Easy and Affordable Drip System 

Can I leave my drip hoses out during the winter? I am in zone 6

One of the things my wife loves about Brian is that he's a hard worker, and he doesn't brag about his bounty. He doesn't show pictures of this year's pounds and pounds of produce harvest. He just works hard, shares his knowledge and smiles. She loves that about you Brian! So, thanks and keep up the great work you do!

Well after watching your videos for two years and love following you great advice on my garden I figured I needed to watch the segment on Drip Systems. Well,,,I'm going to give it a try. This was an excellent video so much that this single female senior that I am, i feel I can do it. I am 85 years old and you make it sound simple. So here we go.

Great hack I learned from Jag at Daisy Creek Farms for securing the 1/4" lines. Unbend the small side of a paperclip and the larger end is now a perfectly sized, rounded stake.

Hello neighbor!! San Diego growing zone 10b checking in 👋 👩‍🌾 🌱 I finally put in drip irrigation last season and it has proven a real freedom convenience *BUT I have realized that I now spend LESS TIME out in the garden (mental therapy ha ha) because I don't HAVE to be out there to water* 😕 Guess there is give and take in every life situation (sigh) 🤷‍♀️ I have a quadruple faucet to hose adapter on a battery operated 2 station timer, one station for upper garden and the second for the lower garden. I run my drip twice a day, every day, once in the morning and again in the evening, for 25 minutes each. I could probably get away with less time but my plants seem happy. The hardest part to getting started, for me, is knowing *where* to place the drip lines so I recommend *planting first* and then run the irrigation. Take care everyone 🙂 🙃 🙂

I installed it this spring from my wheelchair. Thanks to your tutorials from the other channel. I even dug it, and buried so it could be mowed over. Thank so very much. I can do this anyone so can you.

Yes I was also intimidated to set up a drip system until now. I have been watering my 200 sq feet raised beds by using a 1 gallon watering can that takes me approx. 1 1/2 - 2 hours. I have been smiling through out your video realizing how simple it really is. This 75 year old man thanks you VERY much LOL.

I’m an old lady who lives to garden. Thanks to you, I am confident I can set up a drip system to my garden. You have a great gift for teaching.

This past year I installed an irrigation system after watching your video. After installing I couldn't get over how much time I had saved. Now after watching this new video I'm on my way back to the garden to figure out what all I need to order so all my vegetables and flowers get the same amount of water. I didn't realize, until you pointed out in this video , that all the plants didn't get the same amount of water - especially at the end of the line. I have learned so much by watching your easy to follow videos! Thanks!

Hi, I was a 61 year old beginner gardener. I decided to tackle putting in a drip system, without any help. I got it done, and it worked wnderfully!

How your drip wrapped around is called a circulating system. I have seen it in air compression systems to provide equal air pressure to many machines with little fluctuation. Well done in your diagnosis and remedy. That is a forever fix.

Thank you for convincing my son that a drip system is well worth the time and effort. Signed, 70 year old gardener who installed a system decades ago.

I have always loved gardening but sooner or later everything dies because I might forget to water or leave the water on too long and this always weakens the plants and they end up with diseases. I finally decided to take my gardening to the next level and I installed drip irrigation to the perimeter of my house and even up under the roof edge to the hanging baskets and orchids I have and it has been a game changer! I am not fit and a bit older but I was able to do it all by myself. Because of the drip irrigation I have even created a small potager and am growing all types of veggies, herbs and fruit. Having the drip irrigation gives me more time to maintain the garden and keeps everything going even when I don't have time. I love it and would recommend it for everyone!

You are a legend sir, this is the first video I’ve watched where I felt like I could do this. I can’t tell you how many videos are like ITS EASY and then give vague “just figure out what you need and connect them!” directions. You’ve got the teacher skill! ✨

I live in an apt. building where the only water faucet is far down at the other end from me. I dug a 6" deep trench along the edge of two patios to my apt., and ran a 1/2" irrigation line. I attached the end of the line to an adapter (as Brian demonstrated here) that attached to my stainless-steel hose (stainless steel hose is very light weight and doesn't smell nasty like rubber hoses smell), attached the line to a stake with brackets, then used a shepherd's hook, pounded into the ground, for the hose holder. (We can't put any screws into the building.) Now I have a great setup for irrigating my patio veggie garden. I had to get permission to do this from the manager, and paid for it myself, but it's well worth the aggravation of trekking past other ppl's patio, lugging a heavy rubber hose, to get water to my plants 2-times a day. I did this with a wee-bit of help at age 70. But it was easy-peasy! 😊

Thank you for your concise descriptions and tutorials. I live in the Central Valley of California and I was hoping you'd cover a filter for the water because many people here have a problem within months of installing a drip system because of hard water clogging the system or sand. I'd really appreciate for you to cover this topic. Thank you.

