[compoQ]

I've got a lot of spare guttering and down piping left over from our house build and wondered if I could use thi in some way to create a watering system to go into the raised beds I am shortly to build.

I didn't know whether putting the pipes under the surface with holes drilled along it to allow drainage would work. I've already guessed that I could use some guttering for planting seedlings.

Thanks for taking time to read.

[Trillium]

I wouldn't place them in the soil as the holes would quickly fill with mud and totally block it up. There are special 'socks' used on foundation weeping pipes that would work, but could cost far more than it's worth.

Perhaps your best bed is to rig up a water butt system to catch the water and if set high enough on blocks will give enough pressure to run a length of hosepipe to the beds. Any shed or garage could also be set up to catch rainwater into butts.

[Kristen]

I have a chum who put perforated draining pipe under his raised beds and connected it to the house downpipes.  Keeps the water-table just right below his beds

(Perforated drainage pipe comes on a roll, normally its put in a trench and covered with gravel - so the pipe basically just forms a large "corridor" through the gravel. Dunno if the gravel would be needed for reverse effect; we use it, in common with professional planting, for trees - a 3'-6' loop around the root-ball with a "spout" coming up to the surface that we will with water to irrigate the roots, rather than the surface, of newly planted trees. If the whole pipe fills up, and then percolates out over time, that will be fine I reckon

[Christo]

I was thinking about this recently. If I had a few lenghts of hosepipe, perforated them, sealed the ends, laid them along the beds and connected them to the water butt, would the water pressure be enough to provide a constant drip-feed to the seedlings? Might not then have to go down and water every day?

[mumofstig]

you can buy hose type pipe that seeps water and I have seen this connected to a water butt as described. You need to fiddle with the supply tap till you get the correct flow, but it does work. So it is best not to bury it till you have that correct.

[Kristen]

So it is best not to bury it till you have that correct.

How about "bury" then monitor how quickly the level in the Butt falls and adjust on that basis?

I'm a bit sceptical that this will provide water close to where the plants are if its underground and just a couple of "rows" up the bed, say, a foot or two apart as each crop will have different spacing.

[valerian]

I have used the seep hose system in a small area of my garden. It worked well while there was a good 'head' of water in the barrel. I now use a submersible 240v pump to feed the pipe. This works much better for me but how you would cope without the power I don't know. Car batteries?

[Stevie342000]

I have used the seep hose system in a small area of my garden. It worked well while there was a good 'head' of water in the barrel. I now use a submersible 240v pump to feed the pipe. This works much better for me but how you would cope without the power I don't know. Car batteries?

Hi not sure if I can post yet, this is my first post, I think it is Suttons or one of those they do a battery operated watering system for a reasonable price, it that helps, was thinking of installing the same thing in my plots so I did not have to water so much.  Of course I have a 1000 gallon car buoy with which to water.