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Automated irrigation

Incorporating an automated irrigation system into my small urban veggie back garden, has always been on my to-do list, and now that dream has come true, even if it's still a work in progress.


Setting up the automated irrigation system in our small back garden veggie growing area has been a fun challenge, by planning out which beds are most important for irrigating, placing the sprinklers in appropriate locations and setting the irrigation timers, which can be phone controlled and also connected to a rainwater sensor, which allows us to adjust watering quantities.


Setting up an irrigation system doesn't have to be complicated, but getting your head around where to start and what to buy can seem a bit overwhelming. Systems can be of the simplest options - such as a pipe laid in the bed with holes for drip irrigation, manually controlled by turning the tap on and off. On the other end of the scale are very expensive, and quite detailed fully packaged irrigation systems.


🌱 Handy tip:

Start by figuring out what would work best for your space, your schedule and your budget

The best way to start the process is first figuring out what would work best for your space, your schedule and your budget. I was very lucky in this situation that my partner is very handy with tools and electronics, he had such fun helping me plan and set this system up, because he was able to program a small computer unit which would wirelessly connect with our phones and the main irrigation system hub - we located this within the greenhouse to ensure it would remain safe and dry.

The irrigation box we bought, came with all the attachments and pipework, then it was simply the case of planning it put. Attaching the main pipe to the main water pipe in the garden, was the first stage. The computer unit my partner programmed was attached to the a 4 way valve - we chose this as the main idea was to irrigate 4 different garden areas. From the valve we attached the 4 irrigation pipes, and using the clip in attachments (screwing these to the fence panels) we were able to tidily organise the direction of the pipes.


Each irrigation pipe that led to each different planter area, was then broken down into the smaller irrigation tubes which connected to an irrigation sprinkle head, these had a base spike, which was easy to insert into the chosen location within the planter.

Once they were all in place we could turn the system on and give it a go!

There were a few issues when setting this system up, specifically the water pressure, as the further along the pipe the water as the less pressure there was to water the beds.


Our final decision was to stagger the planting, which was controlled by the mini computer unit, this way there wasn’t any pressure lost to each bed. Starting at planting area 1, the system would turn on for 5 minutes, then moving around the garden, the planting area 2 would be irrigated, and then 3 and then 4, each for 5 minutes.

Thanks for reading, if this interested you make sure to share with others who are growing vegetables from home, and would love to know your experiences, tips and stories too 🌱

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