Vacations and Drip Irrigation

Credit: jeremiah.andrick from Flickr via creative commons license

Summer is here and it's high time for vacations and weekend getaways! You're ready to throw on some sandals and head for the beach, or lace up your hiking boots for a trip to the great outdoors, either way summer is the perfect time to escape from our homes--and unfortunately from our gardens too! To help prepare for this moment, you bought a drip irrigation system to ensure your garden is well irrigated while away. You've spent precious time this spring setting up a garden and now, more than ever, it's vital to keep it healthy with the summer heat. To make sure your drip system is continuing to work hard while your away, we've put together some helpful tips to keep your system working flawlessly.

Growing and Harvesting Garlic in Dripworks' Garden

At Dripworks we grow a variety of flowers and veggies in order to show customers what can be grown with Drip Irrigation. One of our favorite veggies is the garlic we grow every year; Garlic is the perfect crop to display inside our garden, as it is planted in October and harvested each June (see picture above). Now in our third season, we find growing garlic with Drip Irrigation a snap, if given the right soil conditions and preparation.

Preparation

To prepare our garlic bed we utilize two of our wonderful products: Agribon and Emitter Tubing (or Soaker Dripline). In the Fall and Winter months we cover the garlic bed with Agribon (a fabric that raises the temperature by 4-6 degrees) in order to protect the plants from frost. The Agribon material is supported by bent wire fencing inside the wooden beds, which makes a "tunnel" shape to provide warmth and growth space for the garlic during colder months. Loop Hoops are another way to support Agribon. In addition to using Agribon, each year we irrigate the garlic with our Emitter Tubing, which delivers water directly to the roots of each plant. Soaker Dripline also works very well. Together, these products are key to a successful harvest.

How to Use Soaker Dripline

At DripWorks we're passionate about creating beauty and bounty through gardening. Drip irrigation allows one to grow high quality foods, beautiful flowers, and decorative plants, while lowering our water bill and saving precious time. 

Soaker Dripline is one of DripWorks' all-time favorite product.

Soaker Dripline is a Dripworks' favorite! We love using Soaker Dripline and think you will too! We recommend Soaker Dripline because it's easy to use and immensely versatile. We use it in our raised vegetable garden beds, both at home and in the demo garden here at DripWorks. Soaker Dripline is perfect for irrigating small plots such as flower and strawberry beds, and works great inside containers on patios or along walkways (due to its incredible flexibility). Compliment your drip system with a Battery Timer, and you'll be able to automate your garden's irrigation needs to achieve reliable results wherever you grow.

Easy Loc Fittings are Truly Easy

Remember when setting up a drip irrigation system was a struggle? Not any more. Setting up your new drip system is a snap with Easy Loc Fittings. No more sore hands or wrists, and Easy Locs hold very well at higher pressures--up to 50 PSI. Plus, Easy Loc Fittings are faster and easier to use than compression or barbed fittings too!

Making changes or adding to your drip system is a breeze when using Easy Loc Fittings. Start each drip line with an Easy Loc Female Hose Beginning connected to your faucet assembly. Then use an Easy Loc coupler or Easy Loc Tee to increase the size of your irrigation system. Always get a few extras for expanding your drip system in the future--you can even reuse them!