The Ideal School Garden Irrigation System

[Sherman Garden]

Hello folks,

I'd like to get feedback on irrigation features that are ideal in the context of school gardens. Please share your thoughts about the items I have listed below and feel free to add your own. Bonus points for how to make these elements as tamper-proof as possible. We had an issue at one of our sites where homeless people were reaching into the garden, fishing out the hose and turning the water on.

What do you think of the following?

-Wifi irrigation controller, tucked away in an underground box

-Two or more valves for beds with different watering needs

-Precipitation sensor that shuts off irrigation in the event of rain

-Separate turn-off valves for each bed

-Irrigation key for hose bib

-6" spacing in distribution tubing

-irrigation repair supplies

Thanks in advance for any insights you can share.

Best.

-- 

Christina Abuelo

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Coordinator - (858) 210-2628

Sherman Elementary School Garden & Barrio Botany

www.ShermanGrows.com

www.BarrioBotany.org

*´¨)
¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ Cultivating Healthy, Happy, Nature-Connected Kids

[m...@esynyc.org]

hello Christina!

You're off to a great start with planning your irrigation system. I've had two of our gardens on drip irrigation (drip tape) for about 10 years, and I'm working to get drip installed on the rest of our gardens because with the pandemic, we are no longer on site every day - our teachers are doing a lot of remote classes. Drip irrigation is a real game-changer (so much less watering work!) and crops do far, far better.

Even with timers installed, you have to keep an eye on the system. Sometimes critters make holes in the drip tape or the joints come apart. There are so many connection points, it's bound to happen. So even a fully automated system requires checking up. For this reason, I wouldn't invest in anything too fancy for the controllers - a simple battery-operated timer will do. And yes, spare parts are a must. Extra mainline, drip tape, and connectors.

Valves for each bed are an emphatic YES. Not only can you turn off water to beds that don't need it - you can more easily make repairs without having to shut down the whole system. Or you can shut off a leaky bed and get to it later.

Precipitation sensor - I wouldn't bother, but if you have frequent heavy rainfall where you are, it could be useful. We generally just turn the irrigation off (with the valve at the hose bib, so we don't mess with the timers) if the soil is soggy. That is pretty rare during the hot months since we also don't get a lot of rain then.

When I first installed a system I found it very confusing because you need specific adapters and connectors for the hose bib end. If you're missing just one piece of the puzzle, you can't do the rest of it. So be sure to ask your supplier to list EXACTLY what you'll need and the order it will go in. For us, that meant a short heavy-duty hose, a timer, a pressure regulator, a filter, a backflow preventer, and a very specific adapter to connect all of that to the mainline tubing. 

It sounds like you might want to enclose your hose bib in a padlocked cage to prevent people from tampering with it. It's heartbreaking that your unhoused community doesn't have a source of water other than your garden. I hope they are able to get one!

Hope this helps! Good luck with this project!

- Mirem

[Sherman Garden]

Hi Mirem,

Thanks so much for your response. 

I have a followup question: Drip tape has been recommended to me but it seems more delicate and possibly more susceptible to damage from enthusiastic shovel-wielding children. Will the harder tubing be harder to puncture?

-- 

Christina Abuelo

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Coordinator - (858) 210-2628

Sherman Elementary School Garden & Barrio Botany

www.ShermanGrows.com

www.BarrioBotany.org

*´¨)
¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ Cultivating Healthy, Happy, Nature-Connected Kids

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