Our Drip Depot Vegetable Garden Irrigation kits are the perfect multi-purpose solution for those looking to say goodbye to hand watering their home vegetable gardens once and for all! Each kit comes with a variety of drippers and watering devices to meet the needs of your varying plant types based on their specific watering needs. In this article, we will cover the different aspects of planning your vegetable garden irrigation system so you can avoid possible errors or mistakes the first time, saving both time and money! And your sanity!
Gathering Information:
Just as you would gather information for any other planning aspect of life, you will want to do the same for your vegetable garden drip system. Here are some important questions you will want to keep in mind when planning your drip system:
What is the distance from your water source to the last plant you wish to water?
This is one of the most important questions to ask yourself when planning your drip system, as it will be a defining factor for the mainline tubing you select for your system. As mentioned in our Tubing Buying Guide, the operating specifications for mainline tubing are as follows:
By configuring the run length of your system before selecting your kit, you can save yourself the hassle of having to exchange your tubing later, and as well prevent potential damage to your drip system by using tubing outside of its operating specifications.
How many plants will you be watering?
Knowing the number of plants you are intending to water is important in regards to how densely planted the rows of your garden will be and can make the process of selecting a kit all that much easier, as our vegetable garden kits have a stated number of plants that each kit is capable of watering. You can easily find the number of plants each kit is suggested to water on the product description page of the kit you are interested in.
Will your system require any turns to be made?
It’s never a bad idea to get an idea of the number of fittings your system will require to function. By making a note of the number of turns (elbows) or tees you will need in your system, you can save yourself the hassle of having to purchase them later when the missing fittings are noticed.
What is your garden’s soil type?
Different soil types have different capillary actions, meaning they have different rates at which water flows through them. Knowing your soil type will allow you to select an appropriate emitter flow rate that will work with your specific soil type. For more information on getting a better understanding of your soil type and the impact it has on your drip system, check out our Know Your Soil Type article!
What is the flow and pressure rating of your water source?
Your flow rate (GPH) and operating pressure (PSI) of your water source are key elements of system design. Without knowing these important factors, you could easily use your drip system’s components outside of their operating specifications, and expose them to conditions that may cause premature product failure. Testing your system’s flow rate and operating pressure when planning your system can save you both time and money in the long run. Here is a link to our Flow rate calculator to help measure your flow rate. On that page, you will also find other helpful information.
With these questions in mind, you can begin the next step in your planning process - creating a sketch for your drip system.
Create a Sketch:
Once you have your information gathered and your questions answered, you can begin the process of drawing a sketch for your vegetable garden drip system.
You will want to make note of the different fittings you will need for your system, as well as the tubing lengths needed to cover the area of your design you are wanting to irrigate. Remember - your sketch does not need to be anywhere near perfect! This will be your personal blueprint for your system and a guide as to what items you will need for your project. While making your sketch, take the time to try out different ways you could run your tubing until you find the design you think will best work for your system.
Select Your Kit:
With your sketch complete and the necessary information gathered, you can now begin to select a kit for your drip system! Use your sketch as a guide to determine the number and types of fittings you will need. Be sure to keep in mind the number of plants you will need to water as well, as this can aid you in your kit selection process. Our Vegetable Garden kits are as follows:
None of these kits meet your specific needs.
All of our kits are 100% customizable, meaning you can add or remove items as needed to fit your specific needs! Here’s a helpful video we made to show how easy it is to customize a drip kit to meet your specific needs:
How to Create a Custom Drip Irrigation Kit
**This video can be found on all of our Vegetable Garden Kit product description pages**
Installation Tips:
Sometimes installing your system can require a bit of visual aid, which is why we created a video on how to install the components of our vegetable garden kits. This video can also be found on the product description page for our Vegetable Garden Kits.
How to Setup a Drip Irrigation System for a Small Vegetable Garden
How to Setup a Drip Irrigation System for a Large Vegetable Garden
If reading instructions is more your style, we have kit installation instructions that can be printed and taken out to your garden with you! While these instructions can be found on the product description page for the kit, under the kit contents list, they can be accessed here as well: Vegetable Garden Kit Instructions
Additional Items:
Looking for a hands-free experience? Adding a timer to your drip system might be the perfect solution for your watering schedule needs! Adding a timer would allow you to program the times and lengths of time your system will run, so you no longer have to pay mind to your watering schedule and durations. With a timer in your vegetable garden system, missed watering days will be a distant memory of the past! For information on selecting the right timer for your drip system, check out our Hose-End Water Timer Buying Guide.
Still have questions pertaining to selecting a kit.
Please contact us with any questions you may have at support@dripdepot.com! Our Happiness Heroes are equipped and ready to help with all of your irrigation questions and concerns.