Thank you for the feedback! We don't harp on it too much, but you do have the right of it, our products largely come from agricultural grade manufacturers: Irritec, Netafim, Jain and others. Not necessarily household names, but pretty popular with farmers and commercial growers :)
It looks like that order is already on the way! I gave it a quick review and it looks solid -- you may end up needing goof plugs (they're not always needed though, so you may have planned around it) -- if you do, let me know and I'll get you a shipping credit so you can grab them with the same free shipping your order got. You may end up adding more beds once you've got these going! That's what happened to me -- I was so pleased with drip on my backyard beds I decided to build an herb and a strawberry bed in the front yard. Both (irrigation and plants!) are very fun things. Happy gardening Nick!
@@dripdepot thank you so much! And I already got some goof plugs, I had a friend tossing out some 1/2 inch tubing I’m gonna repurpose and needed good plugs to check the line. I already got a double hose timer too for the flowers and vegetables. You guys Rock!
Great job! Looks amazing. Got my system in the mail today! Letting the sun warm up my mainline now! *formerly N /A* (past username). You know when dirt ain't dirt cheap anymore there's something awry..
N/A, awesome news! And yep, when we did this one I also let the tubing warm up in the sun -- got lucky and it was a warm day that day (and one of the only ones we've had so far this Spring).
@@dripdepot Still cold'ish and rainy here in Southern Oregon! That all changes this weekend though, going from a high in the 60's to over 90° haha. Stay cool my friend!
@@DripDepotAdam Got a question, for my corn rows im using 1/2 poly tubing as drip line (same as my main line, making cuts from 1000 ft roll ) can I use the 1/4" punch to make drip holes at about every corn stalk, (1ft -1.5ft spacing) and have it work properly without having a button/other style emitter connected for each plant?
Good question! So, you wouldn't want to just punch a hole and have it deliver water. A punched hole would deliver a lot more water than you'd want -- even more, the first few holes would likely eat up a lot of the available flow and pressure, leaving not much for holes further down the line. This would cause the earliest plants to receive a ton of water, and later plants would receive little to no water. It's similar to the issue old soaker hoses had -- first half of the hose using up all the available flow. Even a safety-pin hole ends up being too big and putting out too much water, definitely best to go with a button dripper or some kind of drip emitter to control the amount of water going out. I'm glad you asked this one so the information will always be available in the comments, as we get it pretty often -- thank you truly! :)
Same here! Previously I had no idea such a thing existed. Not something that's always required, but I think on a large system it would be handy in allowing the seeding portion to go quickly :)
Yes, agreed lol! The beds were for guests that stay at the farm during the Summer, so we oriented them more for ground level aesthetics. Wonderful regenerative farm (www.lanecreekreserve.com/) that provides fresh fruits and vegetables for their guests in the raised beds. I'm glad I wasn't the one who had to take the drone shots haha, from ground level they looked inviting :)
You're very welcome Lucy! And good question as well -- in the video, we filled the beds first, ran our mainline vertically outside the bed, then elbowed into the bed and placed it on top of the soil. Some folks do the vertical portion of their mainline inside the bed -- in those cases, it probably is easier to run the mainline first and then fill it with soil. Both methods are perfectly viable, I just like to run the mainline outside of the bed to make it easier to access for maintenance :)
What is the rational to running two separate 1/4 lines per row? Why not loop it backup towards the mainline and end with a goof plug or tap back into the main line?
That's a great Suggestion! And one that is used at times :) It limits flexibility a little bit (can't adjust one side's position without also having an impact on the other), but it could definitely have worked well on this project, particularly given the relatively small size of the beds (with larger beds, the length of the dripline could become an issue, but definitely not so in these beds). Thank you for the great suggestion, absolutely worthy!
