Which is the best irrigation system for your garden?

Are you tired of hand-watering your garden or worrying about your plants while you’re on holiday? Irrigation systems might seem daunting, but we’re here to simplify the process of finding the best irrigation system for you.

Benefits of Automated Irrigation Systems

Automated irrigation systems save you time and water while ensuring your plants receive consistent care. Although setting up these systems takes some effort, once they are up and running, you’ll have more time to enjoy your garden and improve your yields of healthier and more pest/disease resistant plants.

Customisable and Efficient (Save Time and Save Water)

Irrigation systems are typically easy to customise. No matter what you grow, you can attach the appropriate fitting, such as drippers, sprayers, or soaker hoses, to maximise each plant’s potential. Opt for a system that doesn’t require proprietary parts, so you can use your favourite fittings without being tied to a specific brand. This means you’ll be safe from over/underwatering and water will be used more optimally to avoid waste– great during hosepipe bans!

Single vs. Multiple Zone Watering

Many systems come with single-zone watering as standard, meaning the entire area gets the same watering schedule (e.g., every plant for 3 minutes). However, some of the best irrigation systems, like Harvst’s WaterMate, offer multiple zones as standard. This feature allows you to set different watering schedules for different plants, such as strawberries and tomatoes. While some tap timers support up to 16 zones, most home gardeners only need 2-4 zones.

Go Away on Holiday

With automated irrigation, you don’t need to worry about your plants when you’re away. Most systems will run on a timer but as you’ll see below, you can also fit sensors for more precise watering if there’s a heat wave while you’re away from home. Some systems even allow you to change the irrigation settings remotely!

Choosing the Best Irrigation System for Your Garden

To help you decide on the best irrigation systems for your garden, we’ll review the top 3 kits based on garden size. We’ll also delve into the detailed features of each kit, including information on watering timers. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a clear picture of your options, making your decision much easier.

There are other name brand irrigation options on the market that we do not mention here. This is because they primarily serve agricultural rather than domestic markets, so create unnecessary complication if you’re new to automatic irrigation. If you’re curious about these kinds of options, we recommend you speak to an irrigation expert, but suffice to say they’ll likely be overkill for your requirements and significantly more expensive.

Enjoy a lush, healthy garden with the right irrigation system, and spend your holidays relaxing instead of worrying about watering.