This tutorial will walk you through all the supplies and step-by-step process to build a wire berry trellis – photos and video included. We used wood along with metal fence t-posts for our berry trellis design, though I’ll also provide alternate options if you’d like to bury wood posts in the ground instead. Last but not least, we’ll briefly cover how to train and prune raspberries and blackberries too!

The Benefits of Trellising Raspberries and Blackberries

Some gardeners may wonder, do blackberries and raspberries need a trellis? While not required, a berry trellis will help keep raspberry and blackberry vines more tidy, manageable, easier to prune and harvest. So, I highly recommend growing these berries on a trellis system!

Blackberries and raspberries are both considered caneberries – where they grow long canes or vines from a crown just below the soil. If left to grow without support or some type of trellis system, blackberry and raspberry vines will naturally flop and sprawl all over. Blackberries in particular will turn into big brambling bushes. If you’re growing thorny caneberry varieties, that can make them even more difficult to access, maintain, or harvest fruit from.

Best Blackberry or Raspberry Trellis Height and Dimensions

Most raspberry canes grow at least 5 feet tall, and blackberry vines grow even taller! So, it’s best to build a berry trellis that is about 5 or 6 feet tall. Also plan to build your berry trellis about a foot wider than the garden bed or berry patch where they’re growing. 

Our berry trellis design has four horizontal wire supports that run the length of the berry patch (two on each side). The lowest wire is about 3 feet above the soil level, with the upper wire at 5 feet tall. This way, you can tuck the blackberry or raspberry vines up between the rows of wire as they grow taller. See photo below.

If you happen to be growing shorter varieties of raspberries, consider lowering the horizontal supports and wires slightly from our design (e.g. the lower one at 2 or 2.5 above the ground, and the highest one at 4 feet tall).

Now, let’s go build a berry trellis, shall we? Here is the video tutorial, with the supplies list, written instructions and more photos below.

Supplies Needed

• Two vertical wood posts (one on each end) such as 2×4’s or 4×4’s. They should be tall enough to extend 5 to 6 feet above the soil level once installed. Plan accordingly if you’re growing in raised beds, or want to bury the posts in the ground (e.g. start with 8 foot posts and bury 2 feet).
  
  
• Four horizontal supports (two per end) such as 2x2s or 2x4s. We used this rough cut 2×2 redwood lumber. The top bar should be about a foot wider than your berry bed, and the lower bar about 6” narrower than the top. For example, our berry beds are 24” wide, so the tap bars are 36” wide and the bottom bars are 30”.
  
  
• Screws, to connect the horizontal bars to the main wood posts. We used 2.5-inch exterior wood screws in our berry trellis design.
  

• Hooks (4 per end, or 8 total per trellis) to connect the wire to the horizontal bars. We used screw eye hooks like these.
  
  
• Wire (10 to 12 gauge is best), durable twine, or woven wire rope/cable. We used 1/16” gauge galvanized steel wire cable, which requires a few extra supplies (list below). To determine the length of wire needed, figure out how far apart your trellis ends will be, and then multiply by four. There will be two lines of wire running the length of your berry bed on each side.
  
  
• Optional: wood glue, to strengthen connection between post and horizontal bars
  

• Optional: Turnbuckle tension tighteners, so you can tighten or even completely unhook the berry trellis wire as needed. You could put a turnbuckle at each end of every wire (8 per trellis); we chose to add them at just one end of each wire (4 per trellis).
  
  
• Drill and saw as needed
  
  
• Reusable soft garden wire ties
  

Berry trellis wire kits

Looking for berry trellis supplies? This handy wire trellis kit comes with 50 feet of stainless steel wire cable, 8 ferrules, 4 hooks, and 2 turnbuckles. (To follow our berry trellis design you’d still need to get 4 additional hooks and 2 more turnbuckles). Or, this larger trellis kit includes 100 feet of wire, 14 ferrules, 10 hooks, and 5 turnbuckles – everything you’d need to build a berry trellis!

Supplies for T-Post Option

If you’d like to make your DIY berry trellis with fence t-posts like we did, you’ll need:

• One 6 foot t-post at each end of the trellis. 
• A post driver is really helpful to set them in the ground. 
• You’ll also need these vertical t-post brackets and screws to connect the wood post to the t-post (also available in 6 packs). We used 1.25″ wood screws to secure the 2×4’s to the brackets.
• Two adjustable 5-inch pipe hose clamps (one for the bottom of each trellis end) – which will fit around the t-post and 2×4”. You’ll need a larger pipe clamp if using larger wood.

Supplies for Wire Cable

• 1/16” gauge woven wire cable
• 1/16” aluminum ferrules (aka double barrel loop sleeves) are required to connect and secure the 1/16” wire cable in a loop at each end of the trellis (4 per side, or 8 total per trellis)
• A swaging tool or crimping tool like this allows you to crimp the ferrules onto the wire cable. No, you can’t pinch them with regular pliers – we’ve tried!
• Good wire cable cutters make nice clean cuts – which prevents the rope from fraying, making it easier to insert into the ferrules
• OR, pick up something like this well rated 2-in-1 crimping tool that cuts wire cable AND crimps ferrules 

Notes for Using 4×4’s vs T-Posts

We chose to use metal fence t-posts to support the ends of our berry trellis. They’re sturdy, easy to install, and we also had a few leftover from another project. Even more, wanted to minimize digging around the berry beds because we installed hardware cloth on the ground below/around all the beds for gopher prevention. The wood posts we connected to t-posts do not go down in the ground.

To set 4×4 posts in the ground instead, plan to dig it at least two feet into the ground, and pack gravel, soil, and/or concrete firmly around it. Or, we often use these cinder block piers to help securely set wood posts in our loose sandy soil. 

