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Drip irrigation for tomatoes

Proud Marine Dad

Proud Marine Dad

If I make two 17' long and 2' wide ridges in my garden for tomatoes would it be easy to put in a drip irrigation system? I have never used one and was wondering what to get.
I was just going to water them with a conventional hose but I would lose a lot of water running off the hump that the tomatoes will be planted on.
Any input would be appreciated.
 
I'm a big fan of drip - it is fairly inexpensive and once installed, easy to maintain year after year. Your setup will depend on the total number of plants you are watering and how much water you deliver but as far as I know the general configuration is a 5/8" supply line with 1/4" feeder lines for the plants. I run 1/2 gph emitters for my 'maters with a single 1/4" feeder for each plant. Between the emitter and supply line I also put in a shutoff valve so I can stop delivery to the tomatoes once the fruit is on (my other veggies are on the same circuit so I want to keep watering them). The best part is hooking up a timer to the whole shebang so it waters automatically.

I'll post pics of the basics but you should be able to get good info on getting setup from your garden supply store.
 
Soaker hose is definitely easier if you don't plan on adding any other irrigation, otherwise drip is the way to go. I went 50% drip tape this year and I can already tell its going to be 100% drip tape next season.
 
Thanks Brian. Doesn't a soaker hose waste more water though or would that even be a factor with tomato plants?
I am going to have about 6 plants down each ridge and with the length it is I would need an odd length of soaker hose or else I would have to double it up either side or something.

I have my eye on this which would be perfect.
http://www.irrigationdirect.com/irrigation-products-and-supplies/drip-irrigation/drip-irrigation-kits/row-crop-drip-irrigation-kits-t-tape/drip-irrigation-kit-for-row-crops-t-tape-starter
 
I wouldn't say they waste water but they are unreliable and get clogged half way through the season. This is the second year I am using 0 soaker hoses. I have put in all drip tape.

I don't understand what you mean by ridges. Are you planting in raised rows and if so why? I can post some photos soon of my drip lines and stuff but don't have time now.
 
Little Minnie said:
I wouldn't say they waste water but they are unreliable and get clogged half way through the season. This is the second year I am using 0 soaker hoses. I have put in all drip tape.

I don't understand what you mean by ridges. Are you planting in raised rows and if so why? I can post some photos soon of my drip lines and stuff but don't have time now.
Click to expand...

Yes Tamara I am planting in raised rows because I want more depth for root growth and at this moment there is only 12" of depth from ground level and then it is clay.
I figured with 12" of depth and a 10" high raised row I would have 22" of overall depth, minus the planting depth of about 4-5"
 
MotaMike said:
Thanks Brian. Doesn't a soaker hose waste more water though or would that even be a factor with tomato plants?
I am going to have about 6 plants down each ridge and with the length it is I would need an odd length of soaker hose or else I would have to double it up either side or something.

I have my eye on this which would be perfect.
http://www.irrigatio...-t-tape-starter
Click to expand...

That is a good kit to get. I have had some soaker hoses that clog up and some others that have been working for years, but I would agree that they are unreliable. I would not say that they waste much water though, they just apply water faster than drip irrigation. If you are really concerned with water conservation check into plastic mulches. For a small area you can pick up regular black plastic sheeting at any big box store. I generally only have to water my plants once a week when they are under the mulch.
 
If you make raised rows you can still use drip but it will dry out faster raised. I use black plastic over my drip tape.
BigLake-20120427-00161.jpg

This is what my tape looks like in the beds (wide rows).


gardenMay013.jpg

Here is an area with plastic. If you look closely you can see the drip tape under there since it was on when I took the photo. This is my pepper and tomato area but the only tomatoes planted yet are in those red bags.

I got my starter kit from Fedco but it came with no instructions. This year I ordered more tape and fittings from Drip Works. The roll of tape is in the photo back by my truck.
 
Little Minnie said:
If you make raised rows you can still use drip but it will dry out faster raised. I use black plastic over my drip tape.
Click to expand...

I was going to put black weed fabric over mine. Should I even make raised rows? Hell, now I am confused and these tomatoes need to get in the ground ASAP as it's almost the end of May.
I am not going to have tomatoes until Aug/Sept now.
 
Keep your raised rows. Go with drip, whether it be a 1/2 main line with 1/4 feeder lines and emitters, or an even easier option, T-tape (basically a hose with built-in emitters every 18" or 24" - I can't remember). Check out the dripworks site for some ideas. Lay out your drip line, cover with mulch (plastic, garden fabric, whatever) then cut x's and plant in the spots where the water flows.
 
My set up is almost exactly like Minnie's. I am using black mulch mostly, but I also have a section of silver mulch I am testing with peppers.

Minnie, are those red plastic trash bags stretched over your tomato cages? That is a clever idea I might just have to borrow it.
 
What if you live in a place where the waterlines has almost no pressure, wouldn't be enough for drip irrigation. Could you connect a water pump to a large reservoir or something? I tried my own project with buying an aquarium pump but that wasn't even enough to run one drip emitter. Totally failed at that haha
 
slashroot said:
What if you live in a place where the waterlines has almost no pressure, wouldn't be enough for drip irrigation. Could you connect a water pump to a large reservoir or something? I tried my own project with buying an aquarium pump but that wasn't even enough to run one drip emitter. Totally failed at that haha
Click to expand...

The set like the one I posted above comes with a pressure regulator to keep the pressure low. I think they are around 25 psi which is pretty low.

Another question: Is the black landscape material or plastic necessary or is it just convenient since it keeps weeds down?
 
MotaMike said:
The set like the one I posted above comes with a pressure regulator to keep the pressure low. I think they are around 25 psi which is pretty low.

Another question: Is the black landscape material or plastic necessary or is it just convenient since it keeps weeds down?
Click to expand...

I think the drip tape I bought can work as low as 5 PSI but I also have a 25 PSI regulator. I believe the mulch is a matter of convenience, but using black plastic mulch will increase your watering effeciency as the surface moisture will not evaporate off. I water once a week at the very most.
 
Just about finished the garden area for tomatoes today.
I put 3 cu. ft. of Kellogg Garden Soil into each ridge and worked it into the 12" depth with my Mantis electric tiller.
Money is tight so I am going to skip buying a drip tape system and I am not even sure if I am going to put landscape fabric over these two ridges.
I worked my ass off digging this by hand and I am tired. This is it and if the tomatoes don't do well then I am not growing them again next year.

Photo1185.jpg
 
Good thread, i need to get a drip for my conainter garden, but one think i have read is dont use platic to on the ground, it dont breat and the water gets stuck under heats up the soil and becommes a breading ground for dieseases (what i read).
 
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