well ... a few thoughts for ya
you could do any of the things you've thought of, depending on how much you want to spend - depending on the type of soil you have, mulching could reduce the need for watering, and most perenniel/shrub things should only need watering say weekly, not daily, try to achieve conditions where things aren't so dependent on you supplying water - avoiding overhead watering is best under any conditions: water the soil, not the plant - some hose layouts could be done in the spring and left until fall, sort of 'semi underground', as in a shallow cut across the yard could bury a good quality hose to reach the furthest point so it doesn't have to be dragged around - soaker hoses actually work best at a low pressure, and at high pressure don't weep well along the full length, many even have a washer supplied that only has a small opening to reduce pressure

Bill

yeah, most soaker hoses have the washer with a small hole in it, so if you connect the second hose, it should work fine, but you can remove the small hole washer in the second hose and put in a standard washer to get the water to flow all the way to the end of the second soaker.

Hi Bill,

I am aware of wise watering practices. I do practice them whenever possible. Yes, I try to plant shrubs and perennials that don't always need extra watering. Yes, I just spread 5 yards of mulch around my beds, and had 5 more yards delivered to be spread. I wouldn't normally have to water all the shrubs, but I do have a shrub bed that was just planted in the past few weeks and it will need extra water while it is establishing itself. I also have shrubs that are in the root zone of 5 large silver maples that suck the water out of the soil.

I think you misunderstood me when I said I seem to be watering every day. I meant on Monday I water the front before 9:30am, then on Tuesday, I water the side yard in the morning, and then one side of the back border the next morning, then the whole back lawn the next morning, etc. etc. By the time I finish watering ALL the different parts of the yard, a week has gone by and it's time to water the front again and start all over again. This is because I am Practicing wise water practices.

For whatever reason, with two 25 ft soaker hoses connected together, and then connected to my water supply, only the first 25 ft actually weep. I am sure it isn't from high pressure, as our pressure is pretty low. I was hoping someone had a solution to that problem.

I also was asking for any input on what other people's experience is with trying to manage the watering schedule. I was wondering if everyone has the same # of spigots I have, if they also use soaker hoses and do they simply connect one 25 ft section each day? Don't people still use sprinklers to water their lawn? I didn't think soaker hoses for lawn was the correct application.

I didn't know if someone else might have discovered some "equipment" for watering that made things easier or more efficient. I already use the quick connect on the hoses and that makes a major difference.

I also don't have all soaker hoses down in all my beds yet. They can get pretty expensive and I am waiting for a sale.

Does anyone use one of those attachments for the spigot that gives you 4 hose connections? If so, how do you manage that?

If I am not making myself clear, please let me know.

Thanks,
Adam

Adam, I've heard of filling large jugs with water and putting small holes in the bottom then leaving them by the shrubs you want watered. It's something like a soaker hose. This might save some time if you put enough jugs to get the job done. You'd only have to spend the time it takes to fill the jugs if you have enough to leave them in place and not have to move them around. I've never tried this myself, but think I might do it in the back yard if we don't get rain soon. You might not want jugs all over the front, though.

hello.
in our backyard, we have a "two way" spigot, like the four only half. i have never ran two hoses at once. however, if i am runninng the soaker hose from my solid hose on the reel, i turn the valve off to the second. if i open the valve to fill a pitcher, etc. the pressure on the hose side drops to the area of least resistance.

as far as 2 soakers connected, i have done this. i have not noticed a problem with getting water through the second one. perhaps it is the type or manufacturer of my hose, but i get the cheapest i can find. it also depends on how far i turn the spigot for water pressure. since this is my veggies, you can see whether the ground is being soaked. it is probably too late or too much work, but your soaker hoses would work best under the mulch, imho.

oh, if i turn my pressure up too far, i get a stream from some places on the hose whch will wet foliage.

Hi Adam,

We have a 4-way copper splitter on our back spigot, and I currently only use 2 of the "splits". One I connect up to a hose which runs to our soaker hoses - two 50 foot soakers connected. Most of the soakers I've seen claim a max of 100 ft. should be connected together, but I have seen other folks have much more than that. I plan to add another 50 or 100 feet to mine. The first thing that comes to mind with your 2nd soaker not weeping like the first is to make sure you remove the washer that regulates the pressure where you hook up the 2nd hose. I had this problem myself and it was fixed by removing the washer between the 2 hoses. I kept the washer attached to the hose in order to regulate pressure on the entire length.

I also added a timer to the spigot this year and it is fantastic. It is between the 4-way splitter and the hose so it only times watering of the soaker. I may get another timer if I want to add soakers in another bed next year, and I will put that on the far end of where this year's timer is - all off the same 4-way splitter, but a different "split".

I currently use the other "split" for a hose that I use for other watering around the yard (containers, to fill the watering can, etc).