Because we used metal fence t-post in our DIY berry trellis design, we built the trellis end wood supports on our patio first, and then attached them to the t-posts mostly assembled. However, if you’re going to set 4×4 posts in the ground, you may want to do that first and then connect the horizontal bars, hooks, wires, etc. 

Instructions to Build a DIY Berry Trellis: T-Posts, Wood, and Wire

Step 1: Build Berry Trellis Ends

• Cut your wood to the dimensions needed for your berry bed. 
• Use wood glue and screws to attach the two smaller horizontal wood pieces to the main vertical wood support. We squeezed a bit of wood glue between the wood, drilled pilot holes, then added 2 screws each.
• Again, the top horizontal bar should be about 5 feet above the soil level, and the lower horizontal bar about 2 feet below that (or 3 feet above the ground) to trellis tall raspberry or blackberry vines. *Reduce height by a foot each for shorter raspberry varieties.*
• Flip the trellis over, and add 1 eye hook to each end of the horizontal pieces, for a total of 4 hooks. (Pilot hole also recommended here)
• Repeat the process for the second side of the berry trellis. 

Step 2:  Install T-Posts and Ends

• Use a post driver to install a metal t-post at each end of your berry bed. Try to keep it as straight as possible. (OR, bury 4×4 posts at each end of the bed and connect horizontal supports as described above). 
• If you’d like the wood facing out (to hide the t-posts) install the t-posts with the bumpy part facing in towards the berry bed.
• Slip a vertical t-post bracket over the post, and lock into place on one of the top bumps.
• Connect the pre-assembled wood berry trellis end to the t-post by screwing it to the bracket. Make sure the trellis eye hooks are facing in towards the berry bed!
• At the bottom of each berry trellis end, add and tighten an adjustable pipe clamp around both the wood and t-post, securing them together.
• Repeat to attach the second wood trellis end.

Step 3: Add Berry Trellis Wires

Now it’s time to string wire between the eye hooks on your DIY berry trellis. Again, you can simply run some basic 10 to 12 gauge wire from hook to hook, or follow the instructions below to use wire rope cable like we did in our berry trellis design:

• Insert one end of the 1/16” wire cable into a 1/16” ferrule. Loop the wire through an eye hook on the trellis end, and then back into the ferrule. Use a crimping tool to pinch/crimp the ferrule, securing the cable wire to the hook. 
• Run the wire down the length of the berry bed to the opposite end of the trellis. On this end, we added an optional turnbuckle. I started by loosening the turnbuckle almost all the way (so it can be tightened later), hooked it onto the trellis eye hook, then put the wire through the solid loop end of the turnbuckle. 
• While pulling the wire tight, repeat the same process to secure the cable wire to the 2nd side of the trellis (to the turnbuckle) using a ferrule and crimping tool. 
• Repeat for the remaining 3 wires in your DIY berry trellis.
  

Ta-da! You just built a homemade raspberry trellis.

How to use a berry trellis: training raspberry and blackberry vines

Once the berry trellis is installed, it’s quite easy to use. Simply tuck the blackberry or raspberry vines up inside the wires as they grow. It’s easiest to do so before the berry vines get too long (and may break), so check and tuck them regularly. I definitely recommend wearing thorn-proof gloves when working with prickly berry vines!

I found that our blackberry and raspberry vines tend to slide along the berry trellis wires, especially on windy days. So, I secured some of the canes to the wire using soft reusable garden wire ties to help hold them in place, and it worked like a charm. You can also add small stakes to individual canes if needed.

Blackberry, raspberry, and other caneberry vines can also be pruned (topped) to control their height. Our raspberries are fairly short and manageable. However, we plan to top our olallieberry and blackberry vines once they’re a few feet taller than the trellis (keeping them no longer than 7 or 8 feet tall). The act of topping them will also make each cane branch more.  

Pruning Caneberries

Beyond topping the vines, the subject of how to grow and routinely prune blackberries and raspberries deserves a post of its own! Stay tuned for a dedicated article on that topic soon. 

In the meantime, here’s the quick and dirty for how to prune raspberries and blackberries: 

• Each year when the vines are dormant (late fall to early spring), cut them back to the ground – but leave about 8 to 12 raspberry canes and 5 to 8 blackberry canes per plant.
• The canes you choose to leave or remove depends on the variety of caneberry you’re growing. 
• For June-bearing raspberry or blackberry varieties (aka primocane), cut away the two year old vines that already fruited the previous year, leaving just the freshed canes that grew the past year. 
• For everbearing raspberries and blackberries (aka floricane), only cut back three year old canes – as the younger 1 and 2-year old canes will still bear fruit later. 
• Some gardeners like to mark the canes with small ties or flags to help keep track. 
• Because they require different pruning techniques, it’s best to grow everbearing and June-bearing caneberries in separate beds.

And that concludes this lesson on how to build a sturdy DIY berry trellis.

Well folks, I sure hope that was useful – and helps you feel empowered and prepared to go make a berry trellis of your own! If so, please spread the love by sharing or pinning this post. Please also feel free to ask any questions or simply say hello in the comments below. We truly appreciate you tuning in today. Happy berry growing… and eating!

Don’t miss these related posts:

• How to Build a Raised Garden Bed: Step-by-Step Guide
• Easy Raised Bed Drip Irrigation (from Faucet or Spigot)
• How to Make the Best DIY Tomato Trellis (Stake Weave Hybrid)
• How to Build a Trellis: Inexpensive & Easy Designs (flat or arched trellis for vining plants)
• 9 Ways to Add Whimsy and Interest to Your Garden
• How to Choose Fruit Trees to Plant: Climate, Varieties & More

The post DIY Berry Trellis: How to Build a Wire Raspberry or Blackberry Trellis (Video) appeared first on Homestead and Chill.

