Life's Garden

[LifeisaGarden]

I'm thinking of installing a drip irrigation system in my garden. Supposedly it cuts water cost & consumption. Saw kits for it at Lowes but I'm not interested in a kit, I'd rather customize it to my likings they have that too.

Any of you have any experience in doing this kind of thing? Whats the difficulty level, pros, cons, etc...?

[ThPantherFan]

No ones answering because hair cat will come in and tell them how they don't know anything about it.

[Kevin Greene]

Save time.

Just have Dan pee in the garden.

[Hotsauce]

I have installed drip lines at my house. They are great. If you have an irrigation system, then you can tap into that. If not, the kits at lowes work great.

How hard is it? How handy are you (or Dan)? Its not too tough, you may want to buy the tool pack (comes with cutters, etc). Just be sure that you loop the line to ensure that you have enough pressure. Looping is when you connect the ends of the line to one another, creating a circuit of water in a "loop".

[LifeisaGarden]

No ones answering because hair cat will come in and tell them how they don't know anything about it.

Wat? :confused:

[Johnny Rockets]

I am not all that familiar with garden irrigation systems but how big is your garden? I have a smaller garden about 8'X10' and I have a soaker hose that I snake along the base of the plants. The whole thing cost under $20 and saves a bunch of water. It only waters the root base and gives a deep watering. Is that kind of the same idea?

[Jase]

hook a rain barrel to a downspout, then to the drip line and you won't use any water at all. I've thought about this many times but never actually done it.

[Johnny Rockets]

hook a rain barrel to a downspout, then to the drip line and you won't use any water at all. I've thought about this many times but never actually done it.

Same here but never could bring myself to pay for a rain barrel. Things are fairly expensive. Guess I could make my own, but I don't want it to be an eye sore either.

[Hotsauce]

hook a rain barrel to a downspout, then to the drip line and you won't use any water at all. I've thought about this many times but never actually done it.

My mom made one out of one of those $10 50gal trashcans, a hose bibb ($4) and some hose ($10). She cut the middle section of the lid out, installed a screen, placed it under the gutter. Installed the hose bibb at the bottom of the trash can, connected the hose. When she wants to water her plants, she just opens the bibb.

Total cost under $30.

[LifeisaGarden]

The one I want to irrigate is about 20'x40'. I have another 8'x8', a 2'x10' and one about 6'x8'. I'm getting ready to add another about 8'x8' or maybe 6x12' I haven't decided yet. But I water all those by hand, sprinkler or when regular lawn irrigation hits it.

I think this drip irrigation thing might be fairly reasonably priced. I might could do the whole garden for around $100. I'd like to get a couple of those rain barrels too.

[Johnny Rockets]

The one I want to irrigate is about 20'x40'. I have another 8'x8', a 2'x10' and one about 6'x8'. I'm getting ready to add another about 8'x8' or maybe 6x12' I haven't decided yet. But I water all those by hand, sprinkler or when regular lawn irrigation hits it.

I think this drip irrigation thing might be fairly reasonably priced. I might could do the whole garden for around $100. I'd like to get a couple of those rain barrels too.

What do you do with all those veggies? :eek: Like I said, I have an 8 X 10 ft. garden and only consume maybe 1/4 of what comes out of it (if that much). The rest is given to neighbors, freinds, ot thrown at my neighbors cats.

[LifeisaGarden]

Eat them, can them, make salsa, give them away. I eventually would like to sell some at the local market if I get good enough at it. Last year we ate almost everything that came out of our garden, I did give some away.

Last year was my first attempt with the 20'x40'. It didn't produce a very good yield, I assume partly because of my ignorance and partly because of poor soil. I've learned more and hope to have a better yield this year.

Hotsauce,

If I do the drip irrigation I'm going to attach an auto fertilizer on it. Do you have one of those?

[ThPantherFan]

Wat? :confused:

Ha! No big deal. I had a thread about gardening and someone posted stating I was a fraud and didn't know what I was talking about. It got comical.

I hope you get to join a local tailgate. They are fun. I don't sell to the WNC Farmers Market anymore as I have been with a tailgate for several years now. It is more profitable and you meet such great people. I have regulars and some come to the field to get stuff. I've been approached to participate in the CSA program, but I don't think I would enjoy doing that. I would rather have things on a weekly basis for first come, first serve. A lot pre order eggs and stuff and that's as close to a CSA as I wish to get.

Since I met you and Dan I have added more fruit trees and blueberries. I have about 4 cherry trees more than when I gave you some cherries. As long as I can keep the bears out of my fruit trees they should produce well this year. I didn't have anything killed by the frost. Maybe God is going to smile on me the rest of the season.

For you size garden I think a soaker hose system would be the most economical. I run 2 inch pipes through my field. That would be a little over kill for you. Ha!

[Hairless Cat]

online you can buy everything you need from Dripworks- they even sell a starters kit

I use their stuff everywhere- run the drip tape in my vegetable garden and use the spray stakes on my blue berries