After watching your drip irrigation video and installing it year before last, even in my “flower bed” style garden it was a life saver. My water bill was greatly reduced and I didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to water before the intense NC summer heat and humidity hit. As I get older, they both take a toll. One new thing I learned today is to put Teflon tape at the connections at the faucet…. I always have problems with leaks there, so thank you. I loved seeing that “old” intro. It was so sweet to see Noah so small! He is growing up so quickly and You have become even more handsome over the years. Thanks for another great video! Sending love and hugs to you, Emilie and Noah ❤️🤗🌹🌹🌹🌹

Love the “old” intro!!

I have been using drip for the past 6 years. Best decision ever! Last year I added a new twist. Using a T- connector to the 1/4” lines, added a 18” long tube and placed straight down into the soil next to my tomato plants. Gave me deep root watering.

You are the best gardener.You cover even minute details of gardening in your videos.keep up the good work

I’ve been using drip for probably 20 years! Not to discourage anyone, but it is not trouble-free. You do need to regularly check your system for leaks, clogged emitters and sun damage. Also, unless your drip tubing is spaced close enough that the entire bed gets watered, and not just individual plants, it can be a challenge to direct sow seeds and have reliable germination rate. If the top inch of soil is dry, those seeds will dry out. I’ll be reconfiguring my raised beds to replace rotting wood and will switch to the more reliable drip tape then.

Drip is so worth it!!!

Perfect! Just what I needed! You are a natural teacher, PLUS an encourager. Yes, I was afraid I couldn't do it, but now I am! I'm already looking forward to spring's garden!

This is by far the best drip system video you've done. Great job! You should totally put it up on the other channel as well.

So this is April 14th 2024 in the great white North.... snow is almost gone(FINALLY) and I need a raised bed built so I told my husband this is what he needs to do for me... his response was, “I don’t think so” 😂😂 He’ll do it, just not right now while he’s focused on our chickens😂 Thanks Brian for this... he’s a builder and can do almost anything.... so will appreciate this video when we need this done.

One watch out when buying your tubing (freeway) is that at the home centers they sell both 1/2 inch and 5/8 inch sizes. Make sure you use the same size for your hose and all your connectors as well. And I agree completely that drip is the way to go. I've been using for years now and would never go back to hose or flood watering.

Drip is for everyone I was scared at first but it so easy. Thanx for your help

I have beds on two sides of my house so the y connector would have to be used to cover both areas, I too am getting older and just want to enjoy watching things grow without having to get out there early before the sun gets too hot and water everything. I also do a lot of container gardening and watering takes forever. So, next Spring I will ask my husband to set it up for me, I'll have to get him to watch your video, he's retired and waits for something to do to help me, as long as he can see the savings, he will be on board 👩🏽‍🌾👍🏽

Sooooo glad I found this video with the steps to set up drip watering. I just can't do the watering again, so time consuming. Thank you Brian so much for this information. I see you have other videos, so will watch them too . be blessed

Best video on drip for beginners and a great refresher for me. I will be moving to one acre lot in Vista and will have to do tons of these. One little item to mention for newbies, is to poke a hole in the half inch tube on one side only. Thank you!!

I water an acre with drip systems. Had them for many years and have made improvements in that time. I had the same problem getting emitters at the end of the lines to put out enough water. I am going to try your system of having the perimeters of the beds lined with the 1/2 inch poly tube and all connected. I did see that done somewhere else. I have expanded my veggie garden beds so I am re designing my drip system. It has been a life and time saver for me. Just way too much to ever do by hand! There are filters you can add to help in high mineral areas. You really need to make sure you buy the same company line to work properly. There are differences in different brands that can cause trouble fitting components. There are universal parts that can fix the problems people need to be aware of. There is also a backflow fitting made of some kind of metal that fits onto the faucet attached to the house. You don't want to contaminate your drinking water. As far as animals eating into the lines, they are thirsty and know there is water to be found there. For those with that problem I fing leaving out bowls of water seems to solve the problem. Another great learning video from you! Thank you for taking us all on your new Journey!