So, come wander around and see what’s growing! I’ll share plenty of fun tidbits and tips along the way, plus a little sprinkle of bird nerd action. Last but not least, I’ve included a smattering of my favorite photos of the garden this season below. I love putting these together as a photo-journal for our own reflection, and hope you enjoy taking a peek as well!

The New Berry Patch

One small change we made on the homestead this spring was to create a dedicated space to grow cane berries, including blackberries, raspberries, and ollalieberries (a classic here on the Central Coast of California) – each in their own bed.

Since gophers prevent us from growing directly in the ground, we opted to use Birdies metal raised bed kits for this project and absolutely love them! They’re really high quality, durable, and were a breeze to put together. If you’re interested, code ‘deannacat3’ will save 5% off Birdies raised beds here. We added hardware cloth below for gopher protection, a thick layer of burlap for weed suppression, and finished it off with fresh wood chips and a steel border all around. Up next: build a berry trellis support system!

Summer in the Raised Bed Garden

After a record-breaking wet winter and gloomiest, greyest spring ever, our summer garden got off to a pretty slow start this year. But, she’s booming and blooming now! We’ve been harvesting ample beans, zucchini, leafy greens, carrots, beets, cabbage, basil, and other goodies we planted in late winter to early spring. Not to mention all the stunning companion flowers that are going off! We have yet to harvest any tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, or other warm-weather lovers though.

For a complete list of all the vegetable and flower varieties we planted this spring/summer, see this post. I’ll also link related seeds, grow guides, and other resources in captions of each photo!

The New Pollinator Orchard

A HUGE undertaking we accomplished this winter/spring was creating our new pollinator orchard over on “sandy hill”. We broke ground on the project in January, finished in April, and were able to add over a dozen new fruit trees plus hundreds of native and drought-tolerant plants for pollinators to an otherwise barren, weedy hill on the far side of our property. It has quickly become a thriving ecosystem already – full of native bees, butterflies, lizards, bunnies, quail families and more!

If you missed it, I shared a blogpost and YouTube video with a tour along with the step-by-step by process we took to transform the space: clearing the weeds, creating natural terraces or permaculture berms, using burlap as natural landscape fabric, planting trees, adding mulch, a solar powered drip irrigation system, and more! So, I’ll only share a couple of my favorite shots here.

Thank you for coming along for the tour!

And that’s a wrap. I appreciate you tuning in for our summer garden tour and homestead update today. I hope it gave you plenty of ideas, inspiration and tips! Please feel free to ask any questions or just say hello in the comments below. See you next time!

You may also like:

• How to Build Raised Garden Beds: Step by Step Guide
• 8 Best and Easy Annual Companion Flowers to Grow from Seed
• How to Create a Bird-Friendly Garden and Yard
• The Best DIY Tomato Trellis Tutorial
• The Top 23 Plants for Pollinators

The post Summer Garden Tour and Homestead Update (Video): July 2023 appeared first on Homestead and Chill.

Come along to see how we transformed the space over several months. In this post, you’ll find a video tour of the new orchard on a hill that also includes footage of all the work we did to create it.

I’ve also included a written summary and plenty of photos to outline the steps we took to design the space, clear weeds, contour the land to make natural terraces or berms, use burlap as natural weed fabric, select fruit trees and other orchard companion plants, install a solar-powered irrigation system, add mulch, rock and steel borders, and more. Your bound to pick up plenty of useful tips along the way!

If you’re here from YouTube and looking for the full list of plants I promised, jump to the complete plant list here.

Video Tour and Transformation

Watch this video to see our new orchard on a hill, including all the work and steps we took to create it.

Location and Design

Our new orchard on a hill is located on the far side of our property on a sunny, south-facing slope. The previous owners used it as a goat and horse pasture, thus keeping the weeds in check. After being here a couple years now, invasive weeds grew back with a vengeance. We wanted to put the space to much better use – and grow some food!

With any new garden project, I always consider wildlife and pollinators too. My goal was to add plenty of native and drought-tolerant plants to offer food and habitat for them, as well as increase pollination and fruit production in the orchard for us! Plus, they look pretty darn beautiful too. 

I knew right away we’d need to figure out a way to terrace the hill. Terraces help create level areas that are more easy and comfortable to work and spend time in. Even more, the water runoff was quite significant on this hill! Especially paired with our super sandy native soil, which has terrible water absorption and retention. Terracing hills reduces water runoff and therefore increases the water absorption and availability to the plants growing on it!

At first, I contemplated bringing in a bunch of stone or blocks to build up rock wall terraces. Yet after terracing a much smaller area at our last property, I quickly realized that would be far too costly and laborious on this much larger scale, especially because we intended to do 100% of the work ourselves (and I’m not getting any younger over here)! So, we decided we’d try our hand at contouring the land and creating permaculture berms to terrace the hill instead. 

Site Prep

The first step in the orchard hill project was to clear the area of weeds – which we did entirely by hand, shovel, and rake. This stage took several weeks, working for a few hours and a couple days a week. We definitely could have brought in a tiller or tractor to make the work much faster (and easier), yet we wanted to avoid tilling and also pull up as much of the roots and seed heads as possible. Plus it was an extraordinarily rainy winter, so I enjoyed being outside and getting my hands in the soil whenever I could. 

After clearing the weeds, we played with math, stakes, and drew lines in the sand to plan and outline key features: where the berms, trees, and pathways may go. This enabled us to determine how many terraces to create, how wide each level would be, how many trees we could fit while still providing adequate space between them, and finalize other decisions before “breaking ground” and starting to terrace the hill. 

Terracing the Hillside (Making Permaculture Berms)

Next, it was time to start forming the terraces and berms. Let’s back up and break this part down a bit:

What is a berm?

