DIY Soaker Hose Drip Irrigation System - GardenFork

How to make a soaker hose irrigation system for your raised bed vegetable garden. Subscribe here: goo.gl/3zM702 Soaker Hose Vids: goo.gl/JTzLOf
What are the benefits of soaker hose vs drip irrigation? a soaker hose installation can be left out over winter, emitter drip irrigation has to be removed.
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Soaker Hose: amzn.to/294HkJf
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[@naeberli9120]

Love the "director" Gal, she's making sure the important details are added!

[@99bn99]

Maybe you covered this in another video. The soaker hose really needs to be flushed when first installed, and every time the inlet end has been left open. Flushing consists of opening the far end(s), and letting water run through like a regular hose. This washes out manufacturing debris, dirt, bugs, etc., any of which can clog the pores in the soaker hose.

[@schematican]

So much easier than setting up drip irrigation with a kit, and much more affordable. Thank you!

[@sandrawatson6935]

Thanks! Nice to hear from normal folks with dogs and imperfect garden.

[@patriotdefender8331]

Great video! One follow up point to one of the things you mentioned about when to water: since you are using soaker hose, you don't have to worry about wetting down any leaves on the plants. That means that the typical watering schedule can change. Sure, turning on the hoses in the morning is okay, but it is actually better to turn on the soakers in the evening, just after sundown. I just finished the Master Gardener program at my local Ag Extension, and that was the word I heard. Same with drip irrigation. Water in the morning if you're gonna get the leaves wet; otherwise, do it in the evening after a day of drying out the soil. It makes sense. But again, great video! I was hunting around for soaker hose layout examples, and this was perfect! Many thanks....

[@helnyson4694]

Brings all sorts into the garden that want to enjoy munching on your plants/food if/when you water in evening. No matter if you use drip hose, upturned plastic bottles, or watering pots by hand, or refilling wicking beds, early morning at first light is always the best time here 😀 ✌🏽💫

[@GeorgiaBoi70]

I'm definitely using this idea this year. It gets cumbersome trying to make soaker hose bend 180° in raised beds. Thanks for the tip! Subscribed.

[@gardenfork]

Good to hear Georgia, bending soaker hose isn’t easy. Thx!

[@RAMPHD]

This helps a lot. I had the hose looped around the base of each tomato plant. Then pull ties formed the loop. Used some sticks to hold in place. A lot of work and the hose is not that pliable, with fragile stalks Got incredible yield however with 10 Heirloom tomatoes versus watering from above. Will try this next year.Thanks!

[@pam6633]

Thank you. I had trouble finding the elbows, but saw your reply and just ordered on Amazon. This is a great idea and informative video!

[@trebordadda]

Excellent video. Really helped me figure out how to proceed with my irrigation system without having to reinvent the wheel. Thank you.

[@jantaylor732]

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, can't Thank You enough!! New gardener, got tired of dragging the hose around, can't afford irrigation system. This looks affordable.

[@gardenfork]

yes, its pretty simple to set up too!

[@PistachioPistachio]

I gotta do this next spring!! Big garden plans in the works!

[@varunadesilva2930]

Nice calmly done video. I like hole attitude how you did the demonstration, and well family oriented feeling when watching it, yes those dog are real cute.

[@yiskah]

New subscriber here:) I have never had any kind of irrigation for my flowerbeds, but seeing as I have about 30 more years of working in the beds (IF I am lucky), I figured it is soooo time to try drip. My adult daughter says it is not worth the hassle, but she isn't here watering hours a day with me;)

[@RobinLewisMakes]

That dog is so cool. Great video guys

[@pasta0328]

Pausing the video after 1:45 to say you are awesome people. Great video so far

[@natureboy6410]

Thanks for the tip on the connectors. I've used 1/2" to 5/8" soaker hose for years, but always had to stake them in place because of the sharp bends. :-)

[@gardenfork]

Good to hear Byron. Thx!

[@hillaryauthier7364]

Love your yellow lab! Had one for 13 years, got my son a chocolate. We love them 😍

[@spudman12382]

Idk why but I really enjoyed this video. I think I figured out how I'm going to water my garden for next year. Thank you.