I bury all my soakers in compost and under bark mulch - this helps retain the moisture significantly. I was also surprised to learn last year that if you leave your hoses out on the lawn that are attached to the soakers and don't move them, they will get covered with grass after a few mows and you don't even see them! So, I don't move my hose. This might be a good solution for you if you get a splitter and multiple hoses attached to soakers. You can add the timers if you feel it necessary - but they are pricy. Otherise, you will simply be able to flip the switches to turn on the "split" you want to water with that day.

Hope this helps.

Lisa

Hello :-)

Kate...That is actually a nice idea I can use in a number of situations. Especially until I get all my soaker hoses the way I want them. Thanks. Yes, I am waiting for rain today, but keep getting teased...[g].

Hi again fairy toadmother...I wonder is there a shorter name I can use to address you.. [g]. Yes, we have the same arrangement with two spigots. Yes, I am planning on burying the hoses under the mulch, just haven't finalized the layout yet. Yes, I get the same stream in one spot that wets the foliage. I have been thinking of trying to tape up that spot. It happens regardless of how much I turn the water up.

Lisa...A number of good ideas that I can use. I have thought about getting the 4 splitter and the timer. Just thought I would try to find someone who was using them successfully before investing in them. I have a two splitter right now that works really well, but it is the third attempt. The first two had knobs that turned the water on/off that were too hard to turn and I replaced them. Do you have any trouble with the on/off switch on the 4 way splitter? Do you remember which brand you bought or where you got it? Sears, hardware store, etc? I will check that second hose connection and see if there is some washer that needs to be taken out.
I guess I am not following your description of how you set up the timer. You screw the timer onto the spigot, and then the 4 way splitter onto the timer, but it only turns on/off the soaker hoses connected to one connection of the 4 way splitter? So on the soaker hoses, you keep the soaker hoses connected to it's own hose connected to one of the splitter connections all the time? So do you keep one splitter with nothing on it for filling water cans etc?

Do you use a sprinkler on your lawn?

Thanks all so much...very helpful input.

Adam

I'm battling with this issue, too. In the front we have a sprinkler system (was there when we moved in). No timers, just manual. I'd love it except it wasn't laid out correctly and it doesn't get all of the grass.

In the back I run 2 sprinklers for the lawn; it is shaped like an "L" and I have a sprinkler for each leg of the L. I have a 2-way splitter with a timer between the spigot and the splitter (so the timer works both "outlets" of the spigot). I could just leave my hoses out, but the sun/heat here are so intense that the hoses rot too quickly, so I just lay them out the night before I want to water (I have it set to water early in the morning every 3 days) and turn on both valves on the splitter.

I don't keep an open spigot for filling buckets, etc. because mine is (stupidly) located right over a raised brick flower bed, so there is about 5 inches between the spigot and the top of the flower bed (my point being I have to use one of the hoses to do anything, anyway).

The timer I have has an "on" mode so you can just turn the it on and use it, so when I'm hand watering my plants or otherwise need to use the hose, I just turn on the appropriate valve on the splitter on and switch the timer to "on". It says it will automatically shut off after 30 minutes, but I never hand water for that long anyway and if I did, I suppose I'd just go turn it back on.

I just started this system this weekend, so I'm still seeing how much I like it. It still requires a lot of manual intervention, but I'm pretty much limited there because I can't (or won't) leave my hoses out. But if I could/did, it would just be a matter of making sure I always left my hoses in the "watering" position so that everything comes on like it should when the timers go off. I would probably also get a bigger splitter so I could always have a hose dedicated to hand use (i.e., so I wouldn't have to go grab the hose from one of my sprinklers out of the yard to use).

I think if you can figure out how to combine your soaker hoses (I suspect removing that washer on the second hose will help) and set yourself up with 4 or less "zones" that you have to water, then you can get a splitter and set everything up with that. At a minimum you might want to do a quick connect on one of the spigots of the splitter so you can easily use it for, well, whatever you use the spigot for besides running your hoses. :)

Someday I'd like to set up drip watering for my plants that I currently hand water, but I'm still figuring out how much/often they need water, so I'm in no position to set anything automatic up yet.

Hi Adam,

I picked the splitter up at at Home Depot. We decided to pay a little more and get the copper one, and it works great. I have no trouble turning each connection on/off; the switch is a small rubber "flipper".

I was having trouble describing the timer setup. Let me try again. The splitter is attached to the spigot. I like your use of the word "connection" to describe the 4 connections now created by the 4-way splitter. Maybe this new word will help in clarifying my description.

The timer is attached to one of the 4 connections, and a hose is connected to the other end of the timer. My soaker is at the end of this hose, since the garden is not near my house. I keep this setup for the season - this hose and timer is dedicated to that garden's soaker hose setup.

On the 2nd connection I attached a hose that I use to water other plants not near the soaker or my container plants. The 2 remaining connectors are currently not used. I plan to put other soaker setups on them in the future, likely with timers. I have many gardens in different parts of our yard, and the timers are necessary for me. My attempts last year made me feel like you - I was always running outside to turn on the water, would forget to do it early enough in the morning, etc. I bought the timer from Gardener's Supply and like it a lot. I would buy it again, even though it was pricy - it is worth it.

