Last updated on June 9th, 2019
Shame on…me. For ten frivolous years (2008-2018) I relied on an oscillating sprinkler to irrigate the 12 raised beds in my Kitchen Garden. Of course, this same sprinkler watered the paths between the beds. It watered the air, too, whenever the wind kicked up. Such waste! To ease my guilty conscience, this spring I asked John B. — he’s our clever handyman — to make the garden water-wise. Would you like to see his (inexpensive) solution?
Before we get started, please note the garden’s layout. Its north and south ends are each equipped with four 8×4 beds. The central path is flanked by four 8×2 beds. (Fore more details about the garden, scroll down to see “related posts.”)
First up, to insure equal water-flow to the 12 beds, John used a “header” to divide the plot into 3 sections. And into this header John attached three common black garden hoses: one for the north beds, one for the south beds, and another for the central beds. The header is attached to a fence post, and plugged into the main water source.
He rigged up a simple timer, too.
Next, John fed the aforementioned three hoses into three separate headers that he attached to various fence posts.
Then he ran a hose to each of the raised beds…
And to each of these hoses he attached a soaker hose!
No picture of this next step: John turned on the water, and, GLORY HALLELUJAH, the system worked as planned. All 12 soaker hoses wept equally.
I wept, too. My water-wise dream was now a reality.
Lastly, John buried the common black hoses two inches underground. This way, I can walk the paths without the fear of tripping.
Would you like to see the soaker hoses in action? Me too! Alas, I’ve only planted one of the raised beds. Also, we’ve had near-daily rain ever since John finished the irrigation work. Patience, patience.
I’ll post an update when, at last, the remaining beds are planted and the soaker hoses are pinned into place. Meantime, let’s bid a cheery farewell to both the oscillating sprinkler and the blue, 75-foot hose to which it the sprinkler was attached. That hose, by the way, was a royal pain to remove whenever the gardens here were open to the public.
Do you have a sensible watering arrangement for your own vegetable garden? Talk to me in the comments field below!
xKevin
Chris says
I’m curious to see how long the soaker hoses last. I used to have a soaker hose set-up. After about 2 years, mine sprung leaks at the most inconvenient paces, some of my beds were flooded, and some got nothing; of course, this usually happened while I was on vacation ( I use a programmable timer ). I finally went back to the overhead sprinkler, only one needed, no installation , no disassembly for winter, it is on a timer and I use only what I need. I have 4 raised beds in a square, so my garden is compact.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Chris – Your sprinkler-on-a-timer system seems quite workable for your size garden. I think the trick to longevity with soaker hoses is to protect them from the sun. I plan to shade mine with mulch.
Maria Held says
I use drip irrigation in my raised beds since I live in the arid west (SW Idaho). There is essentially no rain during the growing season. When I tried soaker hoses they tend to plug up (hard water) after a season or two.
Margaret @ Live Like No One Else says
We just ordered all of the parts that we need to install the drip irrigation system into our flower beds as well. They should arrive this week. I’m still very excited to get this project installed.
Susan W says
We use a watering system obtained from Lowe’s. It’s a split 3-header system that is attached to an automatic programmable timer. One hose goes to our raised tomato bed. One goes to the hostas along the lane. And one to the three flower beds. Several sprinklers are attached along each hose within each bed. I can change the heads to sprinkle, mist or drip, depending on what’s needed. We’ve used this system for the last 10 years. Occasionally we’ve had to change a damaged head but for the most part, this has been a wonderful system! SO easy!!!
Martha Woodman says
I like your simple timer. Ours is a digital one, with batteries and a manual pages long that I never remember from year to year how to use. Yours looks easier.
Janis says
We have had good fortune with our drip system in Northern California. The hoses are buried beneath the earth and the timer removed each Fall. It is a true water-saving system. Here is wishing you have good service from your system as well.
Susan says
Hi Kevin,
I only plant tomatoes and herbs in my raised beds, but like you I was woefully wasting water with a fan sprinkler. Ordered a drip irrigation system from Gardners Catalog this year to remedy the situation. It arrived, but alas, I have managed to sprain my back transplanting hostas! Hoping to install it next week, when I can straighten up. Haven’t quite decided which timer to get. Yours looks nice and easy, like maybe I could figure it out. Any info on it would be helpful. Thanks!
Jodi says
Your article is timely! I’ll be working getting the drip irrigation put into my DIY raised beds today – kiddie pool with drainage holes drilled in the bottom – up on pallets this year to better enable drainage (and they make a safe spot for the chipmunks to hide from our one outdoor cat) with a fence around each to keep the woodchucks out. All three will be fed by our two rain barrels. No timer though. Can’t wait!