Love that Old Intro! Classic! And you didn't forget the gold tooth shining when you smiled - I got a good laugh on that. And the kids - great little actors. ha ha Going to watch it again - just because...

I include a shutoff valve for each bed because I have multiple beds on each zone. This allows me to temporarily isolate a bed when I lift the emitter tubing out of the way or to do repairs (like when I accidentally pruned the tubing). The valves can also be used to throttle the flow to a bed if one is getting more flow than it should.

They also make drip lines with pressure compensating emitters that eliminates pressure drop at the end the lines. At work we used drip tape that drains and lays flat when not in use, so you can leave it out all year in northern zones. You will however have to drain the supply lines. Drip tape cannot go around corners or make circles, it's for straight runs only.

We installed drip this spring. It’s getting 100🥵 best time and money I ever spent and YES it is cheaper than 2 water hoses! We just drew out a map of the yard and garden, counted up how many pieces of what connectors we would need, placed the order on drip depot and our parts came in. We’ve had to order a few more barbed connectors and more 1/4” drip tubing so my only suggestion would be to order more of those than you think you’ll need they are cheap.

Drip is a game changer! This is the first year I have used it and I did not hand water one time. It has saved me at least 7-8 hours a week. There are other benefits as well -- I had almost no powdery mildew this year because with a combination of the drip and growing my squash and zucchini vertically the leaves stay dryer. I had no blight on my tomatoes until late September. It is not that expensive to set up. I spent around $200 for enough stuff to do 9 beds and the most expensive part was the timer. So next year if you haven't already done it I highly recommend doing it.

I've been using drip for 50 years. I never thought of the set up with connecting the 1/4" on both sides to equalize the pressure. Great tip! These days I use a lot of sub irrigated containers. They save even more water and seem to provide the plants even more uniform watering. I know you've got a million things to do, but you should try sub irrigated as an experiment. Aldo Pepper has a great video on building a large sub irrigated container.

I’m using drip and micro sprinkler irrigation in all my growing beds. It saves at least 50% vs flood irrigation. I really like the freeway analogy!

The biggest thing I learned to save my hands, is to carry a mug of very hot water with me and put the tubing in the hot water prior to putting it on the connector for the quarter-inch tubing

Great starter video and I love the "freeway" analogy. I would not say a backflow preventer is optional though. It's code for California. I prefer the end plug connector at the end point of each zone so it can be easily drained before freezing temps. Also, mulching over the exposed lines with straw or bury them not only protects tubing from extreme cold, but also extreme heat and ultraviolet degradation. Just my 2 cents worth. Thank you Brian, I always enjoy watching your videos.

OMG! I love the infomercial type at the beginning LMAO!!!

Take care of my doctor's horse's, mentioned drip irrigation. She has such beautiful beds, though each year as life and her practice pull her away from her home..plants dry up and more are purchased..yet never make it to a home in the ground. I love how you can add on to the system in place, along with the conservation of water. Win, Win ..Your explanation on the water supply was a bell ringer. I got it..🤗🤗 Thanks man..i did my research as i promised..🙄

I did this late summer preparing for fall gardening. I started with a kit from drip depot for container gardening (since most of mine is that setup) and then added and customize it as needed. Nice thing with drip depot is you can fully modify kits. They are just set up with the standard stuff so you don’t have to search the whole website. Also was super easy to order the few other pieces i need here and there once I was installing it!

Great video and fantastic verbiage to explain. I am an “old” lady and have been using drip for at least 35 years!!

Love the black bench and cute entry way decor. Welcome!

Your Videos are very informative and always enjoy watching them. Thank you!

Omg thank you! I have been so intimidated to set up an irrigation system, I haven’t even bothered to look too much into it. You’re amazing! Thank you for this video!

