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Garden drip irrigation recommendations
Anyone using a drip irrigation system they can recommend? This would be for watering veggies (and possibly flowers in the future) in raised beds. These are some of the things I’m looking for but I’m getting a bit overwhelmed with all the choices out there:
- network capability, whether that be an app (iPhone) or website I can look at stats and control from
- 2 different garden beds to start with (3’ x 8’), with possibly 2 more in the future
- drip is the only irrigation I’m really concerned with so no need for sprinklers or anything (I don’t think, at least)
- there is only one spigot available for the area the beds are in
I built my own irrigation system (it was not terribly hard to do, but it did require a lot of research and planning; I am happy to give you an overview of all the bits and I'm pieces I'm using if you like), and I'm getting ready to rework parts of it. It uses a combination of drippers and sprayers, but I will probably eliminate the sprayers over time (except for seed starting).
I can't speak for network capabilities. I went with a very simple set-and-forget timer setup: I have an outlet timer that opens and closes a solenoid valve. I wanted something that was not complicated or prone to failure — something I could just turn on during the growing season and ignore.
My future plans involve having different sections of the garden on different solenoid valves that are opened separately from each other, which will involve using an irrigation control kit (I considered building my own, but I want it to be nicer and easier to program than what I have the time to build myself). I want to do this because some of my plants, like berry bushes, are much more thirsty than others; at the moment, I supplement them with the garden hose a couple times a week during the summer, but I'd like to eliminate this chore.
The most important thing to watch out for, in my opinion, is making sure you don't use any potentially toxic substances around edible plants. I feel confident using LDPE and HDPE plastics, but I religiously avoid PVC (a major endrocrine disruptor) around my vegetable garden and orchard. A lot of DIY projects involve using PVC pipes, but I would be wary of this and look into safer alternatives. (Along similar lines, be cautious with greywater systems that tap into your existing plumbing. From what I've seen, pipes that carry water to your sink/shower/toilet/etc. are usually metal or PEX, but the pipes that carry the used water away are often PVC.)
Great information, thanks! I never really thought about PVC like that being harmful/intended for waste. I’m kind of leaning toward kit based setups/off the shelf controllers. I love DIY stuff but just don’t have the time or drive to dedicate to rolling my own system right now
Oh, one other safety thing I forgot to mention: If the kit you buy doesn't include one, you will also want (and will probably be legally required to get) a backflow prevention valve if you are using a tap that connects to mains water or connects to your household water supply. This protects the water supply from waterborne diseases. (Make a note of whether the backflow prevention valve you get can be safely subject to continuous pressure. If not, it must be installed after your solenoid valve, which is the valve that your app will control in order to turn the water on and off.)
Shouldn't outdoor faucets already have backflow prevention built in? I never understood this part. I don't currently have backflow prevention screwed in because it looks like it's in the faucet itself, but I guess I can get an additional one to be safe. Do you have any recommendations for brands?
If your faucet already has one, then you should be in the clear. I would just double check, though; where I am, a lot of homes (maybe it's just older homes?) don't have that.
I wouldn't think the brand should matter. I imagine they are required to adhere to a legal standard.
I did some research and couldn’t find if they’re required by code in my area, but my home is newer.
I was thinking of buying from Amazon and I don’t trust products there to adhere to any legal standard. I’ll see if I can buy from another source.
For the drip irrigation itself, my dad's been using the Mister Landscaper system for what must be a couple of decades now. You'll need to provide your own smart timer if that's what you want, but that's easy enough since they run off of a normal garden hose. The whole point is they use less water than a traditional irrigation system, so a dedicated line is unnecessary.
Sweet, thank you. I like that they come in kits, it would take me too many trips to/from the hardware store if I was trying to figure it all out from scratch.
I dunno how far into the DIY world you consider this, but (once we do some landscaping this summer/fall), we'll be using OpenSprinkler for our controller. We've been using OpenGarage to do garage-door automation and I'm very happy with it.
I’m leaning toward an off the shelf solution, but this does sound really interesting
I've been using an Orbit two outlet timer for the last five years or so and don't have any complaints. Currently on my second as the first one cracked after three years of summer use. I store the timer inside during the winter, but leave the rest of the setup outside and haven't had any major issues or had to replace any tubing.
I'm using LinkTap at our property, it has both controllers for solenoid valves (we use this for under-lawn irrigation), as well as standard hose fittings for water lines, which we use in a couple of planter beds and above-ground drip irrigation. It uses Zigbee for communication between the bridge device and the units themselves, so it's got quite a bit of range and reliability. The mobile app is pretty good as well. Been very happy with it, and my gardener loves it as well since he can program it remotely without having to come here.
This looks very promising, thank you!
Smart home products fragmented into separate apps / hubs is the bane of the industry’s existence. I strongly suggest getting products with Matter / Thread capabilities to avoid such an issue.
Obligatory I don’t use this product but it looks good !Eve Aqua
Apple HomeKit now supports Matter and Thread. You will need a Homehub such as 4k Apple TV or HomePod to use it to its full effect.
I just stared using apple HomeKit due to the apple secure video (iCloud encrypted) and found a wired 4k Apple TV to be the best homehub for my needs.
Good point. We don’t have any home automation system in place yet so we are flexible in that regard, but at the same time I don’t want to be vendor locked either
That’s the benefit of using Matter enabled devices, you’re not locked into one ecosystem. Matter makes devices cross compatible and future proof in that regard. The product linked doesn’t appear to be matter enabled, however, only thread networked.
Thread networking is important for larger spaces and the more thread enabled devices the more robust your network. I use Eve matter smart plugs as thread network router since my homehub is on the far side of my house.
Awesome, thanks for the suggestion!