Marcia says
I have a company “Instant Rain” that installed a water and fertilizer injection system, and the lines for the whole system. It is divided into 5 zones. I can choose to inject the fertilizer or not on any given day in the week. I can run the system one zone at a time for however long I have it set to. It’s just great. The second time I watered the window boxes from the upstairs window, I called Instant Rain. The window boxes are from Gardener’s Supply and this is their 4th year. I take them in every fall and clean them. There is a small tower in the center where I drilled a small hole, and inserted the line, hiding the line under the siding. I can change anything at any time, even run one zone for a second time during the day if it needs it. Some of the beds have a buried line with little holes every foot, some have a popup sprinkler., some have a stake with a nozzle. People think I do nothing but pull hoses around keeping things wet. I’m relaxing in the house adjusting the water brain. There is a wireless rain sensor that bypasses the entire system if it is wet at the start time. The Instant Rain man comes every fall with the huge compressor and blows the system dry for the winter. I’d be happy to answer any questions through Kevin.
Lori says
I currently use the soaker hoses. I wanted to put them on a timer but the contraptions made it look like you needed a college degree to set up and run them. I like yours. Where can us Average Joes and Jills get one like yours?
Leslie Bingham says
I wish I had a “John” to help me. I have 4 raised beds and devised a soaker hose w regular hose connecting from bed to ned(cut to size and put male and female ends) but first bed gets super soaked. 4th bed barely wet. So maybe 4 direct lines is the answer! Thanks. I live on an acre plus with ONE FAUCET! Gardener’s nightmare!!
Chris says
I took an old hose I had and drilled small holes in it, attached it to another hose that goes to my rain barrel. I laid it all around my veggie garden. When I need to water my veggies, I just open the valve on the rain barrel, set my (manuel) timer for 30 minutes or so. Works great for me, but I only have 2 raised beds in a row. For rest of my garden beds, I usually walk around the yard in the morning with my coffee, and see what needs what, and get my (lightweight) hose. I love playing in the water anyway!!
Mary says
Tried soaker hoses one year but when digging a hole for tomatoes I carelessly cut the hose. Next tried plastic liter soft drink bottles
, poked hoes in sides and buried with the plant then just filled bottles each week. Worked well but we stopped buying liter bottles so on to plan C. My raised beds are 20’ x 4 ‘ and now they are covered in black plastic and cut slits to put in plants. Fingers crossed
Pam R says
Love it!!
Kathe from Colorado says
Hey Kevin! I have often wondered what kind of irrigation system you use. So glad you posted this article! I have used soaker hoses years ago, and then went to fancier drip systems that required too much maintenance. I’m going to go back to soaker hoses now. Thanks for your weekly advice!
Betty says
We had a drip irrigation system too. Loved it! It was really easy to install, doesn’t take special tools or strength, and lasts years. The only additions we made were a pressure reducing valve on the hose (the pressure of our city water was too great and could blow out the fittings) and a filter so those tiny particles wouldn’t jamup the works. I liked the flexibility of having a soaker type hose or a dedicated emitter for plants. It was relatively inexpensive and sith a simple timer, we could use just the right amount of water! We moved last year, so I drug the hose around last summer (uggg!). This year we are putting in drip irrigation for the garden as soon as the rain stops falling!
Cookbook Collector says
Glad you went with a basic simple soaker hose solution. Everyone already knows most soaker hose will have to replaced every couple years, but they are very economical to replace and easy to install each year. In the mean time, maybe you could research what kind of special maintenance can be done to them after each season to extend their lifespan. As for the multiple zones, if some areas are receiving more water than others, then maybe the zones will need to be controlled independently so they aren’t all on at the same time. Each feeder line could have an on/off valve and/or individual timer installed. As for water timers, I agree: the simpler the better. Found this on best tape to fix small leaks with soaker hose using Rust-Oleum LeakSeal Self-Fusing Silicon Tape: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gepHkAdeIBw. Here is another very informative webpage that covers necessary psi pressure controls, etc.: http://bestreviews.com/best-soaker-hoses?cid=198434321&aid=60278953840&eid=&tid=kwd-12561826&ul=9024252&mt=b&n=g&d=c&dm=&dt&sn&adid=327078344569&k=soaker hose&p=&pc=&ap=1o1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzZCGnuqn4gIVRrjACh0hBAU5EAMYASAAEgIFd_D_BwE
Annette says
I buried a soaker hose in my garden this year as well and my plants are loving it. We also attached a manual timer to the house so we can just set it and if we forget or get tied up with something else we won’t run the well dry.
