The first photo is one part of my veggie gardens showing the Netafim drip irrigation tubing that I installed. In the foreground is the irrigation box that holds the fertilizer injection system I rigged-up. This second photo shows the fertilization setup I rigged-up. All it is - is a Miracle grow hose sprayer that I modified slightly and installed in to the PVC water pipe that provides water to the garden through the drip tubing. When it's time to fertilize all I do is unscrew the plastic bottle at the bottom of the sprayer and pour-in the water soluble fertilizer of my choice, (NOT Miracle Grow I can assure you), and the next time the timer goes-off I fertilize my veggies. The last photo is of the shut-off valves I use in my gardens. The garden in the first photo is divided in to two sections of (5) rows each. Each section has a shut-off valve that I can use to only water or fertilize one section at a time depending on what is needed. This whole setup was very inexpensive to build but saves countless hours having to fertilize and water. By introducing the fertilizer through the drip system it not only saves much time, but I don't disturb the root systems of the growing vegetables by scratching-in granular fertilizers. I hope this helps... Greg Nevada

Nice Kell! I have a Riga IV and I love it so much. Yours looks amazing! What size is it? My tomatoes are all strung up with twine just as yours are. Can you show me another pic of your shade cloth arrangement? I'm no longer happy with ours, as it blows and flops around a lot. I really like how your GH is integrated into the deck and has that nice walkway. Amazing that you can't even get to it until March! That would be cruel because late winter is a time when being in the greenhouse just feels *so* good. Great work and thanks for following up! Karin

Hi Kpahr, If you are a D0-It-Yourselfer or want to be, this forum is willing to help. I agree whole heartedly with Ronalawn82 philosophy. I hope my last post was not construed in other than that light. My last post is the easiest, least stressful way to go, but it is the most expensive. If you watch what they do you will learn alot and get a good basis on being able to maintain and operate your system. Four beds of 30 ft wide by 100 foot long is a large undertaking. Putting 1" of water on per week requires a flow of 1,870 gallons/week/bed. If watering 3 times a week that is 470 gal per application/bed. Then you design your drip delivery system to accomplish that amount with the flow rate of your drip tape or emitters for the pressure of your system. A 30 x 100 bed will need approx. 675 emitters spaced at 2 feet x 2 feet. You can purchase a pressure gauge from the hardware store at $15 to test your systems pressure. The pressure of your system will be crucial to your system design. The main line delivery system will need a vacuum breaker shut-off valve combo, a pressure regulator, backflow preventer, maybe a filter and controller and of course 1" or larger PVC mainline pipe. If you have specific questions as you design your system or questions how you do some things feel free to ask. There I think I said it better this time. GL Aloha.

Hi Teeka: I just recently installed a drip/micro system and still have some of the receipts. Our home came with an inground sprinkler system but in the interest of saving water and selectively watering flowers, I just installed the drip system. Initially I bought 1/2" poly with in line drippers. However, it's stiffer and I found I had gaps because the "bends" had to be large to make turns, etc. But, all is not lost. I've since bought regular 1/2" poly and drippers and misters to use with it. Where there's a gap that I want to remedy in the in-line dripper system, I've just added misters or extra in-line drippers and am happy. I'm using components of the "Mister Landscaper" system available at Lowes because there is a Lowe's very near me and, as expected, I've had to run back there for "more" of various parts. Ignoring the poly with inline drippers, let's say I started with just regular 1/2" poly (which is what I did convert to). I ran this from my water source around my house just laying it on top of the ground (my beds are along the house). I didn't want to blow out the drippers because of high pressure and wanted to keep the line clean so the drippers wouldn't clog, so at the head of the line I installed a filter (about $10) and a 25 PSI pressure regulator ($7.56). Whereever I wanted to water a plant I either installed an inline dripper ($7.56 for a package of 10) or a stake assembly ($3.13) with a small full circle spinning mister ($3.77 for 5). The stake assemblies are above ground and come with a small amount of 1/4" poly so you can attach them to the 1/2" poly feeder line. There were places where I needed more 1/4" poly line than was provided on the stake assembly so I bought a small roll of 1/4" vinyl tubing (? price) and connectors (again, receipt gone) to extend the secondary line and place the stake where it was needed. The stake assemblies do not come with any type of mister so you must buy these separately. There are various types (depending on the spray pattern you wish). The one thing I did which I would advise against was being too quick to mulch so as to "finish" the job. It's easy to see where the elevated misters are watering because the mulch is wet. But the inline drippers and their wet area are covered by mulch so I've had to probe through the mulch to find the drippers and see where it's wet. I should have waited on the mulch, run the system and evaluated the water pattern, corrected whatever needed correcting, and then mulched. I did not attach a timer to the system, thinking I would just turn it on when the plants needed it. However, now that I'm going to be away for several days I'm sorry. I'll revert to the regular in ground system to keep my garden alive. When I return from my trip, I think adding a timer will be in the cards. Home Depot also has these type systems from DIG corporation. Their web site is http://www.digcorp.com I also read that irrigation supply stores have components for drip systems. I didn't do comparison shopping. I hope that the gas money I saved by only having to go to the nearer store, compensated for whatever I may have saved elsewhere. June Here is a link that might be useful: Mister Landscaper