Drip Irrigation for SFG

Maria, Are you referring conversion kits for traditional water systems to 1/4" drip systems? Or kits for laying out in the beds? I just buy a roll of solid 1/4" tubing, order a roll of the 6" spaced dripper tubing, bags of elbows, tees, straight couplings and lots and lots of good plugs (end stoppers) and make my own designs depending on the size of the box or if they are for the pots that supplement the box systems. The tubings and connectors from different suppliers should be interchangeable.

MariaOlson wrote:Plantoid this is totally off topic, but I started watching Gardeners World and Beechgrove Garden midway through this yr. Someone posts them on Youtube the day after each episode. If you watch it do you know when they usually start broadcasting each year?  I learned so much from watching them this yr, that I can't wait.I am hoping they continue to post them this coming yr. I have this vague idea that there were Canadian Gardening shows on when I was a kid, but there doesn't seem to be any anymore.

Sorry , I don't know as I don't watch or listen to the TV much , life's too short for me to waste it these days , for I'll be along time dead  .

 Perhaps you can look at BBC TV programmes or BBC iPlayer  and see what you can glean as the programmes used to be on BBC .  Maybe even send an email to the BBC programming folk as they are usualy very good at answering enquiries about their programmes.

I was referring to the kits I've seen at Home Depot that seem to be made to cover a certain area. As we've never put one together we have no experience with whether the parts you can buy at Lowe's would go together with the parts from a kit purchased elsewhere. That's why we were finding somewhere to get everything "in bulk"

Another source for drip/soaker hoses that I have used and will use again:  http://www.mrdrip.com/580-Soaker-Hose_c_632.html

Unfortunately, I can't remember their shipping costs but they couldn't have been too bad because I used the company a second or third time.

Thanks

sanderson wrote:Maria,  Welcome to the Forum from California, US.  You are in Canada but might also fit within the North Pacific Growing Region.

If you use the SFG plant spacing guide, I would personally recommend drip lines with 6" spaced drippers.  Two lines with 2 drippers = 4 drippers per square.  Where I live, we have summer days on end of over 38*C (100*F).  So your garden should do just fine with temps 25-30*C  (77-86*F).  In the photo below, there are 2 lines in each square 4" apart.  I cut and capped the lines that would have been under the string.  Just over kill, too much water.  I also mulch the top to reduce surface evaporation.  I hope this helps.

I live in the mountain foothills east of LA. We average 90's all summer with bursts into the hundreds a few days at a time. Last year was my first year doing SFg and besides disease, irrigation was my biggest issue and I suspect the powdery mildew may have been the result of some of my watering. What size main line are you using? what is the flow rate of the emitters and lastly how long and how often to you water?  And how do I remove pics when I am replying to a post. Thanks for the help.

seamammal wrote:....And how do I remove pics when I am replying to a post. Thanks for the help.

Thanks for asking.  I'm assuming that you mean when you reply to a post using the 'quote' button.

The easiest way is to be in 'code' mode when you write your post.  The button shown in this pic switches between WYSIWYG mode and code mode.  Code mode shows the code in the edit box, and WYSIWYG shows what your post will look like when posted.  You can switch back and forth without losing anything.



If you wanted to quote this post without the pic, get into code mode and delete the picture code, which looks like

Code:

[url=http://www.servimg.com/view/18287222/476][img]http://i38.servimg.com/u/f38/18/28/72/22/screen13.png[/img][/url]


I find it easiest to write all my posts in code mode, then use 'Preview' when I'm done to make sure it looks like I want it to, before I post it.

seamammal wrote:
And how do I remove pics when I am replying to a post. Thanks for the help.

Boffer is a wiz and knows more about this forum and computers than just about anyone.  But if he just confused you, what I do is click on the quote button and then highlight the part of the quote I want to delete and then hit delete.

Seamammal,  to answer your question, we haven't yet put in the irrigation. While preparing the backyard for building the raised beds,we discovered that where there was supposed to be drain tile it was crushed and had to be replaced. So...we've spent the last 3 weeks replacing drain tile (busting out concrete digging trfenches and shovelling drain rock) Raised beds will hopefully be finished by the end of next weekend. This will be the first time 'we've used drip irrigation, so as to how long we will run it per day, we don't know. We were assuming we woud be using 1/2 inch line from the faucet to the boxes, and 1/4 inch dripline in the boxes. We are trying to figure out what the difference is between dripline and the emitter tape, and we haven't gotten as far as pressure and flow.  There will be 2 lines branching from the spigot at the back of the house to cover all the beds. 