[@eddouville7874]

Thanks for the video, most of the videos I have found are for drip irrigation, I have soaker hoses and I wish to use those for my new raised beds. Thanks again for the great video.

[@TimLewallen]

I ran a similar setup in my backyard container garden of tomato plants. I topped it off with pine straw mulch to hold in the moisture. I watered for 15 min every morning and had tremendous results.

[@gardenfork]

good to hear, these work pretty good in containers, especially the smaller diameter soaker hose. thx!

[@DJMovit]

Thanks for sharing, I was curious how long to run a soaker for.

[@courtneyaltice3670]

Thank you for this very informative video! You really helped clear up some of my questions about what type of hose we need for our herb garden. Love your little family, you had us all laughing over here.

[@gardenfork]

great to hear Courtney, thx!

[@joanneclare8079]

Very helpful thanks. Love the doggy back ground heavy breathing😆

[@sarbjitsingh-sx4dv]

How long do you run the soaker hose?

[@TheAdhdGardener]

Super helpful! I was given lots of soaker hoses and was wondering how and what to do with them this season..nice💯

[@jenniferhansen499]

Great idea. You guys are joyful to watch. Thanks.

[@pamcoombs7584]

You said “go get the ball”. And my 3 whippets went dashing outside! Yes! Thanks for the video, I needed a good lesson and this was great!

[@_dave4460]

pam coombs haahaha! yep!

[@nelson6936]

Thank you. It was extremely helpful.

[@snowpony001]

Hey, we have the same middle name! And I've had one of those soaker hoses hanging in my garage for how long now? Great idea. Great video. I like the manifold on this one better than your other. Simpler and quicker to put together. This idea has been on my project list since I watched your earlier videos. You know that project list - the one that's out the door and goes around the block. Most of my to-do's have sleeping bags and tents 😉 Anyways, thanks for another great video and the labs of course.

[@gardenfork]

good to hear! i found another roll of hose in my shed yesterday!

[@garygemian604]

Brilliant simplicity is genius!

[@youmeuswe9723]

Funny, Adorable AND Practical video. Lovin it :) Gonna have to try that out!

[@janicehuff2217]

Just discovered this site. Good info presented in an interesting practical way. Love the dog.

[@mrnavy2]

At the End of the Season, do you disconnect the hoses and remove them from the Garden? Excellent Video.

[@KarlaRei]

Excellent video. Thanks for making it!

[@gardenfork]

Thanks , glad you like it.

[@bnwbaron]

Thanks, very helpful

[@theman946]

Excellent video. Very user friendly and easy to extrapolate.

[@Watcher75g]

For sealing up the ends I like to use a lighter to heat it up then I squeeze the ends together with pliers or gloves. Bare hands work but it can burn your fingers depending on how hot it is (learned from experience). It might even work on sealing it to the connectors instead of using ties but I haven't tried that.

[@gardenfork]

good points. i have to try that one, with gloves, of course...

[@spottville9433]

Love the dogs, and I really enjoyed the video.

[@vickielancaster7054]

You did a great job but your dog was the best. Especially when you turned on the water. Thx.

[@jeanthorne8337]

I really enjoyed your video and learned a several tips. Thank you.

[@gardenfork]

Great to hear Jean, thx!

[@josealeman332]

Been watching gardening videos / irrigations systems for the new garden I will make this next year...this is the best I seem, only thing is, I am not sure where i will find those elbows yet. but thanks for sharing even if this video has few years, it has good advice.

[@chantalgardner3157]

Very nice diy video... Helped me a lot.

[@theweekendhomestead]

Perfect timing, I need to get some irrigation out to the tree in the orchard. I was thinking making rings out of soaker hose and then linking them together with underground irrigation piping.

[@gardenfork]

i use regular garden hose to link the soaker hose segments. i have found the gray plastic connectors work best to join soaker to garden hose. (the grey connectors are used with black poly piping for wells and irrigation) this assumes using a 1/2" or 5/8" soaker hose, not the newer small diameter soaker hose.

[@99bn99]

Garden hose is great, but if you have a lot to do, 3/4" or 1" poly pipe will carry more water over long distances for your distribution system. Note that you don't want a ring close to the trunk. The ring needs to be out around the drip line. Depending on whether you prune the tree to maintain size, you may need to keep enlarging the ring.