I started my first garden this year. Between you and a couple other RU-vidrs I was brave enough to setup my own drip system. It was way easier than I thought. I live just outside of Boise and we had two months of no rain and days well over 100. I also have full on western exposure and long days as the sun doesn’t set until around 10pm. It would have been a full time job if I didn’t have drip. At big box stores they have starter kits which give you most things you need other than the timer. I did have to buy a few more of certain items for my project. I believe they also have pictured instructions to help you figure out what connects to what. Plus, referring back to videos like this, from my cell phone, during setup helped as well. FYI your tomato videos were my go to. I had awesome heirlooms!!

this is the simplest explaination about installing a drip system. I love it!

i love the freeway analogy. good job !!

Wow! Just found this video! Answered all of my questions ! Thank you so much! You are awesome!

Great video. We all need to learn how to set up a drip system and there are those of us who need a refresher as we expand the garden beds.

You just solved my drip pressure problem I’ve been having! I just ran the 1/2” along one side too and now I know how to fix it 😁

Brian, thank you so much! Your encouragement and straightforward approach really HELPS! I've known for years that I need to go this route, but it seemed so intimidating until now. Thanks again!!

Completely agree with the virtual cockpit. Brian is great! Shares his knowledge and definitely doesn’t brag. Keep growing and keep up the great job you do. I installed drip last year and I can’t believe I was gardening for so long without it!!

If you use a tee and make the 1/2 into a loop you insure equal pressure. Loops are use in spa's and fountains to equalize pressure.

I installed it in a new big flowerbed 2 years so, also Now I’m my new raised bed garden! It is a Godsend! I will keep on adding to it from here forward. It was super duper easy too!

I wish I would have listened to you when I put drip in! You made it so clear!

Perfect video Brian... Awesome thank you... 😊

Love the suggestion of putting the end of the main hose back into its self. We had a flower raised bed where the plants at the end of the line never got as much as those at the beginning of the line. We also added the drip heads at the end of the smaller tube. Thanks for the great ideas.

Thankyou, so happy for this video! I’m such a klutz when it comes to these things but you’ve explained it so well that I know I can do it! Love your channel, your family and how you get on with building your dream. So glad I found both channels, I’m binge watching!

Thank you!!! I really needed this video for guidance. I’m doing container gardening on my patio this fall while I plan my raised garden area for spring and drip irrigation is a must. I’m feeling really confident now that I can set it up on my own. Thanks Brian. 😄

You had directed me to the videos on your other channel first which I have watched and found VERY helpful. Now, having watched this one also , I think I’ve got it. I will save them all for the spring and give it a try. I had to temporarily move my garden ( which is all raised beds) after flooding from storm Ida ( I have to have about half my yard relandscaped to fix the problem). Once the beds are back in place I will try it out. You videos were very well done so I am ready to try it! Thank you so much for the help. Also thank you for admitting that you are human just like us and didn’t get it perfect right away!

Thank you for your simple, clear instructions. I am in Central Texas and in July, Aug, and Sept. it is dry and hot.

Perfect timing! Planning on installing my drip irrigation into my containers’ garden in the next few weeks as it cools off a bit here in Central FL. So looking forward to not standing in the FL heat to water! Thanks for covering this. Was going to look back on your older videos about it (now I don’t have to😊)!

Love the video. Your hot water tip saves me a lot of frustration!

I appreciate your teaching method. Now I’m confident I can upgrade my small garden to drip irrigation. Thanks.

Thank you for this! You have explained this in a way that it does not feel overwhelming at all. By far the best how to drip irrigation video I’ve watched. I’m excited to give it a try. Also, I love your videos and watching the process of building your land.

Brian, this is the perfect video!!! It's now planting time for us in central Florida and this is exactly what I need for my veggie beds. Thanks so much!

I had my sprinkler guy show me how to do it. It was so empowering when making a new bed. Also it was a life changer in how my plants especially potted ones preformed.

I am in 9B Arizona and have been using drip for as long as I have had a garden. I did learn from Bryan in this video how to better equalize the drip volumes with the 1/2" tube setup in the raised bed (circulating system as referenced below in another response). I can't wait to get out in the garden and make those changes. Thanks Brian! Excellent video

Just started gardening this past year and I am definitely intimidated by drip irrigation. BUT I think I'm finally ready to tackle it. Thank you!!

Thank you thank you for this very comprehensive video!! 🙌🏼👍🏼 Installing drip has been a pretty intimidating concept but now I feel I have a much better understanding of how this stuff works!!

Lol, love that video! You have pushed me, raised beds, tomato string system….now I am determined to figure this drip irrigation thing once and for all!

