Drip irrigation

[SirJoe]

I was thinking of implementing a drip irrigation system but is it worth while. The cost of installing a system of this type isn't small. Has anyone used this sort system before?

 

[Chuck]

I was thinking of implementing a drip irrigation system but is it worth while. The cost of installing a system of this type isn't small. Has anyone used this sort system before?

Drip irrigation is THE way to go with limited water. My garden is about 1/4 acre. It includes 7 raised beds 70 feet long, 3 raised beds 42 feet long, 4, 8ft x 10ft raised beds and 22, 22ft raised beds. The entire thing is drip fed and I can water any part of it seperately from any other part. It is very simple to do. So far I have spent around $300 and most of that was for extra emitters. I have found DripWorks to be the best and I think they ship worldwide. I am on a well that does not replenish itself quickly so I am limited to how many gallons per hour I can use in any given period so I must water slow. Mine is set up with 1/2 gallon per hour emitters and my well can keep up with 175 of them. On some of my rows the emitters are close together about 1 foot apart while other rows are 2 or 3 or 4 feet apart depending on what is growing there. Each line of emitters can be easily moved to another row when needed.

 

[Rene61]

I use drip irrigation for all my planters and beds (I grow flowers, trees, and shrubs, not vegetables). I bought two small kits from Amazon to test the waters, and then found all the extra parts at Lowe's and on Amazon. There are different sizes of tubing and emitters--I like the sprinkler type emitters best because they water faster and disperse the water out greater. The drip (for containers) can go straight to the bottom and out the pot so I need it to fan out. Once you set up a drip the first time, technically, you're a pro then. It's really very easy.