[@Klink52]

Great video. Solved by layout questions. Thank you very much!!

[@gardenfork]

+Gary Klingelsmith yeah!

[@Pigearvet]

This is great and well demonstrated. Thanks

[@Luigi-yu5wv]

Great video! Thanks for sharing......now I've to get me a Lab dog 😂😂😂👍🏼

[@gardenfork]

Yes, the Labradors make life better. thx!

[@Missmooific]

Thank you, great explanation, love the labs, putting in irrigation this summer in the uk, may have to wait a few weeks for enough sun to soften the pipe tho..😋

[@caseG80]

Missmooification some hot water might help either running it threw it or even submerging or pouring it over it then stretching. Cheers

[@99bn99]

Perhaps you are not in a freeze zone. For those watchers who are, the soaker (weeping) hose does not need to be removed for the winter, as the water runs out of it. However, the pressure control and filter at the faucet should be brought in for the winter, and hoses or solid (pvc, copper, steel) pipe must be completely drained.

[@laurenschexnider2799]

Brilliant thinking, Eric.

[@gardenfork]

i actually tried this a few ways until i got it to work. planning is unusual for me!

[@houseofmcclain5736]

This video was great!!!! very informative and you guys are adorable! do you find that there is a max length before water flow is affectedat the end of the line? i have 2 small beds and 2 large beds and I would love to hook them up so that they all run off of one system (one source hose). If so do you reccomend doing a second source hose or can you insert a flow restricter half way?

[@gardenfork]

i would loop the hose, so both ends of the system connect to the spigot, that way the pressure evens out. thx!

[@99bn99]

GardenFork's reply is correct. Part of the loop could be garden hose. Most hoses will come with a label recommending a maximum of length of soaker hose to connect. For a narrow strip of freshly sodded ground, (300') I used two strips of hose about 10" apart, and connected the two hose ends at the N & S ends of the run with Y connectors to garden hose connected to the faucets at two locations of the same building. From one end to other there was a 6' drop. With pressure supplied from both ends, the watering was pretty even.

[@dd_2023]

Thank you; greatly appreciated!

[@awesomegod4395]

Will Do! Thx again!

[@predatorminutepodcast1570]

How do you put multiple raised beds on a single hose? Do you create the soaker hose grid for each bed, and then cut up a regular hose to connect them all? Will the pressure be enough to push water through 4 beds? We have two 8x3 beds, a 10x1 bed, and a 6x2 bed.

[@yeshuaisthewaythetruthandt515]

Thanku. D questions help too bcz they get instant answers

[@howardf3782]

I have a 400 gallon tank under my deck that I fill with rain water. It is a bit higher than the garden, so last year I tried running a regular hose from the tank to the garden, then a soaker hose from that at a bed. No luck - not enough pressure. I calculated it is only about 4 pounds per square inch. Looking online there are emitters that will work at that low pressure, but I have yet to buy and try them.

[@gardenfork]

a while back I found some low pressure soaker hoses online, but haven't seen them lately. mbe you could get a solar powered water pump to move the water up to an elevated tank to increase the psi.

[@scottrossgirvan8009]

Great tutorial.

[@chasingviolet6330]

Super creative!

[@NowAbundant]

What a cute puppy!!

[@mjc5208]

Love that dog!

[@lanettacornett5191]

Great video thanks!

[@sarahzaryac]

This was really helpful, thank you!

[@edwardsdeacon]

A very good and educational/informational video. 😊 thank you for making and posting it.

[@gardenfork]

always happy to help, thx!

[@barbaracaballero8425]

Looks very easy thank you I wish you write at The end names and size all what you used

[@itsmilesdavis]

Great video, thanks a lot!

[@bertamorgan7399]

Great video....Love the dogs and you folks make it real and doable. I never finish a job with one trip to the garden store so I felt like I found my tribe. SUGGESTION...when you put the first soaker hoses together you linked the long runs with short pieces of soaker hose perpendicular to those runs... if you used the end with the connecting soaker hose bits next to your trellis wouldn't you save having to add another run just for trellis? Just a thought. I HAVE SUBSCRIBED! Keep on gardening. :)

[@gardenfork]

good info, thanks Berta!