We don't really water our lawn. We have a lot of it, and instead we use our mulching mower to leave the grass on it and mow once a week when necessary (this time of year). We added lots of compost this year, spread corn gluten to suppress weed germination, and use an organic fertilizer. We let the rain do what it can to the lawn. We only watered a few areas in the heat of the summer last year that don't get much rain due to tall pine tree canopies. We have not watered our lawn at all yet this year. We do our best to get the lawn to sustain itself. If it gets incredibly hot, we let it brown out - grass is a plant that has the ability to come back in a week or so after going dormant.

Please ask more questions if something is still not clear. I'm happy to help.

Lisa

adam, those on the pond forum call me "ftm". perfect!

if and when we water the lawn, we use a sprinkler. i don't, dh does. he hasn't done so this year though. he is too worried about he water bill when i run the soaker for 1 hour +. our area's grass looks like it is august already!

have you removed the washer in the second soaker hose yet? they only cost around 6.00 at walmart, I got the 4way at walmart also. around 12.00 walmart also has 100' build your own soaker hose systems with elbows and various types of fittings. I think the 25' sections are cheaper, but not as easy to get around the STREAM that occours when the soaker is pinched to tight in a corner. the tear in the cheap soaker material lets out too much water and it SPRAYS, usually not where you want it too!

Yeeeaaahh! I got out there this morning and unscrewed the second from the first hose and sure enough there was a blue disk with a small hole in the middle. Used a paper clip to pop it out and sure enough...water right to the end of it. I LOVE it when you have a problem that is really bugging you and someone comes along and gives you this really simple solution and voila! Doesn't happen to often but when it does, it is fun. Thanks.

I haven't been watering the lawn much either. I hate to see it go brown so early in the season though. We had a LOT of snow this winter and then a lot of rain this spring so the grass is better than it usually is and it only started getting dry recently. I've watered the back twice and today I am watering the front for the second time this season. Thunderstorms with downpours went through our area yesterday but we didn't get a drop.

PD.....I am sure this is a real issue for you out in Arizona. No, I don't have that problem here. We are having high 80s and 90s the past week and more to come, but it isn't usually that long lasting. Sounds like an underground system would be a much better system for you since you have the issue of the hoses rotting. I know that isn't always possible with the cost of it, but if I were in your position I would have a coffee can on the kitchen counter for loose change to start saving up for one. [g]

Yes, your idea to break it down into 4 watering "zones" and using a 4 way splitter with a quick connect on one to fill buckets with is a great one. Thanks.

Lisa...Thanks for the added info. I have seen those splitters at HD and Lowe's. I have reached for one on the shelf a couple of times and then saw the price of the copper and pulled it back again..lol. But you get what you pay for proves true for us more often than not. Good to know there isn't a problem with turning the "flippers".

On your timer setup...Here is my question...I would expect it would get expensive to have a timer for each "connection" soaker hose set up. Is it possible to connect the timer to the spigot and the 4way splitter to the timer and have all four connections on the timer? That way, if there is one "connection" that has your hose for watering containers and the rest are soaker hoses, you could just keep the "container hose connection" shut off till you were using it and keep the other 3 connections open and the timer could turn on all three "connections" at the same time?

On buying the timer from Gardener's Supply, why did you decide on them? Didn't they have good ones at Home Depot when you bought the splitter?

Wow on how organized you are about your lawn care. I basically ignore my lawn..lol. We collect the cuttings and add to the compost pile and water once in awhile, but haven't fertilized in years. My lawn looks ok this year, but it never looks great. I just find caring for the lawn an added burden that I keep thinking one day I will get around to caring for it properly. We never have enough compost to use on the lawn. Did you have to buy it? What did you buy? Where do you get this corn gluten that I keep hearing everyone speak of?

ftm.....that works! Yes, we have to watch the water bills usually, but this year, after having renovated the back shrub border, we expected to have to water more. We try to conserve with watering only in the morning, soaker hoses, mulching etc. Still expensive, isn't it?

vstech....What costs $6. at Walmart? Is the 4way splitter at Walmart copper? On the soaker hoses, I tried some inexpensive hoses once and they didn't work out well for me at all. They were not flexible enough to be put into place effectively and they leaked like sieves, shooting water all over the place, so I waited till Sears had a sale on them and bought theirs which I have had for 3 years now and they work great. I'm waiting for another sale to buy more.

Hi Adam,

Yes, you could place the timer between the spigot and the splitter. The only thing that I would be concerned about is that there wouldn't be enough pressure to use 3 soaker sets at once - not enough water flow. However, you could manually flip the switches on different days to select one soaker set for each day. It is up to you how much automation you need and are willing to pay for.

