I have the same concerns as the original poster. I know I've heard that it isn't safe to grow edible crops inside old rubber tires (used as raised beds), so why should it be safe to water edible crops with hoses made from old rubber tires? The flat soaker hose that Veeta linked to above looks like a somewhat better bet, but a) the customer reviews say it works well only when laid in a more-or-less straight line (and I like to loop my soaker hoses around through my garden), and b) it's no longer available anyway. Too bad! It's been only a few years since drinking-water-safe hoses of any kind have been readily available, so maybe if we keep asking for DWS soaker hoses, someone will start providing them -- though spedigrees raises an interesting question, "...drinking water hoses I believe are rated as safe because they contain a liner, and poking holes through it would probably defeat the efficacy of the liner." If that's true, then manufacturing them might not be a simple matter, either.

I'm spoiled by using drip tape, T-tape brand to be specifiic. Having gained the experience of how to set up drip systems for vegetable row crop experiments years ago and then applying that knowledge to gardening, I would never go with the "leaky hoses" as they are a relatively crude way to irrigate when planting in straight rows. If your rows have lots of curves I suppose the leakys might be the way to go, try putting a pressure regulator on them to get more uniform performance. I found one way to get much more even flow at both ends is to use a Y hose fitting attaching both ends of the leaky tube to it and the source of water, basically, the water comes into both ends of the tube and heads for the middle. The leakys work great for watering in a row of planted seed where you don't want to disturb the soil by watering over head, puts the water where you want it and nowhere else, weeds hate that:) Several years ago I made an attachment out of an attachment that came with my wheel hoe that allows me to bury drip tape very easily in rows about 4 - 6" deep, that allows for cultivation during the summer with no fear of nicking the tape, bye bye weeds. Drip tape can be laid on top of the soil and mulched over, I prefer to bury it. Drip tape is far, far cheaper than leaky tube but does require some fittings and planning to put together a functional system. There is at least one outfit that has kits that take a lot of the guess work out of putting together a drip system, check out the link below where I buy a lot of my components from and am happy with their service. No, I'm not trying to promote them and have no interest in the company other than I'd like to be able to keep buying stuff from them. Here is a link that might be useful: Irrigation Direct

Ken, you do what you want. Theres no reason to do something you're uncomfortable with but do you really believe you'll be poisoning your lawn or garden by using a soaker hose? If anything I think using the recycled material is better for the environment plus its a good way to care for shrubs and such while conserving water. I'd hate to see those tires in a land fill or being burned or laying around being a breeding ground for mosquitos You'll probably be exposed to worse things going to work tomarrow. Just my 2 cents.

Hi all, Here is my $0.02, a pressure gauge(cheap) to test the pressure at your house outlets is a great idea. This is a check for your house pressure regulator in usually in your garage. The pressure for the house should be 40 to 60 psi with this regulator. If the house pressure is higher than 60 psi the house regulator can be adjusted (screw adjustment). Your house appliances can't take high pressure. If the the pressure can't be adjusted replace house regulator. If your system comes off the line from the street it is before the house pressure regulator and needs to be regulated separately from the house for pressure to what ever your needs are. Most irrigation systems for large yards utilize the this higher pressure side to decrease the need for extra zones which is more economical. The drip tapes, drip hoses and garden hoses usually have an operating pressure listed. Next splitters divide the volume of water or flow into how many branches you have. To find flow from a faucet fill a 5 gal bucket from the faucet and record the time to fill to 5 gal. Calculate the flow or gpm or gph. This is the total amount you have to divide into splitters for your given pressure. Each hole, emitter,sprinkler head uses up some system pressure as the water moves down the line. If the pressure loss along the tape is greater than your system pressure you will be over watering some plants to get the right amount to the plants at the end of the line no matter how many splitters you have. This latter info is necessary to design automatic systems or if you wish to know the amount of water you are giving plants and don't want to take a long time watering your system by hand. BTW I thought it was City or County code to use a back flow prevention device. They are usually part of the valve system shut-off. I highly recommend having a BFP in your system. If there is a broken line in your garden and is flooding and someone in your house starts a bath or shower which changes the pressure at the faucets the dirty water can be sucked back into the house contaminating the house piping not to mention the city system. Similar to a hose end sprayer taking up fertilizer from the attached jar. Hope this was helpful. Aloha