A berm is a natural or man-made mound of earth (usually made from compacted soil, rocks, and/or other natural material) to create a terrace or shelf, most often on a slope or hill.  In landscaping and permaculture, berms are used to contour the land, break up and add variation to a space, create planting zones, and most importantly, to divert water runoff in a more favorable way. 

Berms are often used in conjunction with swales, which are low depressions or shallow ditches that also help to facilitate improved drainage, water retention, and vegetation in an area. The middle of our terraces have a slight depression, and we also created one rock-lined swale to divert runoff from the steepest slope to a nearby tree. 

Forming berms for our orchard hill

We created berms with a combination of native soil and bulk soil and compost we brought in. Adding higher-quality bulk soil and compost served two purposes: 1) to better help level and build up the berms (reducing the amount of native soil we had to move), and also 2) offer more nutrients and microbial life to the trees and plants that would grow here.

• First, we used sturdy 36″ wide landscape rakes to scrape and dig into the uphill side of each terrace, pulling the native soil downhill several feet to both level the space and form the berm below. Again, our native soil is super sandy so it was possible to do this with rakes and muscle power alone, though different tools (e..g shovels, backhoe) may be required for different soil types.
  
  
• We started at the top of the hill, forming the shape of the top terraces and berms first. Then we moved down to the next terrace, where we cut and dug into the base of the berm above, pulled back the soil, and repeated the process moving downhill. See photos below.
  
  
• Once we created the rough terraced berms with native soil alone, we brought in bulk soil and compost to augment them. We dumped loads throughout every terrace, and then used the same wide landscape rakes to spread and smooth it out – focusing the majority of the material on the top and face of the berms. 

Helping the berms hold shape

When making natural terraces or berms, there is always a small risk that they could shift or settle with time – and even more so on a slope. I was definitely concerned about this, especially since our native soil is so soft and sandy. So, we did a few things to help our berms hold shape:

• After building up the berms with bulk soil and compost, we gently compacted the soil by laying down plywood and lightly stamping on it. (The soil was far too soft to use a traditional tamper, the edges of the berms would have just collapsed). 
  
  
• We covered the entire orchard space with burlap (explained more below), including an extra layer on the face of the berms. The burlap is tucked tight against the front of the terraces, hugging and holding the soil in place until the plant roots grow in. 
  

• Next we planted dozens of low-growing, trailing plants along the front face of the berms along with several shrubs and trees on top. As the plants grow in, their roots will really help to stabilize the soil. 
  

• Finally, the addition of mulch will help the berms stay more moist, encourage plant root expansion, and further support the terrace structure. We’ll also avoid walking on the berm edges until they become more established. 

Burlap Ground Cover 

After forming the terraces and berms, we immediately covered them in burlap – especially because it kept raining on us, and I was afraid all our hard work was going to wash away! We chose to use untreated burlap as a natural alternative to traditional weed barrier fabric in this project. 

Burlap is biodegradable and will break down within a year or two, feeding the soil organic matter as it does. So while it won’t offer long-lasting weed protection, it will be enough to help smother the weeds for the first season or two, plus help support the berm structure until the plants get established. Burlap also acts like mulch (which we added on top later) and helps with runoff and water retention too. 

Originally, we ordered several long rolls of natural untreated burlap (similar to this burlap but even wider) from a local landscape supplier. The shipment kept getting delayed, and delayed… and eventually we were told it was lost in transit. With significant rainstorms on the horizon and sandy soil sloughing more every day, we changed plans and decided to use burlap squares we could readily source locally instead. You may also be able to find burlap coffee sacks (for free!) from local coffee roasters, which are ideal for smaller projects. 

The burlap we ended up using was a bit thinner than the rolls we’d hoped for, so we laid down two layers across the entire orchard area, and four layers (two squares, folded in half) across the front face of the berms. The burlap is held in place with 6″ galvanized landscape staples.

Fruit Tree Variety Selection

Believe it or not, narrowing down (and locating) our selection of fruit tree varieties was one of the more difficult tasks of this entire project! I feel like every time I settled on a “final” list of varieties, we either couldn’t find a certain one or I found something even more tantalizing (which then threw off the pollinator partner varieties I’d selected too). I also really wanted some almond trees, but ultimately accepted they’re not known to do well in our area. 

When considering fruit tree varieties for your garden, there are so many things to consider. In addition to sounding tasty, it’s important to choose varieties that are compatible with your growing zone and chill hour requirements, tree size and spacing needs, and also if they need another variety for cross-pollination to produce a respectable crop. Learn more about choosing the best fruit trees for your climate here, or dive into this lesson all about fruit tree chill hours. 

Here on the Central Coast of California (San Luis Obispo county, zone 9, about 400-500 chill hours) the fruit trees varieties we chose for orchard hill include:

• Red Baron peach (pollinates with Pinamint)
• Panamint nectarine (pollinates with Red Baron)
• Blenheim apricot (self-fruitful)
• Golden Dorsett apple (pollinates with Anna)
• Anna apple (pollinates with Golden Dorsett)
• Pink Lady apple (pollinates with King David)
• King David apple (pollinates with Pink Lady)
• Monterey pear (self-fruitful, but would bear better with a partner)
• Fuyu persimmon (self-fruitful)
• Desert King and Celeste figs (self-fruitful)
• Loquats (self-fruitful)
• Hass avocado (pollinates with Fuerte)
• Fuerte Avocado (pollinates with Hass)

We were able to source all of our trees from a handful of local nurseries, with the exception of the Desert King Fig (my fave), which we got online from Nature Hills Nursery. We were honestly thrilled at the quality and condition of the tree when it arrived! Fast Growing Trees is another excellent reputable online tree supplier.

