Thread: inground watering

I am developing a new vege patch, I thought I might try an inground watering system, nothing too fancy just some 100mm pipe laid in a shallow trench, my soil being clay once wet will stay wet for a long while and it seems to soak up the water best if I just lay the hose on top of the soil and just let it run out across the slope, the slope is only slight but is enough to allow water to flow across the surface, my thinking with the pipe is if I fill the pipe it should run across the topside of the patch and downhill into the soil, I might still need to water the surface when I plant seeds at the start....
pipes laid out.jpg

These pieces of pipe are about 1800 long, I made some joiners, they are just pushed together, I drilled 16mm holes spaced about 300mm apart in the btm of each pipe, my thinking being to get an even spread of water, each pipe is laid level.
holes along btm.jpg

Once all level and pushed together I shoved the hose in the far end turned on flat out, I wanted to see water come out the far end of the pipe, and it did, it was a bit of an experiment with regard the number of holes and size, I didn't all the water draining out at one end only.
water out the end.jpglong shot with water.jpg

I then backfilled with mulch on the low side and sawdust on the topside.
backfilled.jpgfull cover.jpg

I put a rock in the near end of the pipe and a bit of concrete that looks like a tombstone at the far end, I don't want it to be a home for toads, frogs OK.

The outcome I want is not to be spraying water into the air via a sprinkler and not to have to move it, I tend to leave it on in the one spot and forget about it until I hear water running just as I have got into bed, I'll set up a timing system to turn it on and off, may even help with things that are susceptable to mold.
Will see what happens.


Pete