As for the timer, I borrowed 2 different kinds from a friend last year to try out. Neither were digital, and I decided I wanted a digital one after seeing that they weren't much more money than the manual. Some of the manual dials were a bit difficult to setup. I didn't end up looking at HD for the timer, actually. I have been burnt in the past by trying to save 10 bucks on something where there is a lot of variety in options. Then my "savings" give me an item that doesn't quite fit my needs. I have found Gardener's Supply to carry excellent items of good quality, a good price, excellent service, and items with excellent features. I was ordering something else there, so I bought the timer. You need to figure out what features you need - not all timers are created equal. The GS timer has every function I would want, and I felt that after I had one timer that did everything, I could use that to determine what features I would need in a 2nd timer, if I needed one.

I did not have enough compost for my gardens, so I did buy some. I ended up buying bags of compost after hearing stories from friends who bought at a few local places and were unhappy with the quality (plastic pieces, huge sticks, etc). This is our 2nd year maintaining a lawn and gardens, so we are learning as we go along. I just saw compost from a different local place where you can buy in bulk (and it looked pretty good), so we might try that later this year. I only tackled improving the soil in a small garden area last year, and now have more areas that need compost this year, so the bags are not ecomonical anymore. However, the bagged stuff I used was AMAZING - literally the best money could buy - I used Coast of Maine Lobster Compost.

We have also learned that in the long run, sometimes paying for information saves us money. So this spring we found a local organic lawn company and had them give us a consultation on caring for our lawn. They took soil samples, gave recommendations, a delivered our corn gluten and fertilizer. We do the rest ourselves. We picked his brain when he came to take the soil samples. Now at least we have a place to start, and we'll work from there for next year. I would highly recommend the company we used, Totally Organic, they are based in northeastern MA. Kevin owns the small business and is fabulous and very knowledgeable. I think they carry corn gluten at Agway near me - I will check for next year. BTW, last year we did nothing to the lawn, to see what would happen.

Unfortunately, there is only so much time in the day to research, maintain, and hopefully enjoy the gardens each year. We prioritize what we will spend our money on each year and season. Last year it was mostly dumping money into the ground, literally, buy buying good compost. This year we had the lawn consultation, a landscaper consultation (also worth it's weight in gold, since we have a lot of land), more compost, and money put into automation. We have a lot of existing plants/shrubs, so we don't spend much on that, and we have well water, so no water bills.

Lisa

Here is a link that might be useful: Totally Organic Lawn Care

the 25' soakers were 6.00 at walmart, but they were indeed cheep. ANY tight corners and pop goes the soaker up comes the spray. the 4way brass splitter with 4 brass valves was about 12.00 at walmart. the valves turn the wrong way for my thinking, but I figured it out... sometimes I turn off the line I want on, and vice versa, but I can deal with it.
I use my soaker system strictly on my garden, I could care less about the lawn. I mow when it gets a bit tall for the bunnies to be visible.
thank god I have so much clover. with all the bunnies, I don't think I would hvae a veggie to eat if they didn't like the clover so much.
I usually don't have to water my veggies at all here in charlotte area, I have only been gardening for 1-1/2 years so I may change my tactics, but with large garage with aluminum roof and gutters draining into 350Galon container. I just hook my 4way and another two way up to the 2" valve on the bottom of the container, I have the soakers set along all the veggie rows, covered with mulch and compost wherever I can and So farr garden growing like gangbusters.
I am glad the washer was the problem with your second soaker, but I hope you figure out a good method of watering your area with less stress.

Lisa...

So the digital timer is the one to go with. I think I have a Gardener's Supply catalog around somewhere. thanks. A few years ago, I invested in those hose holders that you can crank the hose into the box to put it away. My spouse didn't want to spend the money, thought they would be a waste, but turns out we use them a lot and are very happy with the investment. We got the large ones when they were on sale toward the end of the season. One has a little inner bucket that we use to store quick connect items and sprayers etc.

So this year, I am definitely going to get as much soaker hose as I need for all the beds that have to be watered and get the 4 way splitter and the timer. I think that will definitely make our life easier.

That Coast of Maine Lobster compost is REALLY expensive for small bags. Wow. There is a place over in Jamaica Plain called Greenleaf composting that has organic compost that they deliver. I added a link to the bottom of this post, in case you are in the market for more.

I am also happy to have that recommendation for the organic lawn care company. At some point, we may start focusing on the lawn and that will come in handy. Thanks.

vstech...Why is it you don't have to water your veggies? Do you get a lot of rain? What kind of container collects 350 gallons of water? How did you set up that system? Did you put the metal roof on for that purpose? Wow that is some nice system, between the rain container and the spiltter and soaker hoses. The rain barrels are another one of my future projects. That sounds perfect.

