ladybug
Search Site
Resources


Find Solutions
Pesky Insect Solutions
Critter & Animal Solutions
Fungus & Disease Solutions
Organic Fertilizer Solutions
Cover Crop Solutions

organic gardening / articles / Easy drip irrigation for raised beds
Easy drip irrigation for raised beds
Jan 03, 2013 - Charlotte from Peaceful Valley
   
  Easy drip irrigation for raised beds
This raised bed has a line of 1/2" poly tubing, dotted with 360-degree Spectrum Sprays.
 
   

Raised beds with drip irrigation are the easiest way to grow your own vegetables.

In our new video on raised beds, Tricia shows you how to create a raised bed in minutes, using M Brace, Minifarmbox, or jumbo-sized Smart Pots.

Raised beds offer easy planting, weeding, and harvesting.

Want to make the watering easy too? Add drip irrigation—with a timer, it will deliver a steady supply of water to your plants, whether you’re in the garden or on vacation in Paris.

We have a diagram showing you how to construct your own drip lines and sprayers, and we offer a pre-made kit too.

The only complicated part about drip irrigation for raised beds is the initial connection to the outdoor spigot. We’ll walk you through that process right now, and you can also see our video on the subject.

Set Up Your Water Source

Watch Tricia connect her irrigation system to a spigot.

This is the way to start to any kind of timed, drip irrigation system (large or small). Attach the Y Connector to your outdoor spigot and then add the other parts in order:

* Y Connector with Shut Off
* Electronic Water Timer
* Vacuum Breaker
* Brass Hose Swivel Adapter
* Flushable Y Filter
* Brass Adapter
* Pressure Regulator

Filters are recommended for all drip irrigation systems, but if you have very clean, city water you might be able to get along without one.

Poly Tubing Gets The Water To Your Raised Bed

Poly tubing is the spine of your drip irrigation, and it’s purple in this diagram.

drip irrigation for raised bed

Use Power-Loc Tees (black in this diagram) to connect the 1/2” poly tubing.

You can see the shaded areas, showing the scope of the sprayers. This diagram shows several blue dots for Olson O-Jet Sprayers on Olson Riser Tubes and Spike Stakes: 4 45° sprayers and 2 180° sprayers. The 2 360° Olson Ultra-Jet Sprayers in the center have 1/4” Barbed Couplers connecting 1/4” poly tubing to Irrigation Stakes. If your bed is smaller you might be able to eliminate the 180° sprayers.

You can choose the spray diameter of your Ultra-Jet Sprayers to fit your raised bed. This diagram shows blue sprayers with 11” spray diameter for a bed that is approximately 2’x2’.

Pre-Made Drip Irrigation Kits

irrigation kits for raised beds

Want a system in a box, ready to hook up to your water source? If you have a 4’x4’ or 4’x8’ raised bed you can order a kit with all the pieces, ready to put together. Minifarmbox™ created these kits to go with their raised beds, but you can also use them in beds you build yourself.

For more information: We have advice, and installation tips, at our Drip Irrigation page.

If you’re in the Grass Valley area, come to our store and nursery where our knowledgeable staff will answer your questions and show you the full range of irrigation products.


Categories: Raised Bed Kits, Drip Irrigation, Drip Emitters, Drip Irrigation Supplies, Organic Gardening 101, Urban Gardening & farming


Reply to this post

Your Name (required) Email, won't be published (required)

Please enter the word you see in the image below:




Articles
Mulch in your vegetable garden—beyond the basics Everyone tells you to mulch your vegetable garden—but exactly how should you choose a mulch? In…
Grow cover crops and green manure in the summer Most cover crops are planted in late summer, but there are some cover crop seed mixes that can go in…

Videos
Plant Nutrition

Lasagna Gardening