Going to give this a try, thanks for the inspiration 😁

Soooo simple thank you for a great demonstration!!!

We converted our in ground lawn sprinkler system to drip irrigation. We also added drip for a garden bed from an outdoor faucet. That was a game changer too.

What an excellent video Thank you.

I love my drip irrigation system it was worth every cent. My husband thought I was crazy when it came in the mail but it saves me so much time.

Thank you so much for your videos on drip irrigation. I started gardening last year and like many the thought of puting in drip irrigation was intimidating. Plus I didn't have a whole lot going on in the garden so hand watering was fine. But this year I have a lot more containers and beds and at minimum it takes at least two hours. And that's probably not even enough water for the plants. I've had a couple of people suggest it and this year after watching several videos on it have started to tackle it. Of course its now summer and already hot so for me it will take a bit longer to get everything in how I want it (plan on lightly burying the lines on the outside of beds/containers to avoid tripping hazard). But I know all the work I put into it now will be well worth the effort. This way I can focus on other aspects of gardening that need to be tackled such as weeding😞 and other yard projects that need doing but have had no time for because my time is taken up in watering. I have limited health/energy and usually by the time I'm done with watering there's not a whole lot left in the reserves for much else. So again thank you! And thanks for the explanation on why you had the 1/2 inch all the way around the beds with the 1/4 inch running to both sides. I was wondering why you did that. Now I know.😄

I am working on installing my drip this weekend. Perfect timing :)

I was taught drip in California when I was around 15. I loved it! Finally gonna start it here in Oklahoma.

This is the best explanation I've seen for drip irrigation!! Thank you so much!

Darling beginning! Great info. The drip in our yard needs to be redone. I feel more optimistic about that now. Thank you.

Awsome information, I love doing drip lines. Did it in my garden last summer. I just have to set up drip to the plants in the rest of the yard.

I have been intimidated by running my own watering system for years. You simplified it for me enough that I think I can handle it. Thank you

I have my small drip system hooked up to my HomeKit. I love it!

I’m just preparing to start a container garden and I want to put in a small drip system. Thanks for the videos. Rich mission viejo

Great explaination and demo…thanks!!!

😂 I love your little video intro you slipped in...... I have been thinking of putting in drip irrigation but have been unsure how to do it and you have answered all of those niggly little questions I had so thank you I will give it a go now

I have drip in my raised strawberry beds, and am expanding this summer to the rest of my garden.

I have wanted a drip system forever and this video has given me the courage to get it done!! Thank you so much. 😎

Thank you Brian, I will give this a try👍

Hey! I watched the original video (with the awesome intro) and was inspired to install a drip system in my back garden this past spring. It has been amazing to have and it was easy to install. Funny, I just added drip lines to my front yard on Saturday, Guess I’m hooked.

OH MY GOSH! Been trying to figure out how to make my 1/4" drip have same pressure at the end of the line! A perimeter of 1/2" tubing around my raised bed! Simple and yet it has eluded me all this time! Thank you so much.

I live in Texas in zone 8a and we experience extremely hot summers usually without much rain. I have drip in most of my beds which require regular watering and I have single drip emitters going to all my pots. This was the best thing I ever did for my garden...and my time! Having this all on a timer is wonderful. I water for about 2-4 hours with emitters which have a the lowest gallons per hour. I have clay soil and it needs to be watered really slowly to allow water to soak in deeply.

Super helpful! Thanks!

Oh my gosh! That clip was hilarious. So glad you inserted it because I missed it on your other channel. 🤣🤣🤣

Great informative video!! I appreciate all the step by step details. I was inspired by you and Epic Gardening to set up my first drip system in June 2021. I ordered a kit from Amazon before really knowing what I was doing, watched a ton of videos and just went for it! I did not use the 1/2 inch, just the 1/4, no pressure regulator and a bunch of different water emitters. I discovered that you have to have the pressure regulator as I was constantly having to reattach a hose somewhere! I was really proud of setting up an entire water system that only required one turn of the faucet to water everything! I will be adding the 1/2 inch tubing but for this last season I used just a regular garden hose with a y connector at the end to get it to where my drip system started and that worked pretty well. Overall it’s a really easy project that saves time, water and my plants loved it. I won’t go back to the sprinkler method I have used all my life!

I used a figure 8 crimp clamp at the end of my 1/4. That works too!