Suzanne K says
I had soaker hoses for many years but found that they deteriorated and cracked and leaked (more than intended). I’m in So Cal and will admit that I didn’t cover/mulch all of them but I think the design is somewhat prone to a shorter life. It does look like you’ve got a good design and I’m sure covering them will help. Plus, it looks like the design would make it easier to replace a section, should it break down. Enjoy!
Lars says
Hi Kevin,
I’ve used soaker hoses and drip system for watering, for twenty years.
Yesterday I checked all the systems, including timers, and with summer on the way, I am ready.
After our annual Cape Cod getaway, I will return to my garden, at 5,000 ft
elevation, in central California and begin. It is wise to not plant tomatoes here in
Tehachapi, before Memorial Day. I will pick up seed potatoes too.
You’re fun. Laurie
Mary L. says
Nine years ago following information given in “This Old House Magazine” at age 60 I put in a drip irrigation system which runs 225 feet around my house (slight downward incline). After 9 years it still works great and I have helped put in a drip system at a local school and a friend’s house. Soaker hoses have stopped working after several years and the pressure decreases at the end. I run a garden hose to beds with drip systems further from my house. I get my equipment locally at an irrigation store or online at DripWorks. 1. if pressure more than 30 PSI at spigot, use a pressure reducer since high pressure will cause simple pressure connections to come apart. 2. Next a filter that uses a screen to eliminate particles from clogging emitters, 3. line, either with inside emitters or punched in emitters. I use line with inside emitters since it takes time to punch in the ouside emitters and they can break off. I use line with .6 gallon per hour emitters spaced 12 inches apart, there are other types. If there is a section that you do not want watered, splice in a section of line that has no emitters. Since it is slightly down hill around my house, I am able to use 225 feel of continous line with no reduction in pressure. Also if there is a break or cut in the line, cut the line and put a connection between to repair. Most soaker hoses are good for about 50 feet. Remember the wet spot you see on top of the ground, widens out below ground. If no appreciable rain per rain guage, I put system on for two hours. Or I stick my finger in the ground to see it is dry. Most feeding roots are in top 6 to 8 inches of ground.
Edie says
Interesting to read all the comments and experiences! We mulched over various styles of soaker hoses for years but just got tired of replacing them. Sooner rather than later a hose will crack and spill or spray most of the water in one spot. We taped, cut and rejoined and made various repairs to our dismay. Finally replaced with a real drip system (self installed). Yes, we have made repairs but only just to re-glue a joint at the start of the season. This is six years with very minimal repair. Could add a timer…enjoyed one of those in the past. I think the filter and pressure control made the difference in longevity.
BoPup says
Like the soaker hose layout. Very well thought out.
What I don’t like are those horrid ads jumping up in the middle of this lovely blog. I don’t appreciate the severely disliked KY governor’s face and jingle body models jumping around in the middle of the thought process. They’re bad enough off to the side, but in the middle of your lovely blog is just too much.
Sheri Rice says
Kevin I’m guessing you have to remove all this in the fall? We did a similar setup at our new house in Wisconsin when we planted 12 fruit trees. All our trees survived that critical first year without me hauling water! The only bummer was taking it all apart in fall and dragging it inside, and the prospect of redoing it in spring. Now that our trees are established I moved the soaker hose to a different (new) garden. The hoses made it fine after a season of hard use (and hard water) but the timer conked out. That timer is heavenly so we just got a new one. Also – I use garden staples to hold the hose where I want it. Around my new shade garden it loops serpentine style, so the staples made that possible. It’s a true luxury to have this system in place!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Sheri – Like you, I’m planning to use garden staples to pin the soaker hoses in place. In winter, I might (might!) remove and store the soaker hoses/timer. Our handyman will blow out the main hose lines so they can stay in place. Thank goodness.
John Witherspoon says
I ran copper tubing underground 12” 30’ across my backyard to the fence line. Hooked up my irrigation system timer, filter, and reducer to a above ground a spicket. Then ran 1/2” pvc to the 5 garden beds and blueberry, raspberry bushes. Then ran supply line to ball valves at each bed. Then soaker hose in the beds.
I can control each bed separately with the ball valves. If the bed is not planted yet, it gets shut off.
Rico Suave says
For those looking for the manual timer in the photos, this one seems to be a match: https://www.dripworks.com/single-outlet-wind-up-timer