Other Edibles

In addition to the fruit trees, we also planted several pineapple guavas, blueberries (Emerald, Jewel, and Sunshine Blue), and kiwis in the new orchard hill space. Fuzzy kiwis have male and female plants, and both are required to set fruit. So, we planted two females (Saanichton and Vincent) up our gorgeous moongate trellis, and a Tomori male kiwi along a nearby fence for pollination. In other parts of the property, we also have plums, limes, lemons, oranges, pomegranates, apricots, grapes, and several more fig, peach, and apple trees. 

See related grow guides for figs, avocados, and pineapple guava here.

Planting Fruit Trees

Learn best practices for planting fruit trees in this comprehensive guide. In summary, dig a hole that is about twice as wide but only as deep as the existing root ball or pot. Maintain the top of the rootball and root collar at or just above the surrounding soil level when planting, and never bury a tree trunk or pile mulch up around it! It’s best to backfill the planting hole with mostly native soil, though we do also like to add some higher quality soil and well-aged compost as well. Do not fertilize at the time of planting. 

It’s best to space fruit trees at least 10 feet apart (e.g. smaller varieties or those that will be kept pruned) and up to 20 feet for larger varieties. Maintaining about 12 to 15 feet between them, we were able to fit 9 fruit trees on the terraced portion of orchard hill, along with several more off to the side and along the lower fence line. We planted the fruit trees closer to the berms and left a wider pathway behind them on the more flat portion of the terraces. 

Gophers are rampant in this area, so we have to plant every tree in a large durable gopher basket to protect the root ball. Learn how to make a DIY gopher cage from hardware cloth here, or buy sturdy gopher baskets here. I also put together this list of over 50 gopher-resistant plants for California and beyond.

Orchard Companion Plants and Pollinators

Next up: it was time to plant all the beautiful native and drought-tolerant pollinator plants. California poppies, rosemary, rock rose, catmint, lavender, sea daisies, CA buckwheat, fuchsia, comfrey, and more! We also scattered California native wildflower seeds in the open fields around the perimeter or the orchard. See the complete list of orchard companion plants below. 

Honestly, planting these was one of the most physically taxing jobs from the entire orchard hill project, but also SO rewarding to see once they were all in the ground! We chose to plant them after the burlap went down – so the soil and berms would hold in place, and so we wouldn’t have to try to tuck burlap all between them after the fact. It was easy to cut holes in the burlap where needed. I also came up with a super handy hack for planting on a slope to prevent the holes from collapsing! Check it out below.

Comfrey in a Permaculture Orchard

Comfrey is a fantastic multi-purpose companion plant in a permaculture orchard. So much so, it deserves its own little spotlight here! Comfrey is known as a “dynamic accumulator”. With its deep taproot, comfrey is exceptional at drawing up nutrients from the soil and storing them in its tissues. 

We plan to use comfrey for “chop and drop mulch”. Once or twice a year, we will cut the comfrey back, chop it up in small pieces, and use it as green mulch around the base of the trees – where those concentrated nutrients will return to the soil and feed the fruit trees. Even more, comfrey can be used in herbal medicine and topical healing salves, to make nutrient-rich fertilizer teas, and native bumblebees absolutely love the flowers!

NOTE: Readily spreading by seed, common comfrey is considered invasive in many environments. We grow Russian Bocking 14 comfrey instead. Many permaculturists consider Russian Bocking 14 the best orchard companion variety because it grows very robustly but isn’t invasive. The seeds are sterile, so it can only be planted from rhizomes.

Complete Plant List

In addition to the edibles and fruit trees (listed above), here is a complete list of the other companion plants we chose for the orchard hill space:

Drip Irrigation System

And now one of the most essential elements: water! During the time we were working on contouring the land, we were also working on installing a drip irrigation system on the side. That included tapping into the main water line at the top of the hill, installing a 4-station valve manifold, a solar powered control panel, PVC lines down to the site, and then a 4-zone drip irrigation system weaving about the entire space. I put together a separate post and video tutorial on that process – check it out here.  We did this before mulch went down, and then covered the lines in mulch.

Mulch

Mulch is an essential part of an organic garden and landscaping. It offers numerous benefits including suppressing weeds, reducing runoff, improving soil’s organic matter and moisture retention (and thereby reducing water needs) and insulating plant roots against temperature extremes. It also makes the landscape look polished and sharp – like the final cherry on top! 

For the orchard hill project, we chose to use a “walk on bark” (sourced locally in bulk) that is like a blend of irregular shredded wood chips and chunkier bark bits. It is longer-lasting than shredded mulch (like gorilla hair) but holds in place better than classic bark mulch, especially on the slopes. We opted to not use local tree wood chips or “chip drop” for this project, just to be extra cautious as to not introduce any tree diseases to the orchard.

After planting all the plants, we spread mulch about three inches thick around the entire space, with the exception around the base of trees. It’s best to avoid piling mulch up right around a tree trunk, so leave a couple feet of clear space around it.  We plan to refresh and top it off with more mulch as needed every few years. Read the pros and cons of 8 common types of mulch here.

Rock & Steel Borders

Though we opted to not build rock wall terraces, I still wanted to bring in some landscaping rocks to add dimension and further define the space. We added a row of large cobbles to top of each berm, which also helps us keep track of where the irrigation lines are and prevents us from stepping on the edge of the berm. The rocks also provide ideal habitat for western fence lizards, who help keep the insect population in check too!

We also installed steel edging along the uphill and outer edge of the orchard hill space. The edging will hold in mulch, help keep weeds out (like the creeping invasive ice plant), and also stop water runoff – forcing it to infiltrate along the uppermost terrace instead. We like to use the hammer-in corten steel edging from Edge Right. We used the same edging around our raised bed garden project too.

The Finished Space + Before-and-Afters

Now it’s time to sit back, relax, and watch the space grow. Well, there will be a tad more maintenance and upkeep to come (pruning, deadheading, fertilizing, refreshing mulch…) but it sure feels good to have all of the heavy lifting done!

