Advice for drip irrigation system? (X posted)

I'd like to install a drip irrigation system for my veggies. Any suggestions for types, brands, etc...or general advice...or a link to a sticky somewhere on DG?

thanks! :)

Countrygardens on the market gardeners forum has an old thread about his very fine system using a product called T Tape. There's a lot of interest in the subject on that forum so do a search for T Tape and also google for it. I've heard lots of good things about it.

And a pretty good looking home-made solition, courtesy of Ozark:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/852739/

I've installed several miles of drip tape in our market garden here in Central California where we get absolutely no summer rain and, on average, less than a foot during the winter. There's hardly any way we could grow flowers without it as overhead water weights down the stems and they fall.

Yes, T-Tape is a good brand but they are all good as far as I can see. We've used 3 or 4 brands and it comes in mile long rolls but some manufactures are selling shorter rolls now. The tape is fairly standardized in the industry--the 16mm [=5/8 inch] being the most common. One has choice of emission points at 8 or 12 inch spacing and if soil is open and poros the closer spacing should be selected.

We install this, 5 lines to the bed with lines one foot apart attached to pvc stakes at the foot of the bed with polypropolene twine. At the head of the bed a 5 line manifold needs to be constructed and this is the hitch in using drip tape because there is little standardization in the black poly tubing industry both with the diameters and the fittings. I like 16mm ilock ring fittings made by Toro. By changing the locking rings, they can become tubing to tape adapters which is very handy.and these fittings are reusable, unlike the insert fittings they sell at home improvement and hardware stores. In these the tubing is inserted into the fitting but the tape is unattachable without an adapter--sold seperately of course. Check out an irrigation supply store if there's one in your area or do an internet search for a mail order supplier. "Dripworks" is one that comes to mind from their years of advertising in our trade publication "Growing for Market".

If you are just growing vegetables and live in an area of reasonable summer rainfall having a drip irrigation systems as not as big a deal as it is here. If the ground is covered with a permanent organic mulch like we use, see http://www.wholesystemsag.org, supplemental water can be put on by hand with finger over the end of a full blast hose without eroding the beds.

Good growing,

John Warner near Fresno, CA
http://www.wholesystemsag.org

I noticed my name mentioned here.
Here's a good place to buy T-Tape & all the fittings needed. We use the 2" layflat hose for headers. When not in use you can drive over it because it is so tough. A little spendy at first, but it lasts forever.
This company ships by Speedy, so freight is not a big issue.
http://www.jordanseeds.com/index.cfm?id=45167&fuseaction=browse&pageid=88

This is the current thread going in Market Growers Forum on drip irrigation.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/936508/

Need any advice, I answer all D-mails.
Bernie