Hi! Is there any issues with the poly tubing lying on the top of the ground? (ie sun exposure or what happens when I inevitably trip on it or step on it ) LOL
Tripping on it (or hitting it with the lawn mower or weed eater) are definitely the biggest risks! The poly tubing is UV treated though, so sun exposure is ok (it may slightly reduce its overall life span, but minimally, it should still last years and years in the sun). Depending on your location, if there's any standing water in the tubing when exposed to the sun, the water can get pretty hot which can be an issue for plants and soils. With that said, that's not usually a big problem as water will typically drain from low point emitters or flush valves, and even if the tubing gets hot, it generally cools down pretty much instantly when water begins running through it. Basically, it should be perfectly ok in almost all cases -- if you're in Arizona or similar states it can be advantageous to bury it due to the extreme heat. :)
Thank you! We are in mid Illinois so don't think the water temp should be too much of a problem. No mowing or weed whacking happens in the garden area (it's mulch), so no worries there. Will occasionally stepping on it be OK or ruin it? Thanks!!!! @@dripdepot
@@karenhouse1 Water temp definitely wont' be a problem up in IL -- we're probably a bit warmer here in Oregon and I've never had issues with the tubing getting too hot :) Stepping on it can depend -- in most cases, I'd say it's not going to cause damage, at least when the tubing isn't pressurized, though heavy boots could be an exception. In my experience, stepping on it more likely to cause damage to me (tripping over it) than the tubing.
You got it Chuck! Some folks do attach it directly to the bed, but it takes outside tools -- in the video here we just used the weight of the tubing and a stake inside the bed to hold it in place. At about 11:00 - 11:24 in the video you can see how we run the mainline and "connect" it to the bed using the elbow fitting :)
Sort of! With so many variables going into watering cycles (local microclimate conditions, soil capillary action, time of year, maturity of plant, plant type, shade/sunlight exposure, etc) it makes getting to something specific very challenging. For that reason, we pretty much always recommend the "water and watch" method -- go with a watering cycle and monitor the health of your plants so you can adjust the cycle accordingly. I like to keep in mind, it's always easier to add more water than it is to remove any (have to hope for evaporation!). You can search up the plant and some general watering guidelines to get a baseline -- emitters will state their flow rates (0.5, 1.0 GPH, etc) so you can use that to get an idea of how much water per hour the plant will receive with the irrigation, and then compare it to the general guidelines. The guidelines can't account for all the very local variables of course, so don't rely on it too heavily -- mostly, rely on the results you see :)
Is an elbow needed at the bottom of each bed as well as the top of each bed? That seems to be my thinking, but I couldn’t quite tell from the video. Thank you!
So many comments, you probably addressed this somewhere. I'm looking at creating a system for both wooden raised planters and metal beds as shown. You make it look very do-able, even for this senior lady. Can you bury the main lines that go to different locations in your your? My yard is almost all sand with playground mulch over it, and I'd like to bury it about 6" down so my dogs aren't running through it, and of course for appearances. Is there any reason why I can't do that? You videos on design and install are super helpful. Thanks very much.
Always happy to address it again if I have, no need to go through so many comments :) I also do know this is do-able by a senior lady, I've helped many get started them and then watched them build fantastic systems (and I'm not exaggerating in the least). You bet, you can bury your mainline -- I'd say it's very common to do so in fact, with many folks having it places they need to mow and maintain with equipment. 6" down is a good depth as well. Thirsty critters might dig that deep, but if they have other water sources available (fountains, water features, etc) they'll go for the easier ones and not bother digging up your tubing :)
@@dripdepot Thanks so much. I thought that would be the case. No thirsty critters to worry about here as the pups keep that back yard pretty critter free. Your planning video was also great and I'm developing a plan. The question is if I tackle it this fall or next spring. We don't often have a freeze here so I feel I'd be pretty safe to put it in this fall. Thanks again!
@@epristerv You're very welcome! And I vote Fall, it might be nice to get to tinker with the system a little before next Spring (or maybe even try out a small Fall garden) :) Great time for lettuces and some brassica!
