Installing a timed irrigation system is easier than you might think. Tom Bressen of the Urban Farmer in San Francisco explains how to save money by installing your own irrigation system. If you have a landscape plan to work from, place a piece of tracing paper over the plan, and draw the design for your watering system. If you don't have a landscape plan, you'll need to take accurate measurements of your yard and planting beds, paying attention to areas that can be watered together (i.e., lawn, annuals, shrubs). Lay the main hoses throughout the garden (figure A), pinning them to the soil to secure them. Once that's done, you'll snap on the tubing and insert the emitters. Larger plants will require more emitters. If you're not sure how many emitters a plant will need, consult a local nursery or garden center. Emitters come in various styles, each of which delivers a specific amount of water (figure B). A timer can take the worry out of your irrigation system: you don't have to turn on the system because the timer does it for you. New battery-operated timers are designed to be connected directly to the faucet (figure C). One drawback to this type of timer is that only one system can be run at a time unless all are connected. Another option is a timer connected to the electrical system of the house. It can operate a number of valves throughout the garden. A small, simple system may take as little as an hour to install, but it can save you hours of watering time.
| 
)
)
)
)