Thanks..
Adam

Here is a link that might be useful: Greenleaf Composting

Adam - you seem to have it mostly sorted out, so I'll just add this: the cheaper the soaker, the sooner they'll pop the holes that put up a spray, and it's common for the cheapies to start that way - the same w/ the splitters, the cheaper ones [plastic] have the smallest handles, and they wind up breaking off, the spendier brass ones have better handles, and last virtually forever - for hoses, which someone mentioned rotting im the sun, the better quality rubber ones [or blend w/ rubber] stand up to ultraviolet, and will last as long as 2 or 3 of the cheaper hoses - you do get what ya pay for, and I'd rather spend XXX $ once than X $ every other year for life!

as for overhead lawn watering, it's extremely wasteful, so will up your bill way beyond the value of the benefit - if you must use sprinklers anyway, always water very early to lower the evaporation loss, and mulch mow to lower water requirements - I'm w/ Lisa, no need to waste water on a lawn :)

Bill

Wow - Greenleaf sounds great! Wish they were in NH... I emailed them to find out if they know of any good places in NH that are similar. Now that I'm maintaining more area, I will need more compost. Last year I could only get delivery with 3 yards or more, which was WAY too much, so I needed to go the bag route. But boy, was that Lobster Compost NICE!

Adam, you are lucky to have access to Greenleaf!

Lisa

Adam: It's dry here to and I'll guess way hotter for longer than where you are. We organically garden and have a large property and can't afford to spread drinkin' water all over the outside. We have rain barrels that collect up to 150 gallons in each light rain off the roof. Unfortunately, there has been very little rain for a month

Sooo, we save bathwater, dishwater, etc.. and take turns watering veggies and newly planted things.

We organically grow our lawn and it looks better than any around because we cut high and mulch when we cut. Really makes a difference in the summer. There are two patches that accidentally got cut low ONCE and they are brown. Rest is green.

IF you do the milk jug idea and that is a good one, try to make some long wire stakes so they don't blow away.

BTW, lawns are supposed to (if you garden that way, we don't just rely on the weather)water for longer times but less often, That way they roots get longer and look for water deeper.

Good luck!

last year and so far this year, we have had practically double record rainfall. (of course the year before I started gardening, our area was over 11 inches short for the year and that is a lot of missing rain!)
ok, my 1.5 acres in the charlotte area has three buildings on it. my house, my garage, and a small utility shed. all had metal roofs on them withoug gutters when I bought the place. it was the reason I bought it. I grew up in eastern washington and central SD, so water has been precius to my family and I know what can be done with metal roofs. the listing said something like OLD growth tree canopy, in large farm area with aluminum roof. I had no idea what an aluminum roof was, so I looked at the place and WOW I had to keep it. the garage is over 1500 sq. ft
anyway, I got the 350 gallon storage barrel from a fire extinguisher plant. they use them for storing chemicals for making the foam for airport fire suppression. I knew the tech guy, so I asked him to set one aside for me and he called me when a new shipment of "totes" came in. I paid about 250 for it, but my water bills cost about 80.00 -110.00 when I use the water for more than 3-4 days a month.
this way, I only need to water when drought sets in. and almost 500 gallons of storage of the rain to water my garden is handeling it so far. I think i had to use the hose once this year for about a day, of course the next day it rained and completly filled the storage, so I could have waited.
I have the 350 gallon tote two garbage cans 30 and 45 gallons and three or four of the 18-20 gallon storage bins from walmart or lowes. I use the tote most of the time, and I hand carry buckets from the smaller storage. my corn is all over 6' tall, the pumpkin and cucombers are growning everywhere and the sunflowers are about 3' tall. so I am happy with this "free" watering system.
I put plastic mosquito netting over all the loose barrels I put one of the small barrels on top of the tote and a screen on it. I think I will get another tote next year and Really have a bunch of water storage!

BTW, if anyone is interested in food grade barrels: soft drink companies usually have them for little or no cost.

Also, if you are rural and have buildings with no gutters (like barns, sheds) then ask around with plumbers for old water heaters. Slice in half lengthwise and put under the eaves to collect water for livestock/garden.

Also, we put a couple feeder goldfish in our barrels to eat mosquito larvae and algae. Fertilizes as they work.

hmm, goldfish in the barrel, will they eat the alge that grows on the sides? I would have to put some kind of net around the 2" outlet on my barrel, but if they work it sounds fine to me.
Soft drink companies? like bottlers? I have two soda bottlers near me, how large would the barrels be? are we talking 55 gallon, or 2-500 gallon, or bigger?

Adam

I have about 225ft of soaker hoses running off a weel with pressures from 20 to 40 psi

Byron

good to hear about your hose dilemma being solved!

vstech- wow- on your watering system. dh and i want to do something like that but it isn't to that degree (in town, small yard).

great tip on the bottling companies.

I don't know if this will help you, but I'm a huge fan of drip irrigation. It's not too popular here in New England because we do usually get so much rain. In fact, when I moved back here during the summer of 2001 and tried to find some, the guy at HD arrogantly told me "that stuff is useless here". And then it turned out to be a drought summer and lots of people wished they had it. Even in a wet year, I use it for new plants and for window boxes. I have raised beds in my veg garden which dry out pretty quickly, so it's great there, too. It's also perfect when we have a hot, dry week. I usually have to mail order it, though I think it would be easier to find in a more urban area. We usually use the RainDrip brand and they have a dealer locator on their website.

