Water on autopilot with soaker hoses
An hour · Easy · 6 steps
Soaker hoses and a faucet timer water your beds deeply every few days, whether you're home or not.
Fig. Soaker hoses on a timer: the faucet, the bed, and a slice through the soil.
- Faucet timer
- Pressure regulator
- Garden hose from the faucet
- Soaker hose, lines about a foot apart
- Garden staples pin it down
- End cap
- Straw mulch over the hose
- Water spreads 4 to 6 inches deep
What you'll need
- Soaker hoseSee it on Amazon: Soaker hose (opens a new tab)
Seeps water into the soil along its whole length. Dry leaves mean fewer leaf diseases, and almost nothing is lost to the air.
- Hose faucet timerSee it on Amazon: Hose faucet timer (opens a new tab)
Screws onto the faucet and waters on a schedule, early in the morning, even when you're away.
- Hose pressure regulatorSee it on Amazon: Hose pressure regulator (opens a new tab)
Soaker hoses and drip lines work best at low pressure. A regulator at the faucet keeps them from bursting or spraying.
- Garden staplesSee it on Amazon: Garden staples (opens a new tab)
U-shaped pins that hold down row cover edges, soaker hoses, and drip lines.
- Straw for mulchSee it on Amazon: Straw for mulch (opens a new tab)
A light, clean mulch that holds in moisture and keeps weeds down. Straw, not hay: hay is full of seeds.
Amazon links are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
You'll also need
- A regular garden hose to run from the faucet to the bed
Steps
- Screw the timer onto the faucet, then the pressure regulator, then the garden hose.
- Lay the soaker hose along each row, or snake it through the bed in lines about a foot apart. Pin it down with garden staples.
- Cap the far end of the soaker hose (most come with a cap).
- Turn the water on and let it run for 30 minutes. Then dig down beside a plant: the soil should be moist 4 to 6 inches deep. Run it longer or shorter until it is.
- Set the timer to run that long every 2 to 4 days, early in the morning.
- Cover the hoses with a few inches of straw. Mulch keeps the water in the soil and the sun off the hose.
Tips
- In hot, dry weeks, water more often, not longer.
- Skip a day after a good rain. A rain gauge tells you how much fell.
- Drain the hoses and bring the timer in before the first hard freeze.
More projects
- Put your pots on drip irrigation An hour or two
- Make a low tunnel with row cover 30 minutes
- Set up a rain barrel An hour