Seamammal,  I don't know if you were asking me about my drip system????  The 1/4" solid tubes feed off a 1/2" main tube that feeds all 3 sides of the back.  This tubing is connected to the original in-ground sprinkler system at several points so there is no loss of water pressure at any point in the approximate 160 foot length.
Many 1/4" solid tubing are connected to this 1/2" solid tubing.
The L-shaped boxes in the "quote" above:  The 1/4" solid tubing that feed these 2 boxes push the envelope on length, 20 and 30 feet.  Yet they still have enough pressure to feed the 1/4" drippers lines.  I think 25 feet of 1/4" dripper line is the max that can be on a 1/4" solid line.

Everything is on timers.  We can legally water 3 days max during the summer.  The flower beds are set at 8-10 minutes a day.  But they are also watered on the other 4 days.    All the front yard flower beds (same timer) have been converted to these quiet drip lines and are under mulch in case the water police are driving through the neighborhood at 4 am.  I hope this answer helps.

PS: I got PM on squash, beans, cantaloupe even though I use drippers. It is what it is.

boffer wrote:

seamammal wrote:....And how do I remove pics when I am replying to a post. Thanks for the help.

Thanks for asking.  I'm assuming that you mean when you reply to a post using the 'quote' button.

The easiest way is to be in 'code' mode when you write your post.  The button shown in this pic switches between WYSIWYG mode and code mode.  Code mode shows the code in the edit box, and WYSIWYG shows what your post will look like when posted.  You can switch back and forth without losing anything.


If you wanted to quote this post without the pic, get into code mode and delete the picture code, which looks like

I find it easiest to write all my posts in code mode, then use 'Preview' when I'm done to make sure it looks like I want it to, before I post it.

Got it, Thanks.

Boffer is a wiz and knows more about this forum and computers than just about anyone.  But if he just confused you, what I do is click on the quote button and then highlight the part of the quote I want to delete and then hit delete.

Thanks. I'm good with the code editing. I just retired from my Job as a Network Admin. I dealt with routers, switches and firewalls and all the other security stuff. Never fooled with the desktop stuff. I have always found that I can spend a couple of hours trying to figure something out, or I can just ask someone who has already banged their head against the wall. I already have too many knots in my head from 40 years of doing battle with computers.

I don't twit or myface.  I worked for a school district and my job was to protect the kids from themselves. they kept winning so I decided it was time to surrender and get a life again. I am trying to divest myself of as many technical stuff and all the unhealthiness that comes with it. Hence my new hobby of growing my own goods.  

Ok I guess a simple thanks would have sufficed but that felt good.

Thank You.

sanderson wrote:Seamammal,  I don't know if you were asking me about my drip system????  The 1/4" solid tubes feed off a 1/2" main tube that feeds all 3 sides of the back.  This tubing is connected to the original in-ground sprinkler system at several points so there is no loss of water pressure at any point in the approximate 160 foot length.
Many 1/4" solid tubing are connected to this 1/2" solid tubing.
The L-shaped boxes in the "quote" above:  The 1/4" solid tubing that feed these 2 boxes push the envelope on length, 20 and 30 feet.  Yet they still have enough pressure to feed the 1/4" drippers lines.  I think 25 feet of 1/4" dripper line is the max that can be on a 1/4" solid line.

Everything is on timers.  We can legally water 3 days max during the summer.  The flower beds are set at 8-10 minutes a day.  But they are also watered on the other 4 days.    All the front yard flower beds (same timer) have been converted to these quiet drip lines and are under mulch in case the water police are driving through the neighborhood at 4 am.  I hope this answer helps.

PS:  I got PM on squash, beans, cantaloupe even though I use drippers.  It is what it is.

Are those 1/4 inch lines running thru your beds the type with the drip emitters in the line?

Thanks for the Help.

seamammal wrote:



I don't twit or myface.  I worked for a school district and my job was to protect the kids from themselves. they kept winning so I decided it was time to surrender and get a life again. I am trying to divest myself of as many technical stuff and all the unhealthiness that comes with it. Hence my new hobby of growing my own goods.  

Ok I guess a simple thanks would have sufficed but that felt good.

Thank You.

Good for you, Seamammal!  My aunt was a psychologist for the school system for many years.  I know it can be very hard on the teachers & other adults trying to care for kids nowadays.  I know I certainly wouldn't/couldn't do it myself.

And I take it you're a GB fan...?

Seamammal,  I wrote a reply last night but didn't post it.   The in-line drippers are spaced every 6".
http://www.dripworks.com/category/one-fourth-inch-soaker-dripline