Making Irrigation Pipes For Raised Beds

A few years ago I managed to get these four "Speed Feeds" for watering Grow Bags when growing tomatoes in them off Freecycle.  

The Speed Feed™ for Growbags was previously been sold by Harrod Horticultural was both simple and stunningly effective in solving an age old gardening problem: how to efficiently water growbag plants such as tomatoes, aubergines, peppers and many more.

This growbag watering system was exceptionally easy to use simply insert into your growbag and water by pouring liquid into the 9cm high by 11cm diameter dark green watering port and water will be sent running along the 75cm long pipe and out through the series of holes in each side.

A tiny slit in the growbag is all that's required to accept the 2cm diameter watering pipe and as the irrigating takes place under the plastic cover of the growbag, you can say goodbye to messy spillages and evaporation.

The Speed Feed™ was capable of delivering up to a gallon of water in seconds; it's perfect for use with liquid feed as well as water and because the Speed Feed™ is doing all the irrigating, only a small planting hole (or three) is required for the growbag plants so the soil inside the plastic retains moisture, temperature and humidity - you'll see how grateful your plants are.

This growbag watering kit could be used year after year and the later version was easily dismantled for easy storage during those barren, growbag-free months.

• Speed Feed™ for Growbags watering pipe measures 75cm L x 2cm diameter
• Irrigating port is 9cm H x 11cm diameter
• Takes seconds to clip together
• Make a miniscule slit in growbag to insert pipe
• Delivers up to a gallon of water in seconds
• Use for liquid feeding too
• Simply pour water into port
• Series of holes in main pipe allow water to flow out over entire length
• Smaller planting holes in growbag help soil retain moisture and maintain temperature and humidity
• No more messy spillages or wasted water overflowing
• Easy to dismantle and store
• Will give years of growbag watering service
• Helps ensure even watering
• Less evaporation and wastage
• Eco-friendly
• Supplied with instructions

However Harrod Horticultural's  web site states that the product is no longer available and their suggested replacements are nothing like the Speed Feed they are suggesting a Quadgrow !

So I decided I will look into making my own knock off version, so on the way to the allotment I went to the local plumbers merchant to see what I could pick up. 

I explained to the guy behind the counter what I was trying to build and for the pipe he suggested, TetraFlow 21.5mm PVC-U Overflow pipe which comes in 3m length so I bought 2 for just under £18 and he kindly cut them into 6 no 1m length for me, so that worked out at around £3 a 1m length.  

We did look at what we could use for irrigating port the cup but with all the adaptors and the like, it was becoming uneconomical. Then I had a brainwave and on the way to the allotment I stopped off at the Charity shop at St Helier Circle to see if they had any plastic tumblers or picnic sets available. 

They had 3 number plastic tumblers at 25p each, so I bought them and as I did, their was a clap of thunder and lightning and the heavens opened up!  Bearing in mind the forecast was for sun and no rain, there was no point going to the allotment to water so, I decided to make my way home via the two charity shops at Rosehill 

There I found two further plastic cups for 50p each in one and one plastic cup in the other at 20p. 

I have been saving the plastic containers from the tiramisu desserts I have been treating myself too, and I tried one in the plastic tumbler and it was made to measure. So I got out some graph paper and marked a grid on the bottom of the container with a sharpie pen. 

Out came the trusty soldering iron and soon I had a perfect gully cap that just popped into the tumbler 

Photo once all the holes had been formed with the soldering iron 

I marked the overflow pipe every 100mm.for holes to be drilled, and I will heat up and flatten the end of the pipe not going into the tumbler and seal it so the water is forced to flow out of the holes along the pipe. 

I have purchased the Step Drill Bits kit above and it should be with me mid next week, then I can form the hole in the tumbler and insert and seal the pipe and we will be ready to install in Square Foot Garden Bed 1 and in the next raised bed once assembled.