Drip irrigation is the most efficient way to water your vegetable garden. The drip tape delivers water straight to the roots of your garden while the ground acts as a sponge soaking up all the water. This is perfect for crops such as tomatoes or cucumbers who don't like water to get onto their leaves which can encourage fungus and disease.
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The first step to installing your drip irrigation system is to establish your main line. Your main line acts as your main water line that you connect your drip tape rows to. You want to use 1/2 poly tubing main line which you can buy at any Home Depot or Lowes for about $30.
Look at your garden plot, which should be square or rectangle, and decide which side you want to run your main line down. You will run your main line down the edge of the plot, perpendicular to your crop rows where you want your drip tape.
Lay your main line, cut the end and put a 1/2 inch drip tube clamp on the end of your line to close the end of your main line. On the other side of your line attach a 1/2 inch faucet/garden hose adapter. This will allow you to attach your main line to your garden faucet water line.
The next step is to install your drip tape to main line connector. Mark your beds and rows and measure the center of your bed. Our beds are 2 1/2 ft (30 inches) wide with 1 ft pathways for walking. The middle of our beds are 15 inches, where we lay our drip tape line. Use a drip tape punch to punch a small hole. Shove the barbed end of your drip tape to main line connector into the hole and make sure it is in snug.
If you have help, have someone hold your drip tape reel for you with a broom through the spool. This will allow you to pull as much drip tape from your reel as you need. If not you can put a shovel or broom through your spool and rest it on your wheel barrow arms to pull your drip tape out. Start at the end of your row and pull the drip tape towards your drip tape to main line connector you just installed. Try to keep your line straight and tight.
Attach your drip tape to your drip tape to main line connector and screw on the connector to tighten it around the drip tape. Cut the other end of your drip tape near your reel. Leave yourself some slack to tie a knot in the end of the tape. Turn your water on and let it run through the drip tape before you tie it and clear out the sand and debris from the drip tape.
After a few minutes of debris clearance, tie the end of the drip tape with a tight knot, but be sure not to stretch our the tape too much while tying. Turn your water back on and you now have your drip irrigation! Be sure to adjust the water pressure, it doesn't take much to activate the drip emitters. Too much pressure can cause your lines to burst.
Congrats! Now you can water your garden in peace!
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