Posted on 03/09/2009 11:53:35 AM PDT by Red_Devil 232
I have been researching drip irrigation systems for use in my garden this year and came across this system using PVC pipe and I thought that this might be of interest to those Freepers into gardening or planning a garden.
This will be my third year of vegetable gardening and I decided that I would go with a drip irrigation system and this PVC system caught my eye and interested me because I can go to the local hardware store and get everything I need. You can see my garden from last year by going to my Home/About page.
There are plenty of commercial drip irrigation systems that are available in kits and individual parts to build your own but they are not available in my local garden centers. I would have to order over the Internet if I wanted one. If I cared about aesthetics around landscaping I would consider ordering over the Internet. I was on the verge of hitting an order button when I came across this homemade PVC system.
The thing that attracted me to using a drip irrigation system was that I would not have to furrow my rows. My garden is on a slope and the furrows have to be planned to keep water from pooling in the low ends of the furrows. Also furrowing is physical work and if I can innovate around it I will. My garden will be flat this year. Here is hoping my beer is not!
I would like any input from y’all with (or without) experience using a drip irrigation system for your gardens.
Here are a couple of links to information with pictures and a video showing how the PVC system works.
This is a pdf file from Utah State University
Designing a Basic PVC Home Garden Drip Irrigation System - pdf with pictures
This is a video (not the best quality) of how to make a PVC drip system. It is about 14 min. long.
Video - How To Make A PVC Irrigation System
Wow, thanks for the tip. Yes, there are brine wells in the area too. Hmmm.....
Did over 100 quarts of tomatoes, stewed and plain, last year. Not my own homegrown though, but grown less than a mile away by a nice lady farmer.
Last year is the reason I am going to do the PVC drip irrigation. I may add a timer to the water source also just for the case if I have to be away for a few days.
Victory movement: Patriotic gardening strategy takes root again
I am not sure if you have seen them so here is a list.
doodad
BenLurkin
Gator113
Arrowhead1952
WHATNEXT?
GatorGirl
Travis T. OJustice
LucyJo
I do tomatoes in the pressure canner, it’s WAY quicker than water bath.
Can you add me to the garden ping list please?
Mrs. P
To the Gardening Ping List
I own some of those...they work. The plant grows downward from the containers; the branches and leaves turn up toward the sun. Lots of tomatoes...
Home made ones are cheaper than the manufactured ones; but they don’t last anywhere near as long. I grow eight-foot tall tomatoes in my Earth Box every year. They are amazing, and don’t take up much ground area. Vertical? Better have some room. :-)
That’s the one; although a lot of the accessories are over-priced and substitutions can be made; primarily with
the staking system. Six-foot tall pepper plants and eight-foot tall tomatoes are very easy to grow with an Earth Box.
I don't know if you've seen this thread or not, but there is lots of survival and gardening information there. It is an ongoing thread.
May be nothing, but these days, who knows.....
Thank you! I printed that out. I am a lazy gardener, and by harvest time, it shows. So I’m always looking for a better way to do things, with the least work for me. LOL
There are some other neat things linked in this thread.
Pinging DH.
Thanks for following up!
It shouldn't be that expensive for a plumber to tap into your coldwater supply and run PEX to a hose bib. While I prefer copper piping, PEX is quite common in newer construction, and running a new line for a hose bib is really quite easy. It shouldn't take him long. Call a plumber and get an estimate, and if there's other places you'd want a bib, might as well do it all at once.
Oh how I do hate the government. They passed a similar bill about toys, having to do this test and that, for "safety". The end result was my dad and his woodworking group had to stop making toys to donate to Toys for Tots, so they wouldn't open themselves up to fines and lawsuits.
Everything is crazy, these days. You can't even bake cookies and take them to a homeless shelter. EVERYONE needs to be dependent on The Benevolent Government, don't you know.
I liked the idea of the PVC Drip Irrigation because after it is up and running all I have to do is make sure the water is running.
I also liked the idea of not having to make furrowed rows to channel water. Just a flat garden surface with the PVC irrigation down the rows. Cover it with landscaping fabric and some straw - no weeds!
I am going to try my best to document my progress in photos on my about page. I do have a very small garden (it will be twice the size of my garden last year - but still small). I will also keep up on the cost and time it takes to make it.
Cool! Thank you!
You are welcome. See you there.
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