[@robrenhar]

Thank you! Doing it tomorrow.

[@bluebluedogbooks]

How neat!

[@adriankap2978]

Can I use garden staples to hold down the hose rather than cutting? Or is the ground too soft that they won't hold? My first garden this year and a less than novice in growing anything. Thank you for the great video.

[@magnummesiona72]

Thanks a lot.... it really helps

[@WybleMontano]

Thank you for the idea. I will definitely do this nexxt year.

[@caseG80]

They also make a 1/4 inch soaker hose thst can be installed to regular drip line when the water is needed in certain locations like around trees. Cheers

[@OMPHOTONET-ns5id]

Such a great source for relevant information! Do you guys have a donation link?

[@gardenfork]

PayPal goo.gl/uMr9w7 or Patreon www.patreon.com/gardenfork thx!

[@trandom2083]

Great video and system! I just got a soaker hose and was using it in rows of coils 😂 I'm wondering what would happen if you removed the blue washers. Would it drip faster? I don't want to wait several hours to turn off the hose.

[@retiredspaceworker248]

I use a 3/8" wire nut stuffed in the end to cap the dead ends.

[@CarolEPMc]

question, have you ever added micro water sprayer to your soaker hose to direct a bit of extra water to plants that may need it? if yes, can you advice best method.

[@kimberly8185]

I love your dog!!

[@barbaramiller1340]

Very helpful - and happy to see another lab with a fetch fetish - they do love their toys!

[@gardenfork]

whenever we are in the garden, the labs think its time to play ball!

[@sweetcanada17]

Barbara Mill,er - my chihuahua also has a fetch fetish. He thinks he is a Labrador. He even goes after big Frisbees and hauls them back to me.

[@spir5102]

Thanks for the great info. Do you have any ideas about how to keep from having to move the garden hose every time you mow? And do you just move the main garden hose from bed to bed?

[@josh2232]

cindy o yeah you can attach a 2 way connector to your spigot/tap and use a piece of poly tube (from the spigot to the garden bed) and attach the soaker hose to the Polly pipe. By having a spigot splitter, you can connect two hoses to your spigot at once !

[@camilleharris3457]

What do you have growing up the wire/rope? I like that.

[@lightfusegetaway]

Nice video, sir. I was thinking about doing something like this with the soaker hose instead of various irrigation system parts. Seems like this would be the cheaper and easier option. Do you find that the plants nearer the non-soaker hose connection get more water since that area has higher water pressure?

[@gardenfork]

that can happen, but most of the soaker hoses now have some sort of pressure reducing disc at the start of the hose. its not perfect, but it works and its cheaper and easier to move, take apart, etc. thx! eric.

[@stevehannon6376]

Well done I have this idea for attaching a pump to our dehumidifier that is located in our basement It is very damp in our basement and having to empty the dehumidifier is getting old Do you have any thoughts on this and if so what pump do you think would work

[@gardenfork]

Hi Steve, you might want to pump this water into a rain barrel outside with a mini sump like this: amzn.to/2wPNVGF and hook the barrel up to a gravity feed soaker hose like this one: amzn.to/2voHo5d thx!

[@ShermVibes]

Thank you! This is amazing!

[@TheGoodHeart1000]

Excellent idea! Thank you! New sub

[@thuglifer12]

Do you always companion plant oak tress with your sugar snap peas? :)

[@lucillevoisin1924]

Very good. Thank you.

[@TheKoolbraider]

I've been looking at drip irrigation systems. This is the first time I heard that some of the equipment needs to be removed before winter freezes, I live in Maine and this would need to be done. I don't have much to water so maybe I'll go with soaker hoses. Thanks!

[@99bn99]

The soaker hoses can stay out. Supply to it, including timers, filters, pressure regulators, need to removed to warm storage, and hoses/pipes must be drained or removed to warm storage.

[@elizabethhendriks9030]

thank you! just subscribed, great video.