@@dripdepot Oh yes, my biggest growing season is fall through spring here. I just don’t have nearly the water needs as we do in the hot, hot summer. I’ll get geared up for it soon. :)
You bet, the poly tubing we used in the video actually first gained in popularity in the US up in the northeast due to its freeze damage resistance. Poly tubing tends to "bend and not break" so it can be left out over winter, even when used above grade. With systems like in the video, all you usually need to do is let gravity drain the water from some low point end caps and you're good to go for winter. The head assembly parts (backflow preventer, filter, regulator) can be easily removed from the hose bib and stored inside. Here is a link to our winterizing video if you wanted to check it out -- it covers the things I mentioned above in a bit more detail (but it really is as easy as it sounds): czcams.com/video/qOSIav1DiCQ/video.html
It sure is! You can "cheat" and use more wood and cardboard when needed -- so long as the first layer is deep enough for the plants' roots, they'll never know about the shortcut :) Excellent Elden Ring footage on your channel by the way!
We thought about going that route (and sometimes do), but the farm we were installing it on needed to make a few changes to it all after the install -- the other downside is maintenance -- it's more difficult to access the tubing if it's run through the soil. Not crazy difficult of course, but having it on the outside makes it easy to always access and make any changes. But yes, going through the beds is a good route as well, and does stabilize the tubing itself without the need of outside clamps or ties. :)
It's a form of Hügelkultur -- the branches, cardboard, etc are all organic material, so they break down over time in the bed and become soil themselves, and before that they provide good drainage for the soil -- perhaps the biggest benefit though is how much it saves on soil since you'll need less to fill up the bed. It's fairly popular in the gardening community at the moment, largely due to savings on soil and good yield results :)
I just finished my system and your product is easier to install and higher quality than the stuff at big box stores. So glad I went with Drip Depot.
Thank you for the feedback! We don't harp on it too much, but you do have the right of it, our products largely come from agricultural grade manufacturers: Irritec, Netafim, Jain and others. Not necessarily household names, but pretty popular with farmers and commercial growers :)
Just placed my order. I’m so excited to put it all together, but sad im only going to have to do it once 🤣
It looks like that order is already on the way! I gave it a quick review and it looks solid -- you may end up needing goof plugs (they're not always needed though, so you may have planned around it) -- if you do, let me know and I'll get you a shipping credit so you can grab them with the same free shipping your order got.
You may end up adding more beds once you've got these going! That's what happened to me -- I was so pleased with drip on my backyard beds I decided to build an herb and a strawberry bed in the front yard. Both (irrigation and plants!) are very fun things.
Happy gardening Nick!
@@dripdepot thank you so much! And I already got some goof plugs, I had a friend tossing out some 1/2 inch tubing I’m gonna repurpose and needed good plugs to check the line. I already got a double hose timer too for the flowers and vegetables. You guys Rock!
Great job! Looks amazing. Got my system in the mail today! Letting the sun warm up my mainline now! *formerly N /A* (past username). You know when dirt ain't dirt cheap anymore there's something awry..
N/A, awesome news! And yep, when we did this one I also let the tubing warm up in the sun -- got lucky and it was a warm day that day (and one of the only ones we've had so far this Spring).
@@dripdepot Already reaching 80's by mid day down here in the south. those plants are gonna be thirsty!
@@dripdepot Still cold'ish and rainy here in Southern Oregon! That all changes this weekend though, going from a high in the 60's to over 90° haha. Stay cool my friend!
@@DripDepotAdam Got a question, for my corn rows im using 1/2 poly tubing as drip line (same as my main line, making cuts from 1000 ft roll ) can I use the 1/4" punch to make drip holes at about every corn stalk, (1ft -1.5ft spacing) and have it work properly without having a button/other style emitter connected for each plant?
Good question! So, you wouldn't want to just punch a hole and have it deliver water. A punched hole would deliver a lot more water than you'd want -- even more, the first few holes would likely eat up a lot of the available flow and pressure, leaving not much for holes further down the line. This would cause the earliest plants to receive a ton of water, and later plants would receive little to no water. It's similar to the issue old soaker hoses had -- first half of the hose using up all the available flow.
Even a safety-pin hole ends up being too big and putting out too much water, definitely best to go with a button dripper or some kind of drip emitter to control the amount of water going out.
I'm glad you asked this one so the information will always be available in the comments, as we get it pretty often -- thank you truly! :)
very informative, love the seed square!
