Watering raised garden beds, similar to raised garden beds you might find at EasyShed, with soaker hoses is a great alternative to the spray heads. Soaker hoses are laid on beds, delivering slow, steady dripping to the plant root zones. This saves us time and water since no spray is lost to wind, and our pathways do not get watered. This is important because pathway weeds will dry up and require less work in weeding. Less work!
Soaker hoses can be laid beneath light mulch, like straw, so they’re not visible. They can also be laid directly on top of the soil. You can use a battery operated timer that attaches to your water spigot to regulate the water automatically. They can also be tied into your existing water timer with an additional valve so you can control it individually.
Soaker hoses along with irrigation timers will result in more consistent gardening results. Your plants will be bigger and will produce a higher yield. The slow, steady supply of water enables the roots to maintain a slow intake, feeding their natural absorption capacity. Hand watering applies the water too faster and in large amounts with results in water loss and runoff and less water actually being applied to the roost.
If you need assistance building your raised garden beds or installing your automatic watering system call a licensed irrigation contractor.