[@snakemonkey555]

Awesome tutorial, looking to improve the watering system for my beds and this may work for me. Thank you, BTW, what kind of hat are you wearing, is it a straw cowboy hat, or is it a certain kind?

[@gardenfork]

its just a simple straw cowboy hat to keep the sun and deer flies off me. but this soaker hose system has worked well for me. thx!

[@glenviruet7922]

Thanks for sharing

[@rosendobesas7698]

What do you call the white connector? Thanks regards from phils.

[@OhDannyboy7]

Excellent video! Question, is it recommended to use metal, wood, or a plastic dowel rod as an end cap? Yours looks like wood but I can't exactly tell. Wanted to know before I purchase it. Thanks!

[@MikeJones-lx7qq]

thank you.

[@gardenfork]

Good luck Mike!

[@mm-tc3kt]

What brand is that hose ? Where did you buy it ? I can't find one with the fitting at HD or AMZN. All their drip hoses you have to rig up yourself. Also, what's your choice of timer ? You might make some manufacturer bucks if you endorse these products. Good concepts and good video man. Isn't there a difference between a "soaker" and a "drip" hose ?

[@tomtroop6012]

Thanks for another great video. Who is you camerawoman? And is she in any of your videos?

[@craftylady62249]

Great timing, Eric! I have been looking at drip irrigation systems for my garden beds. Do you think the soaker hose method works better than dedicated drip irrigating systems? Or is it just a cheaper alternative? I have several raised boxes that need watering and I know that the hand-held method just is not efficient. Big question - do all of the hoses need to be connected at the end of the bed/box so that you have a closed circuit for the water?

[@gardenfork]

the drip emitter systems i've seen have to be stored inside during winter, so i like the soaker hose, which can stay in the beds. you can connect the hoses however you like. some people use one of those hose splitters to send the water to different beds.

[@99bn99]

For bed plantings where everything has the same water requirements, I would say soaker hose is best. However, with drip systems, plants with different water requirements can be mixed, either by using different emitters, or through the use of overlapping zones. Also drip is easier with hanging or ground pots. As GardenFork pointed out, the soaker hose can be left out for the winter, all though control components such as timers, filters & pressure reducers do need to be kept warm.

[@Wendy8888]

Super useful! Thanks 👍

[@gardenfork]

Glad I could help. Thx! Eric.

[@MichaelJosephJr934]

So to understand you cannot simply coil the hose around the bed? It will kink? I'm starting to garden in the spring and looking for ideas.

[@janneinkinen8601]

Very nice video! Thank you! Did you make small holes to the hose? Did you use a needle or did you drill them with some very tiny drill? Thank you once more! Greetings from Finland!

[@janneinkinen8601]

ah, it seems "soaker hose" is a hose with pre-made holes, so no need to make them.

[@alliehunter9896]

how would I connect 5 raised beds together? I've seen some elaborate , expensive systems. are there connectors that will connect cut garden hoses to soakers inside each box?

[@gardenfork]

go to your local hardware store with a sample of the solid garden hose you are using. they can help you put something together.

[@MichaelJosephJr934]

So to understand you cannot simply coil the hose around the bed? It will kink? I'm starting to garden in the spring and looking for ideas

[@missourigirl4101]

How do you connect the Metal ends that connect to your hose and can you connect to 1/2 plastic tubing that would run between raised beds?

[@mishamellow3528]

So just curious would you be able to couple this with a water collection system over water from your home easily enough? I am contemplating on starting a garden myself. Would actually love to make raised beds so it would be easier for my mother with her knees if she ever wants to get something and on me with my back for weeding. and I'm trying to find the most simple and also time and hopefully money saving ways to keep this garden watered properly without potentially drowning them. I'd like to have water collection since I love the concept of utilizing rain water as much as you can so is there any way that I could possibly combine the method for the soaker hoses you used along with water collection barrels for the main basin of water (over using water from our well on the house) sorry if this is a stupid question. I still feel like I'm very much a beginner in gardening I know a few basics from some research but if you or someone else who's been there and done that could give me constructive advice I'd love that so much!

[@gardenfork]

a gravity feed system is ideal. i have not been able to find a soaker hose that works with the low water pressure that comes with a gravity feed system though. let me know if you find anything. thx!