It takes a bit to set up, but works really well. We used drip extensively when we lived in NC. It's a low-pressure system with a variety of attachments - drippers for individual plants, "drip-a-long" hose for longer runs or around large trees, gentle sprinklers and bubblers. We use the drippers or drip-a-long on the veggies and there is no splashing = great for tomatoes. The sprinklers are very efficient in areas where sprinkling is okay, and it's easy to put on timer(s).

Here in NH, our kitchen garden is a ways from the house so we connect the drip system to the hose when needed, but we are currently running a trench to install a frost-free yard hydrant in the garden (also for our horse water trough). In the past, when I lived in town (in NC), we did a whole 1/4-acre yard on two spigots with those 4-way adapters you mentioned. We put the trees on one zone, shrubs on another, veggies on another, etc., and then a separate timer on each zone. On town water systems, I've typically had to use a pressure regulator to step down the pressure.

I've never been a lawn person, so I don't know how it would work on lawns - the sprinklers aren't as heavy-duty as lawn sprinkers and wouldn't take being trampled.

Anyway, that's what works for me :-)

Vsetch 55 gallons. Yes, they eat the algae. The syrup comes in the drums and you can buy them from soft drink companies like coke,pepsi, etc..

****I would have to put some kind of net around the 2" outlet on my barrel*** Whey where are the outlets?

I don't net anything. Just have the gutter coming into a small hole at the top made in the lid and a spigot at the bottom of the barrel. Made a stand so the barrel is a foot from the ground giving it gravity to go out to the garden.

Hi Bill,....yes, I feel like I am much better prepared to get the watering situation under control thanks to everyone's help. I had the 2 soaker hoses I had in the garage out on the lawn heating up for pliability yesterday, getting ready to lay some more, but now we are having rain, which is great!

Yes, we taped up the hole that was squirting on the soaker hose we have laid already. I have the Sears heavyduty soaker hoses. I have a two way splitter right now, that is copper. I learned the hard way on the cheaper splitter. I plan on moving the two splitter to the front and putting a 4 way in the back.

Lawns are great, but when they look brown, what's the point? I don't use a mulching lawnmower because I collect the clippings for compost. I guess you can't have it all. I leave it long, I never use chemicals on it, I accept clover and violets and some dandelion etc in the lawn, I have increased the size of my garden beds to reduce the size of the lawn, and want to reduce it a little further, but if I need to water it once a week to keep it from browning out, I do, and I do it before 8am.

Lisa...thanks for reminding me I am lucky to have the Greenleaf. Actually Lisa, I don't know how far from Boston you are, but last year, we made the trip over to them. It was a nice ride and they are very close to the Arnold ARboretum. We didn't need as much as their limit for delivery either, so we piled the van with containers...empty garbage cans, recycling bins...etc and went and filled them up. They were very reasonably priced that way. Maybe you could combine a trip to the Arnold Arboretum with a trip there?

mid tn mama....Tennessee?..yes, I am sure that is hotter longer. Yes, we organic garden too but have a small 1/4 acre property. We have a dishwasher, I suppose you mean you wash in the sink and save that? I can't imagine how you save bathwater??

Yes, we are going two to three weeks between mowings, so our lawn is kept pretty high too.
Good idea on staking the milk jugs.
Yes, I also leave the sprinkler going in each spot for an hour when I do water.

vstech...that is some watering system you have there. I think rainbarrels are really the solution. I have a house and a separate garage, so I hope to set up something similar. Thanks for sharing what you did. I hope I will be back asking for directions on how to set up the rainbarrels to catch the water off the roof soon. :-)

Byron...what sort of wheel with pressure are you using for your soaker hoses? I don't think I have ever heard of that? Does it run off electricity?

Pam...I am sure the drip irrigation system is very effective. I just take one look at all those emitters etc and I head for the soaker hoses. I guess I just find laying down a soaker hose easier than setting up a drip irrigation system. I can't think of any advantage drip irrigation has over soaker hose either. My raised veggie beds get dry too, especially one that is cement blocks and I use soaker hose in those too. I have a 12ft x4ft bed with one 50ft soaker hose snaked through it 4 times. I do have a LOT of container plants that take quite a bit of effort to water every day. I was wondering if I could set up some type of watering system for those. Soaker hoses will definitely NOT do the trick. I just think black drip irrigation going from one container to the next would be pretty unsightly. Sounds like you have set yourself up a great system. You had the same size yard as I have now, 1/4 acre and it sounds like I am going to be able to do the splitters and timer.

Okay, I am very interested in setting up some rain collection. Can someone share how I can do that? I don't have room for large containers due to where the downspouts on my house are situated. I could put one large plastic garbage can under three of the four downspouts on my house. Is one garbage can just as good as another? Should it have a locking lid? The reason I haven't done it yet, is that I am intimidated by the few things I don't know how to do. I am not good with any tools besides gardening tools..lol.