Thank you for touring our new orchard on a hill!

Ooof! I told you this was one of our largest projects ever. I realize that was a lot of information to digest, and many the things we did may not exactly apply to other sites or climates. Yet I hope this gave you plenty of fun ideas and useful tips nonetheless! Please feel free to ask any questions or just say hello in the comments below. I really appreciate you tuning in today!

You may also like:

• Tree Planting Best Practices
• About Fruit Tree Chill Hours + Chart
• How to Build a Raised Garden Bed
• The Benefits of No-Till Gardening
• How to Kill or Remove Grass (and Grow Food, not Lawns!)
• Raised Bed Drip Irrigation System
• Solar Powered Drip Irrigation Controller

The post New Pollinator Orchard Garden on a Hill (Permaculture Berms Terraces)  appeared first on Homestead and Chill.

If any of that sounds complicated, don’t worry. I’ll walk you through everything you need to know with a step-by-step video tutorial, photos, and a detailed parts list. 

Though the system shown in this guide is being used to water fruit trees and shrubs, you could also use a similar solar powered drip irrigation system for raised garden beds, flower beds, or traditional sprinkler system. Or, install the solar controller on an existing irrigation system. See our other drip irrigation tutorials here, including how to install drip irrigation to raised beds or a hose faucet.

UPDATE: You can now find a full tour and tutorial of how we created the new orchard space using natural terraces and permaculture-style berms here. Full plant list included!

Benefits of Drip Irrigation

Automated drip systems are one the best parts of any garden project, in my humble opinion. Installing drip irrigation isn’t all that difficult, and the payback is well worth the effort! Drip systems save substantial water, time, and energy compared to hand-watering or conventional overhead watering systems. 

Drip irrigation also provides plants with slow, targeted, consistent, and deep water – which they prefer for ideal root development and growth! This leads to healthier plants that are more tolerant to stress from drought, freezing, heat and more. 

Even better, solar powered drip irrigation systems allow you to automate your irrigation even if there isn’t a power source nearby. Harnessing the power of the sun, rechargeable solar batteries outlast regular batteries by many, many years.

Drip System Zones and Pressure

Most large drip irrigation systems must be divvied up into several distinct zones (stations) that will run at different times. This offers a number of benefits, and is easy to achieve with a simple irrigation manifold and controller. 

First, using separate zones enables you to tailor your irrigation schedule to meet the unique and varying water needs for different plants. For instance, fruit trees or raised garden beds will require more water (in frequency and/or amount) than drought-tolerant shrubs. 

Second, the use of many zones helps reduce demand on any one line, and maintains better water pressure throughout the system. Drip irrigation components are designed to operate under 20 to 30 PSI, while normal household water pressure can be as high as 80 PSI. Higher pressure will cause the sensitive parts to “blow out”, so a pressure regulator is typically added at the beginning of the drip line near the valve. Yet the water pressure will continue to drop as it travels through long lengths of drip tubing, so it’s best to not surpass 100 to 200 feet of solid ½” irrigation tubing in a single zone.

PARTS AND SUPPLIES

Below is a list of all the supplies we used to set up our solar powered drip irrigation system. For anything that involves a PVC/threaded connection, note that I linked parts compatible with ¾ inch PVC. However, you should be able to toggle and choose different sizes if you’re working with a different pipe diameter, male vs female threaded parts, etc. 

Solar powered irrigation controller

• Hunter XC-Hybrid Controller – This hybrid controller operates with traditional batteries OR is converted to 100% solar power with the addition of a solar panel kit (below) – which is what we did. We have the 6 station controller, though it’s also available with 12 stations. 
  

• Hunter Solar Panel Kit – Use this kit to make the Hunter XC hybrid into a solar powered irrigation controller. It comes with a solar panel and rechargeable solar battery, which replaces the standard battery pack that comes with the controller.
  

Valve head assembly parts

• Anti-siphon valves (ASV) – one per station. ASV valves serve several purposes: they control the on/off action of each valve, connect to the controller to automate the system, and provide backflow protection to the water system. We use these Hunter PGV-ASV valves.
  
  
• DC Latching Solenoids – one per station. Standard ASV valves come with AC solenoids, but need to be swapped out for DC solenoids in order to be compatible with the solar controller. (The solenoid is the part on top that turns the valve on and off, either manually by turning it, or through the wired control panel. They’re easy to unscrew and replace.)
  
  
• Canister filters – one per station, installed after the ASV valve. The filter prevents dirt or other debris from entering the drip lines and clogging emitters. We use these durable canister filters with a fine mesh stainless steel screen inside. They come apart for routine maintenance (wash or replace filter).
  

• Pressure regulators – one per station. 20 to 40 PSI is ideal to operate drip irrigation systems. We like these Senninger pressure regulators, and chose the 25 PSI option since we also have gravity working in our favor in this system. 
  

• Multi-strand irrigation or sprinkler wire, with enough wires for every station in your system – plus one. For instance, a 7 strand wire for a system with 6 zones. We used 7 strand wire for our four-zone system and simply capped the two extra wires. You can usually find it in shorter sections at your local hardware store if you only need a few feet. 

Drip line, couplers, and adapters

• PVC to irrigation tubing adapters. If you add PVC after your valves/head assembly, you’ll need to eventually convert the PVC to drip tubing. We use these adapters, which have male pipe thread on one end and a coupler to connect ½” drip tubing on the other. 
  

• Standard ½ inch irrigation tubing, which is commonly available in 100 foot rolls. For larger projects, consider 250 foot rolls or a 500 foot roll if necessary. This tubing will create the bulk of your drip irrigation system. 
  

