If you’ve ever come home from work and found your lovely garden wilted, this DIY drip irrigation system might be just the thing for you. Best of all, it costs less than $10.
There are a lot of drip irrigation systems on the market today, but many of them cost a bit more than the average person wants to spend for a kitchen garden. This youtube video shows how to build a drip irrigation system for a small garden for $6.71. Whether you’re into DIY or not, this project is fairly simple and doesn’t require specialized skills.
The homeowner has what looks like several tomato plants on an apartment balcony. When I lived in Houston, I had the same sort of setup with several tomato plants, some peppers, and basil, oregano, and chives, but without the drip irrigation. My plants looked terrible by the time I got home from work. No doubt the lack of proper watering affected the harvest.
DIY Drip Irrigation Details
Every drip irrigation system needs a source of water and this one uses a storage bin, like the sort that is sold at places like Target. The modification that he makes to the storage bin is minimal. The storage bin can later be emptied and used as a container for other things.
Another thing the videographer does is melt the ends of the plastic tubing. A youtube commenter points out that using clamps at the ends makes it easier to remove bubbles if they build up. I supposed clamps would increase the cost of the system by a dollar or so, but they may be worth it for later convenience.
The four-minute video shows how to put together the DIY drip irrigation system with a list of supplies and how-to. His plants look great.
See also: DIY Rain Chain
Barnabas Mwaramba says
Please, furnish me with information on whether your systems can go up to 0.25ha gardens and more. If so, what would be the cost of all fitments, excluding the water pump from water source, the piping from water source and water tanks. Please, also include the directions to your company for one travelling from Zimbabwe. Thank you.
regards
Barnabas Mwaramba.