I am afraid to touch the downspouts and cut them higher. I think in trying to cut them, I will loosen them from the gutters and cause a leak and end up having to replace the whole thing which I also don't know how to do. You do cut the downspout at the right height to empty into the barrel, right? What tool and technique did all of you use to cut the downspout? Then you have to cut a hole in the lid of the garbage can to accept the water from the downspout, right? That sounds easy, but what tool does this job the best? The second intimidating part of this project, is installing the spigot in the bottom of the garbage can. If someone could tell me step by step how to do that and what parts I will need to do it, maybe it won't be as intimidating and I will stop putting off doing it. [g] After all, a plastic garbage can is pretty cheap and the parts for the spigot can't be much. Are there spigots that are threaded to accept a hose on them, rather than just a spigot that will open/close to fill a bucket? I can raise it up on cement blocks, right?

Thanks all very much for all the helpful information given on this topic. As a matter of fact, maybe this thread should be saved to the FAQ file on this forum?

Adam

Adam, I did a google search on "how to make a rain barrel" and came up with some good instructions with diagrams and materials lists. The drought forum also has a lot of postings on the topic of rain barrels where you can see problems to avoid and other things you might not think of.

I have a rain barrel that I bought during a drought year when the city purchased them in bulk and offered them at cost, and I love it. It has a piece sticking out on each side ready to be cut open for attaching a hose to another barrel, which I'd love to do. There is also an overflow opening. This is something I haven't seen in the diagrams (but I haven't looked hard yet). It's near the top so that when the water fills almost to overflowing, it's channeled through this opening - with hose attached - so that you can direct the flow away from your house. For the home-made set-up, you might use this to connect another barrel. I figure since you're talking about using a garbage can, a 55-gal. drum wouldn't be too large for the space you have. Connecting several barrels might be a consideration for you.

As far as cutting the downspout, I used tin snips. First take off the curved bottom part of the spout. (Mine had screws holding it on to the straight part.) Then snip straight up as far as you need to go, carefully bending back the sides as you go to not get cut. Then cut sideways around the circumference. You could have someone hold the downspout above where you're cutting if you're concerned about it moving too much. If the spout has those metal bands holding it in place up its length, it may not be necessary. When you reattach the curved portion, insert the straight part into the curved part so no debris gets trapped in the connection. You will have to bend the straight part slightly to get it in, but when you put the screws through tightly, it will pretty much smooth back out.

One thing I'd recommend to you is to use a stronger plastic than the typical garbage can. Thanks to Mid_Tn_Mama, I'll be looking into the soda syrup barrels when I get down the list to this project.

The link below is to one of the sites I found through google.

K.

Here is a link that might be useful: how to make a rain barrel

hmm. I never thought to seal the downspout to the barrel. I would think that if you have a 2x3 or 4x5 downspout, going into a sealed barrel, the 3/4" overflow would be a joke... anyway, my barrel came with a 2" ball type shutoff with 2" pipe threads on it at the bottom of the tank. also the top has a 6" threaded cap with a 2" threaded hole in the cap.

as far as gutters, I just bought a plastic storage bin, zip sawed a hole and stuck a 2" pvc male pipe adapter and screwed it to the cap, then I put bug screen accross the top of the bin, and took the downspout completly off the gutter and the water hits the 20x30 top of the bin and the screen keeps debris and buggs out. then at the ball valve, I put together a 2" reducer and two 3/4" x hose connector fittings and attached two garden hoses. the hoses go accross to my garden and hook up to a brass 4way splitter and a brass 2 way splitter with several soakers hooked up wtih various length hoses to keep my garden wet.

if I put fish in the tank, they would get sucked out the hose connection and plug up the hoses... so I would have to figure some way to cover the outlet to keep fish safe.

No, no, the fish don't get sucked out the faucet at the bottom of the barrel. My faucets are a couple inches from the bottom so there is always somewhere for the fish to swim away from the faucets.

In the winter we stick black plastic hoses onto the gutters and it draws the water to the middle of the yard, not the foundation.

As for saving bathwater (and developing your arm muscles at the same time): We have a bucket in the shower for catching shower water before it heats up.

As for the bathtub, I scoop out the water using a cut off milk jug into a five gallon bucket. It goes really fast this way. You really think about how much water we use to bathe in when you do this:)

The milk jug works great because it has a handle and the sides are flat and get the water out much faster. If the water barrels outside are full, we use the water to flush the toilet. I think the average toilet wastes something like 11 gallons per flush of clean drinking water!

As for dish water: I do have a dishwaster, but when it's dry outside I handwash dishes using a big salad bowl in each sink (have a divided sink). First I run the not-yet-hot water into the rinse bowl. When hot, I use that to fill the wash bowl with soapy water. I dump these as needed to refresh the water into the five gallon bucket. I am very buff this summer! You would be surprised that you can easily save fifteen or twenty gallons a day by saving your dishwater. I also pour water from washing, and canning veggies into the bucket. Garden looks great--you couldn't tell we had a drought.