• Various ½” couplers (including tees or elbows), used to run ½” tubing throughout your landscape where needed. This varies depending on your system layout. I suggest drawing out your system to determine how many couplers you’ll need. We prefer to use PermaLoc couplers over compression fittings. They’re durable and reusable, making it easy to make adjustments or repairs! On the other hand, compression fittings are more permanent and tubing must be cut to make changes. 

Other drip emitter parts

• Various drip emitters of choice, such as adjustable bubbler emitters, bubblers on stakes, standard barbed 1 GPH emitters and more. 
• Solid ¼” microtubing, if you’d like to run drip emitters anywhere that isn’t directly adjacent to your main ½” tubing. 
• ¼” barbed couplers to connect the ¼” drip tubing to the ½” main line tubing headers.
• A hole punch tool, used to add holes and add emitters along the ½” main line.
• Figure 8 clamps to end the main ½” lines.
• Goof plugs are handy to plug any mistakes or unwanted holes in the 1/2″ tubing.
• Galvanized landscape staples to hold the drip line in place.

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

Main Water Supply Connection

First you’ll need a nearby water supply or main line. For this particular project, we chose an existing tap uphill of the new orchard space – which is also ideal for gravity flow to help the system maintain pressure. 

To connect to the main water line, we first turned off water to the property and turned on the tap to drain the lines. Next, we cut into the PVC line with good pipe cutters and glued on a simple ball valve shutoff valve. This way, we’re able to close the valve and turn the main water supply back on (after the pipe glue dried) while we continued to work on the irrigation system over the following weeks. Isolating the drip system with its own valve will also allow us to easily make repairs in the future without shutting water off to the entire property. 

The location of our drip manifold and valves happened to be at the end of a waterline. If yours is not, install a tee in your main water line to connect the drip manifold to instead. 

Valve Manifold and Head Assembly

A valve manifold is a collection of irrigation valves assembled together and connected to a common supply line. I chose to assemble the entire manifold and then connect it to the main line (rather than piecing together all the parts in place). That way, I didn’t have to bend over and work in a trench the whole time, or get a bunch of dirt in the lines. 

My manifold is made from ¾” PVC with four tees and risers (one for each zone) plus a capped dead end that I can cut and connect more zones to in the future. 

The valve head assembly flows as follows: 

• From the main water line, add a “riser” or connection for each station – a length of pipe where each ASV valve will attach. Space the valve connections about 5 to 7 inches apart in small spaces, or up to 10 to 12” apart for more room for repairs. The length or height of the connection will depend on your system and climate. In places with harsh winters, valve manifolds are often buried underground or otherwise insulated to protect against freezing. Follow irrigation depth and installation best practices for your area. We’re able to keep our valves above ground for easy and convenient maintenance. 
  

• Next connect the ASV valve to each riser, followed by the filter, and then the pressure regulator. Canister filters aren’t designed to be under constant pressure, so it is important that they’re installed after the valve. However, the filter may also cause a slight pressure loss, maye 2 to 8 PSI, so it’s also best to put it before your pressure reducer. That way, the flow coming out of the pressure reducer is true to specs.  
  

• To piece this all together, we used plumbing tape at each threaded component, and regular PVC pipe glue and primer for the slip PVC potions.
  

Valve/Controller Wiring and Solar Panel Add-On

If using the solar panel add-on kit, replace the AC solenoids that came with the ASV valves to DC solenoids before continuing with wiring. With the water turned off, simply unscrew the AC solenoids and screw on the DC.

• Using multi-strand irrigation wire, connect one colored strand from the multi-strand to each RED wire coming from the ASV solenoid. Carefully strip the tip of each wire, screw on a wire connector cap, and secure with electrical tape (optional).
  
  
• Gather and connect ALL of the black wires from the ASV solenoids to a single common wire from the multi-strand (we chose white). You may need a larger connector cap to fit them all inside.
  
  
• Cap any unused wires from the multi-strand irrigation wire.
  
  
• Run the multi-strand wire up inside the bottom of your irrigation control box. We ran ours inside schedule 80 PVC (UV resistant) to protect the wire.
  
  
• Inside the irrigation control box, connect each colored wire to a corresponding numbered station. Carefully strip the coating from the end of the wire, loosen the screw, tuck the exposed wire behind the screw, and tighten it back down.
  
  
• To convert the irrigation controller to solar power, remove the traditional battery pack it came with. Insert the rechargeable solar battery from the solar add-on kit instead.
  
  
• Install the solar panel in a location that receives good direct sunlight. Run the wire from the solar panel into the bottom of the controller box, and connect the two wires to those attached to the rechargeable solar battery with a cap. Voila! Now you have a solar powered irrigation system!

Distribution System and Drip Emitters

Once the solar irrigation controller and valves are set up, it’s time to get water to your plants! 

You can either connect solid ½” drip irrigation tubing right off the end of your valves, or extend your hard pipe further before converting to drip – like we did. Since our valves are a good distance from the landscaped area we want to water, we ran PVC down the hill first since it’s more durable, less likely to get chewed on by gophers, and the larger diameter allows for better water flow (and less pressure loss) than ½” tubing. 

• Before connecting any drip components, I recommend turning on the water to flush all lines and clear debris first.
  
  
• Convert from PVC or other threaded parts (e.g. from the pressure reducer) to drip tubing using one of these adapters.
  
  
• From there, run ½” irrigation tubing around your landscape, using tees or other couplers as needed. Secure the lines in place with landscape staples. It’s best to keep the tubing near the base of plants if possible.
  
  
• Use a figure 8 clamp or other end cap to end the lines where needed.
  
  
• Use a hole punch tool to add drip emitters, bubblers, ¼” micro-tubing, and other drip components to your system. We like to use classic barbed emitters at the base of shrubs, bubblers to irrigate a slightly wider diameter, or these stake bubblers to irrigate trees.
  