Same here! Previously I had no idea such a thing existed. Not something that's always required, but I think on a large system it would be handy in allowing the seeding portion to go quickly :)
Excellent video
A sincere thank you to you for the kind words Abid!
great video, thank you, but those overhead shots showing the misaligned beds really pops my OCD buttons
Yes, agreed lol! The beds were for guests that stay at the farm during the Summer, so we oriented them more for ground level aesthetics. Wonderful regenerative farm (www.lanecreekreserve.com/) that provides fresh fruits and vegetables for their guests in the raised beds. I'm glad I wasn't the one who had to take the drone shots haha, from ground level they looked inviting :)
Thank you for this video! Would you recommend running the mainline inside the beds, before filling with soil?
You're very welcome Lucy! And good question as well -- in the video, we filled the beds first, ran our mainline vertically outside the bed, then elbowed into the bed and placed it on top of the soil.
Some folks do the vertical portion of their mainline inside the bed -- in those cases, it probably is easier to run the mainline first and then fill it with soil. Both methods are perfectly viable, I just like to run the mainline outside of the bed to make it easier to access for maintenance :)
@@dripdepot thank you!
What is the rational to running two separate 1/4 lines per row?
Why not loop it backup towards the mainline and end with a goof plug or tap back into the main line?
That's a great Suggestion! And one that is used at times :) It limits flexibility a little bit (can't adjust one side's position without also having an impact on the other), but it could definitely have worked well on this project, particularly given the relatively small size of the beds (with larger beds, the length of the dripline could become an issue, but definitely not so in these beds).
Thank you for the great suggestion, absolutely worthy!
Hi! Is there any issues with the poly tubing lying on the top of the ground? (ie sun exposure or what happens when I inevitably trip on it or step on it ) LOL
Tripping on it (or hitting it with the lawn mower or weed eater) are definitely the biggest risks! The poly tubing is UV treated though, so sun exposure is ok (it may slightly reduce its overall life span, but minimally, it should still last years and years in the sun). Depending on your location, if there's any standing water in the tubing when exposed to the sun, the water can get pretty hot which can be an issue for plants and soils.
With that said, that's not usually a big problem as water will typically drain from low point emitters or flush valves, and even if the tubing gets hot, it generally cools down pretty much instantly when water begins running through it.
Basically, it should be perfectly ok in almost all cases -- if you're in Arizona or similar states it can be advantageous to bury it due to the extreme heat. :)
Thank you! We are in mid Illinois so don't think the water temp should be too much of a problem. No mowing or weed whacking happens in the garden area (it's mulch), so no worries there.
Will occasionally stepping on it be OK or ruin it? Thanks!!!! @@dripdepot
@@karenhouse1 Water temp definitely wont' be a problem up in IL -- we're probably a bit warmer here in Oregon and I've never had issues with the tubing getting too hot :)
Stepping on it can depend -- in most cases, I'd say it's not going to cause damage, at least when the tubing isn't pressurized, though heavy boots could be an exception. In my experience, stepping on it more likely to cause damage to me (tripping over it) than the tubing.
unlike with wood beds, you don't attach the mainline to the metal beds, right?
You got it Chuck! Some folks do attach it directly to the bed, but it takes outside tools -- in the video here we just used the weight of the tubing and a stake inside the bed to hold it in place. At about 11:00 - 11:24 in the video you can see how we run the mainline and "connect" it to the bed using the elbow fitting :)
Is there a simple way to calculate the volume of water/time needed to run such a system per day for a certain area?
Sort of! With so many variables going into watering cycles (local microclimate conditions, soil capillary action, time of year, maturity of plant, plant type, shade/sunlight exposure, etc) it makes getting to something specific very challenging.
For that reason, we pretty much always recommend the "water and watch" method -- go with a watering cycle and monitor the health of your plants so you can adjust the cycle accordingly. I like to keep in mind, it's always easier to add more water than it is to remove any (have to hope for evaporation!).
