Vegetable Garden Irrigation techniques

I hope this will start a discussion of equipment, methods and effects of drip irrigation, both soaker type and point emission type. I have searched the msg base here and not found such a discussion.
What equipment or system are you using? brandname or generic
What benefits?
What problems?
What costs? initial and ongoing?

I will post my situation the first reply to this thread.
Ian
Burlington ON Canada
USDA Zone 5 (and getting warmer)

My new soaker irrigation system: Irrigro by International Irrigation Systems, St Catharines ON. www.irrigro.com
I have a 300 sf raised bed veg garden in clayey soil, newly established, learning bio-intensive approach
After some research (eg Lee Reich, Jon Jeavons) I found there are two main systems: point emission and soaker.
For this area of beds, need about 150 Lin ft of tubing in clayey soil.
Irrigro seems unique in it uses Tyvec non-woven polyethylene fabric and low pressure to emit at constant flow rates independent of line pressure. Also can be gravity fed from rainwater barrels,etc. If municipal water source, inline flow controllers sets fixed flow rate, for my size area, 1 gal/hr. Doing all the arithmetic, this works out to about 1/2 in per sf per week, if left running continuous, no need for timer. Depends on soil capillary action to distribute 12" to 18" each side, in clayey soil, about have that in sandy soil, per specs.
Benefits: I expect will give trouble free, non clogging, constant moisture at the desired rate. Low flow rate, constant on, will not affect household water pressure. No point emitters to set up, no goof plugs either. Can introduce 'manure tea' in lines, tho only if gravity feed from tank.
Can embed or leave on surface, leave all year or take up at end of season. Can reconfigure layout. Soaker lines don't have to be straight, min radius apprx 1ft.
Problems: anticipated, since I'm installing this experiment today). may plug, give uneven flow (Reich's concern about soaker types).

Cost: home garden kit C$50.00 for 100 lin ft system (200 sq ft garden, prox)
I bought extra components for my configuration, and larger area, cost at list: C$120, mainly cuz 200 ft of 'micro-porous tyvec tubing' and 50 ft of 1/4 in header line. Volume purchase would reduce a lot.

Unfortunately, my system is a hose with sprayer nozzle on it. I would like to get some sort of soaker system in by next year, if possible.

Hose here too. We have some soaker hoses, but haven't gotten them set up yet this year.

Would Love to have an underground sprinkler system put in,,,,checkbook say's not a chance in the immediate future,,,lol

grahamia,
Thank you for sharing this info. I started putting drip hoses in the garden. And they worked OK for me, but I did not get to a point of setting anything that is automatic. Hence my watering is a catch up type of watering.

Please post an update on how this system worked for you.

This message was edited Jun 6, 2006 3:14 PM

Whoa....sounds way over my head! Actually it sounds like a sales pitch, lol.

One thread = one sales pitch.

But thanks for the information. Your system does look unique and seems to have some advantages.