 1/2 line puts out 1 gallon per hour per emitter.
This would be 3.785 liters to get you started.
No need to over think it.:)
May I suggest you put a 200 mesh filter in line before the drip line.
These are cheap and help prevent clogging.
The one at Home depot is a 155 and is just fine and you can order new filters of about any mesh that will fit this things.
Cost is about $10.00.
The ones I ordered had a flush valve on them these dont they have a cap.

[url]http://www.homedepot.com/p/DIG-3-4-in-Hose-Thread-Screen-Filter-D57A/100133293[/url]

Thanks Worth! I am really thinking very hard of going this way. I really thank you for all your help! Beale.

Hey Worth Do you leave the water running? Or just long enough to wet the bed? Beale.

[QUOTE=EBCIII;455366]Hey Worth Do you leave the water running? Or just long enough to wet the bed? Beale.[/QUOTE]

I have mine on an irrigation controller I can program through my computer.

Right now I have it set up to run from 8:00 to 9:00 in the morning and then again from 3:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon every other day for my onions.

I have two beds and the other one is disabled at this time.
Here is what it looks like on my computer screen as we speak.
[ATTACH]47280[/ATTACH]

So to get back to your question I would highly recommend some sort of timer to water your beds.
If you leave them on all of the time you will end up with a swamp.
The timer will allow you to just set back and let it do the work and you dont have to worry about forgetting to turn the water off.
Before I have been guilty of this and the next day thought, "Oh my god I left the water on to the bamboo.":shock::lol:
You can get cheap reliable battery operated timers at both Big Box stores or on line.
Just look at the things and see if the times they have will allow for your needs.
I'm sure most will.
You can get 1 and 2 station ones to fit your needs and they screw onto the hose bib.
How they work is the have a toggle relay in them.
In other words they get a pulse and toggle on when it is time to shut off they get another pulse and they toggle off.
This way the only time the battery is used is during the toggle pulse and to run the timer.
The battery should last for a year and they are water proof.


Worth

Thanks Worth! The Timer is a great Idea! Once agin not one I would have thought of! Beale.

I need to buy a timer, too.

Here is a site I was just now looking at:
[url]http://www.berryhilldrip.com/[/url]

I have these they have been very reliable though I dont use them anymore.
[url]https://www.orbitonline.com/products/hose-watering/timers/hose-faucet-timers/1-dial-2-outlet-digital-timer/digital-2-outlet-ht-timer-with-brass-swivel[/url]

I bought them at lowes.

Worth

Do you need special valves for drippers? I read something about normal solenoid valves not working right if the flow is below some threshold.

[QUOTE=Stvrob;455450]Do you need special valves for drippers? I read something about normal solenoid valves not working right if the flow is below some threshold.[/QUOTE]

Some times they will not close due to low flow.
So I did my research of all of the valves made by everyone and came of with these they will operate from .025 GPM to 30 GPM.
I ordered the ones with flow control also and every valve I have is like this.
[url]http://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/Irritrol-Sprinkler-Irrigation-Valve-p/2500tf.htm[/url]

My master valve is this one.

[url]http://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/Irritrol-Sprinkler-Irrigation-Valve-p/ir-700-1.htm[/url]

Worth

Those last 1 Look pretty High tech! For now I will have to go with the one at Lows. My $$ is limited, Beale.

[QUOTE=EBCIII;455480]Those last 1 Look pretty High tech! For now I will have to go with the one at Lows. My $$ is limited, Beale.[/QUOTE]

Extremely expensive too.
It took me about 3 years to buy and save to put my system in then I had to do it by myself.
About 12,000 feet of pipe altogether underground.