You can search up the plant and some general watering guidelines to get a baseline -- emitters will state their flow rates (0.5, 1.0 GPH, etc) so you can use that to get an idea of how much water per hour the plant will receive with the irrigation, and then compare it to the general guidelines. The guidelines can't account for all the very local variables of course, so don't rely on it too heavily -- mostly, rely on the results you see :)
Is an elbow needed at the bottom of each bed as well as the top of each bed? That seems to be my thinking, but I couldn’t quite tell from the video. Thank you!
You got it exactly right :).
One elbow at the bottom to turn the tubing vertical, then one more at the top so it can run horizontally across the bed.
Thanks!
Another feat video
So many comments, you probably addressed this somewhere. I'm looking at creating a system for both wooden raised planters and metal beds as shown. You make it look very do-able, even for this senior lady. Can you bury the main lines that go to different locations in your your? My yard is almost all sand with playground mulch over it, and I'd like to bury it about 6" down so my dogs aren't running through it, and of course for appearances. Is there any reason why I can't do that? You videos on design and install are super helpful. Thanks very much.
Always happy to address it again if I have, no need to go through so many comments :)
I also do know this is do-able by a senior lady, I've helped many get started them and then watched them build fantastic systems (and I'm not exaggerating in the least).
You bet, you can bury your mainline -- I'd say it's very common to do so in fact, with many folks having it places they need to mow and maintain with equipment. 6" down is a good depth as well. Thirsty critters might dig that deep, but if they have other water sources available (fountains, water features, etc) they'll go for the easier ones and not bother digging up your tubing :)
@@dripdepot Thanks so much. I thought that would be the case. No thirsty critters to worry about here as the pups keep that back yard pretty critter free. Your planning video was also great and I'm developing a plan. The question is if I tackle it this fall or next spring. We don't often have a freeze here so I feel I'd be pretty safe to put it in this fall. Thanks again!
@@epristerv You're very welcome! And I vote Fall, it might be nice to get to tinker with the system a little before next Spring (or maybe even try out a small Fall garden) :) Great time for lettuces and some brassica!
@@dripdepot Oh yes, my biggest growing season is fall through spring here. I just don’t have nearly the water needs as we do in the hot, hot summer. I’ll get geared up for it soon. :)
I’d like to incorporate some in-ground blueberry bushes into my system. What would you recommend to best water them?
Will this setup be able to stay during the winter in mild climates like zone 7B, MD where it sometimes snow?
You bet, the poly tubing we used in the video actually first gained in popularity in the US up in the northeast due to its freeze damage resistance. Poly tubing tends to "bend and not break" so it can be left out over winter, even when used above grade.
With systems like in the video, all you usually need to do is let gravity drain the water from some low point end caps and you're good to go for winter. The head assembly parts (backflow preventer, filter, regulator) can be easily removed from the hose bib and stored inside.
Here is a link to our winterizing video if you wanted to check it out -- it covers the things I mentioned above in a bit more detail (but it really is as easy as it sounds): czcams.com/video/qOSIav1DiCQ/video.html
@@dripdepot thank you so much for explaining this!
That's a lotta dirt
It sure is! You can "cheat" and use more wood and cardboard when needed -- so long as the first layer is deep enough for the plants' roots, they'll never know about the shortcut :)
Excellent Elden Ring footage on your channel by the way!
Why not just come inside the bed? Much neater.
We thought about going that route (and sometimes do), but the farm we were installing it on needed to make a few changes to it all after the install -- the other downside is maintenance -- it's more difficult to access the tubing if it's run through the soil. Not crazy difficult of course, but having it on the outside makes it easy to always access and make any changes. But yes, going through the beds is a good route as well, and does stabilize the tubing itself without the need of outside clamps or ties. :)
Waisted of time. Who that hell will put carton and branches inside a planter 🤥🤥🤥👎🏾👎🏾
It's a form of Hügelkultur -- the branches, cardboard, etc are all organic material, so they break down over time in the bed and become soil themselves, and before that they provide good drainage for the soil -- perhaps the biggest benefit though is how much it saves on soil since you'll need less to fill up the bed. It's fairly popular in the gardening community at the moment, largely due to savings on soil and good yield results :)