How to Build an Easy Drip Irrigation

In an effort to maintain a consistent watering schedule and conserve water, my husband and I created a fairly simple irrigation system that we can set on a timer. Here is a photo of our system...

What you need to build your own:

• 1-6 foot garden hose
• 1-hose end piece that will stop water from coming out the end
• 2-50 foot soaker small irrigation hose
• 1-packet of irrigation hose plugs
• 1-packet of barbed irrigation hose connectors

We also purchased this strange little tool that holds the barbed connectors while you push them into the garden hose. I'm not sure this is necessary. If you talk with people in the plumbing department of your local home improvement store they can help you find what you need.

Here's how we built it:

1. We laid the garden hose over the end of our raised garden to mark the spacing of each soaker hose that will run the length of the garden. We marked it with a pen.
2. We used a nail to puncture the garden hose on each pen mark so we could insert the barbed irrigation connectors.
3. We inserted the barbed irrigation connectors into the garden hose.
4. We measured out lengths of the irrigation soaker hose and cut it using scissors.
5. Then we connected the soaker hose to to garden hose by pushing the barbed connectors in the end of the soaker hose.
6. We then used the irrigation hose plugs to plug up the ends of all the soaker hoses.
7. We connected one end of the garden hose to a long garden hose that ran to the backyard faucet, and connected the other end to the cap that prevents the water from running out the other end.
8. We laid it across the width of the garden and placed the soaker hose where we wanted it.
9. Turned on the water and watch the magic.

 

In the photo above, you can see the end cap we purchased. Its the bronze color metal at the end of the garden hose. I think there is a smaller version that is not as enormous but we couldn't find it. Also you will notice that we attached the garden hose to the garden bed. This keeps the hoses in place since our garden hose is 6 feet long and our garden is only 4 feet across. I should mention that there are a variety of irrigation kits that you can buy online or at a store. These probably have great instructions and are built to fit together. This might be a good option too.

The next step will be to mulch heavily in preparation for our summer heat. I am told that mulching will keep the moisture from evaporating in the summer.