Adam

I have a 236 ft deep artesian well, The pump only operates in that range. 20 to 40 lbs so I don't need a pressure reducer on the soaker hoses,

Hi kate..isn't that Google amazing? I don't remember what I did before there was a google..lol. Thanks very much, for that link...the directions were very good and seem to be easy enough to follow. Especially the part about how to put the spigot in the bottom of the barrel.

I think the tin snips might be easier than the hacksaw they suggested. Good idea about having someone hold it for you. I suppose that will be fine with snips. I can't imagine trying to use a hacksaw and managing to keep it connected to the gutter.

Was there a particular reason you don't recommend typical garbage cans? Did you have trouble with one?

vstech...when you say the overflow is a joke...does that mean the barrel is going to fill up quickly and have a lot of overflow? I guess I'm not following you about the sealed barrel. Sounds like you have been very creative in setting up your watering system. If you ever get around to putting any photos online, I would love to see them.

mtmama...ok, so you are just saving the cold water that runs...great idea. Wow, you really do a lot to conserve water. How long have you been having a drought?

Byron...I have never had a well...so not sure how all that works. If I am following you correctly, the well requires that you pump out the water, so that is different than me just turning on a spigot coming from the house. But your pump has low enough pressure that you just can run it directly into the soaker hose. Do I have it right? We have recently had our water pressure at the faucets checked and it was about 80 pounds. That goes directly into the soaker hose without a problem. I wouldn't have even thought I needed a pressure reducer.

Thanks again for all the helpful information and for the links..
:-)
Adam

Adam

Well pumps are 2 basic different types, there is a shallow well, the pump uses vacuum to pull the water from the well

Deep well pumps are submersible, the pump and motor are water proof and are hung from the water pipe that goes into the well

On the surface there is a holding tank, for both systems

actually their are three general types of well pumps, the hand or motor driven vacume one pipe system, the motor driven two pipe pressure/Jetvalve system, and the deep well submersable. I am sure there are other types, but the most common shallow well pump is the two pipe with Jet valve, as vacume requires priming the pump and cannot lift water more than about 20 or so feet. the jet is usefull down to about 45or so feet anything deeper ya gotta have a large diamater hole with a submerged pump... sorry to run on about pumps, but it is something I am a little interested in. I grew up in Washington state and South Dakota, so I have seen a lot of different types of pumps. we had a large windmill driven pump in a field in WA something like a 4" outlet to irrigate the field. amazing what people can build.

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Nice photos vtech...are those your rain containers or the pumps? The pumps sound really great. I would think that having a well is something all of us wish we had. Great to have a source of water that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. It is a amazing what people can build. Not to change the subject, but that reminds me of another post that mentioned they are trying to build an underground garden and were talking about some place in California where someone built a whole home and gardens under ground with an 800 yd car tunnel included. He had skylights that were open to above where the rain would fall down into gardens set up below them. I know it doesn't have anything to do with this post or pumps..lol..but thought you might find it interesting. Took the man 40 years to build with hand tools and a wheelbarrel. See link below.

Adam

Here is a link that might be useful: Forestiere Underground Gardens.

My 2 cents on the topic of hoses:

I read above that someone buys the cheapest hoses s/he can find. I differ on this quite a bit. I believe in spending a bit more on something that I will never have to buy again.

When it comes to hoses: I only buy the black rubber hoses by Craftsman (Sears). They have high quality (never rust) fittings and a lifetime warranty. As long as I keep the receipt, I will never have to buy a hose again. As far as tools of any kind, I only buy Craftsman or Stanley, both of which have the lifetime warranty.

:-)

Adam,
No experience with garbage cans for water-holding, but I've read they're too flimsy. Based on my own that I use for yard trash, I can imagine that they wouldn't hold up well at all. This is a flexible-sided one. Maybe some of the rigid ones would be strong enough.
K.

bad news, guys -- the Conservation and Recreation department is kicking greenleaf out of the space they've been managing on morton street in jamaica plain. the site has been awarded to some other composting outfit out of framingham.

i, for one, say 'BOOOOOOOOOO' because greenleaf makes superb compost & delivers it with aplomb (their fish emulsion compost, if you can still it, is gorgeous, gorgeous stuff). greenleaf does a great job, has garnered many loyal customers, & now appears that they're being kicked to the curb.

here's greg's e-mail address if you'd like to offer condolences: greg@greenleafcompost.com.

(p.s.: i'm not affiliated with greenleaf or any other composting business; just a sad greenleaf customer.)

Thanks Kate...will keep that in mind.

Thanks marie for the heads up on greenleaf. I was a customer too and not only did they provide a great product, but they had a lot of integrity which is a rarity these days. I was so sorry to hear that.

Adam

Thanks Kate...will keep that in mind.

Thanks marie for the heads up on greenleaf. I was a customer too and not only did they provide a great product, but they had a lot of integrity which is a rarity these days. I was so sorry to hear that.

Adam