Hose advice

[BernDog]

Planting the yearly garden tonight. Our harvests are usually meager at best because I don't usually water enough. I start out great, but as the summer drags on, I have less and less initiative to drag the hose out all the way to the back of the yard and then reel it all back up again when I'm done.

Here's my solution. I'm going to put a Y at the house and permanently (for the season) run a dedicated hose to the back of the yard. I'm going to bury a 4x4 post to attach the hose to link it with another male connector, and then have a separate garden-watering hose that would live back there coiled up for the season.

Here's what I'm wondering before I head to the home center: Is there some sort of ball valve I could mount on that post that has a male hose connector on one end and a female on the other? I'd want to do it in brass since I plan on leaving that part of it out there year-round. I know I can just go poke around to see what's there, but I figured I'd ask if anyone knows if this even exists before I go on a mission all over town trying to find it.

Also, I don't plan on going hog-wild with a heavy-duty hose. Something lightweight would be a plus. I've seen these coiled hoses, and I'm wondering if they're any good or if I should just stick with a regular one. I plan on mounting a hose rack to the post. Is there a good method to storing a coiled one similarly? I'm probably going to go regular, but if someone's had good luck with a coiled one, let me know. Either way, I need about a 50 footer to get to the farthest point in my garden, all in a straight line...one row of plants.

Also also, what if I did decide to leave the leg running to the backyard out there all winter long? I'd disconnect it from both ends and just leave it laying there. It would run along the base of lilacs all along the length of our property, about 125 feet. It'd be protected from view and lawn mowers. Is that a bad thing to do? Are there some types of hose that'd be better for that than others?

Before someone posts to warn me, I would not leave the faucet on at the house. I only want the remote valve so I can turn the water on at the house and not have it come out the other end until I get out there. I'd shut it off at the house when I was done.

[Z]

Set up a soaker hose and get a timer?

There are plenty of options on the mid-hose valves -http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=garden+hose+valve

I would not get one of the hot-water rated hoses from Home Despot - mine does not uncoil very well without twisting.

[Speedy]

You'll easily find what you need. We use a four hose manifold with a timer. Works great.

[Ombligo]

Why not go completely lazy -- put a spray head on the post and a watering timer on the hose. Then for $32, it takes care of itself (the retractable hose and nozzle would cost about the same, but you have to do the work, something you already admitted to being bad at).

Spray head w/40' radius $12.50
Watering timer $20 (I have been using this for two years, no problems at all)

OOPS -- I just noticed you are watering a single 50' row -- In that case skip the sprinkler head and either put a soaker hose along the run or a drip irrigation system. Personally I'd use the soaker hose. If you want to get really fancy, you can put an fertilizer injector on the hose to for ~$25

[BernDog]

Typing all that out gave me a little more clarity. I think I'm going to go way more simple. I'm just going to get enough hose to run along the side of our yard and then out to water the garden. I'll mount a hose holder on the post and just coil up enough there for what I need for the garden. It'll have a trigger sprayer on it most of the time so I don't really need the shutoff.

I did think about a soaker, but we're only planting some tomatoes and jalapeños. I've always just spot-watered each plant. I usually fill in with grass clippings to keep the weeds down and retain moisture. Would a soaker hose work well in that situation? Should I consider changing my strategy? Could I still use a soaker and still use the grass clippings? Would putting water under the clippings create mold or other problems?

[BernDog]

Ombligo wrote:
Why not go completely lazy -- put a spray head on the post and a watering timer on the hose. Then for $32, it takes care of itself (the retractable hose and nozzle would cost about the same, but you have to do the work, something you already admitted to being bad at).

Spray head w/40' radius $12.50
Watering timer $20 (I have been using this for two years, no problems at all)

How about a timer and a soaker? A sprinkler head won't work because we do one row of plants along a retaining wall along the back of our property. The geometry's just not right for it.

[Speedy]

We use a daisy-chained soaker on our tomatoes. They can handle (but not necessarily use) all the water you can throw at them until they get big tomatoes because too much water can sometimes cause them to split open.

[BernDog]

Z wrote:
Set up a soaker hose and get a timer?

There are plenty of options on the mid-hose valves -http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=garden+hose+valve

I would not get one of the hot-water rated hoses from Home Despot - mine does not uncoil very well without twisting.

Sorry, I missed your suggestion the first time I read replies.

Anyone see issues with burying a soaker in grass? I guess they bury drip lines in permanent installations and put mulch over them. This shouldn't be any different, should it?

[Ombligo]

A buried soaker hose will break down in a couple seasons, but so what,it's cheap.

The biggest issue is weeds and grass wanting to grow along it.


as you keep describing your garden, I keep making changes to my suggestion.

If you just need to spot water, then forget the soaker hose -- just put a drip line in. Get the tubing, put a barbed hose adapter in one end. Run the hose from the timer to the buried drip line. Put drip tubes to each plant (I'd use the larger tubes)

[Black]

I "Y'd" my hose this year with one going to the back (container/vegetables) and one to the side (yard.) Wish I'd have done so long ago. No post and no coiling.
I have a fair amount of experience with hoses of various types, and I would recommend only the thick black ones.
You can leave them laying out over the winter and it will probably shorten their life but not ruin them.