  
• Finally, turn on your system and give it a test run!
  
• Drip irrigation lines can be covered in several inches of soil or mulch including bark, wood chips, straw, or even gravel.

How long to run drip irrigation systems?

It depends! Every garden has different water demands based on the unique climate, soil, season, temperatures and rainfall patterns. It also depends on your mulching practices, and what type of plants you’re growing. Soil protected with a nice 2 to 4″ layer of mulch will stay damp much longer than bare soil, greatly reducing water needs.

In general, it’s best to provide less frequent, deep, long watering as opposed to short shallow bouts of water every day. This will encourage deep healthy roots and stronger, more resilient plants. In our climate, we typically set our solar irrigation controllers to run for about 45 minutes to an hour, twice per week (and turn them completely off during the rainy winter season). 

The time you run your irrigation system will also vary depending on the type of emitters used. For instance, systems using adjustable bubbler emitters with a higher flow rate (often 10 to 30 GPH) will emit a lot more water and faster than a system using single 1 GPH drip emitters.

And that’s how to install a solar powered drip irrigation system.

Well folks, I hope this tutorial helps you feel empowered and prepared to install your own automatic solar powered drip irrigation system too! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below. Also please consider pinning or sharing this article if you found it useful. Stay tuned for an upcoming post about how we created our orchard area too. Best of luck, and happy irrigating!

You may also like:

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• Easy Raised Bed Drip Irrigation Connected to a Faucet or Spigot
• Mulch Options: Pros and Cons of 8 Popular Types of Garden Mulch
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• 50+ Gopher-Resistant Plants for California and Beyond

The post How to Install Solar Powered Drip Irrigation, Controller and Valves appeared first on Homestead and Chill.

This guide will walk you through how to install a simple drip irrigation system for raised garden beds. Video and photos are included. We installed this drip system to irrigate our large grow bag garden, yet it’s perfectly suited for traditional wood garden beds, metal raised bed kits, in-ground garden plots, and more! 

Last year, I also shared a tutorial on how we installed drip irrigation in our wood raised beds using drip tape, PVC pipe, and automated valves. We love that option too, but the system I’ll show you today is even easier to set up. Zero plumbing skills are required! It’s also a little less permanent in nature – enabling you to easily disconnect or store your irrigation system during the winter if needed. (Though you could also connect this type of drip system to hard pipe and valves too.)

In this article you will find:

• A list of supplies needed to make a simple raised bed drip irrigation system that connects to an outdoor faucet or tap. 
• A YouTube tutorial that shows the step-by-step process.
• A written summary of the steps shown in the video, with photos for quick and easy reference.
• We’ll also talk about water pressure, winterizing, and how long to run raised bed drip irrigation systems.

A note on our grow bags: We have both 100-gallon and 150-gallon grow bags in our “calendula farm”. Unfortunately our exact bags are no longer available, but this is another well-rated option with similar dimensions and specs.

Supplies Needed for an Easy Raised Bed Drip Irrigation System

 
We get almost all of our drip irrigation supplies from Drip Depot. They’re fantastic! The affiliate links found in this article gives us a small commission at no cost to you. We greatly appreciate your support, which enables us to share tutorials like this with you!

1. A nearby hose tap (spigot or faucet). For the best results and pressure, choose a tap that’s within 50 feet or closer from the raised beds. See pressure notes to follow. It’s usually not all that difficult or expensive to have a new faucet installed closer to your beds if needed!
   
   
2. A 4-in-1 faucet adapter, which is specifically designed to connect drip irrigation to a hose tap. It comes with all the parts you need (that you can also buy separately): 1) a filter to prevent sediment from entering and clogging the drip system, 2) a backflow preventer to protect your drinking water supply from contamination, 3) a pressure regulator (drip systems need to operate at 20 to 30 PSI), and 4) a coupler/adapter that the ½” drip irrigation tubing connects to.
   
   
3. Standard ½ inch irrigation tubing, which is commonly available in 100 foot rolls. For larger projects, consider 250 foot rolls or a 500 foot roll if necessary. This tubing will create the bulk of your easy raised bed drip irrigation system. Get enough tubing to run from the tap, between the beds, up the sides of the beds, and also to create the “header” inside each bed”.  
   

4. ¼” dripline tubing, which comes with pre-installed drip emitters. You’ll need enough to run several lines down the length (longest side) of each raised bed – explained more in the “header assembly” section to follow. For example, one 4×8’ raised bed with 4 rows of dripline will require about 32 feet of dripline tubing.
   
   Note that drip tubing comes in various flow rates and emitter spacing. For this project, we chose drip tubing that has ½ gallon per hour emitters every 6 inches, and space the rows of dripline every 8 or 9 inches across the bed. I find that 6-inch spacing provides nice even saturation and allows for flexible planting throughout the raised beds.
   

5. ¼” barbed couplers to connect the ¼” drip tubing to the ½” main line tubing headers.
   
   
6. A punch tool, used to add holes and attach the drip tubing to the ½” black supply line.
   
   
7. Figure 8 clamps to end the main ½” lines. You’ll need one for each header, and possibly more to end other lines in your system – depending on the layout.
   
   
8. Goof plugs, to end/cap each of the ¼” drip tubing lines. These can also be used to plug unwanted holes in the 1/2″ tubing.
   
   
9. Various ½” couplers (including tees and elbows), used to run ½” tubing line between and up the sides of your raised beds. This varies depending on your system layout. I suggest drawing out your system to determine how many couplers you’ll need. We prefer to use PermaLoc couplers over compression fittings. They’re durable and reusable, making it easy to make adjustments or repairs! On the other hand, compression fittings are more permanent and tubing must be cut to make changes. 
   

10. Galvanized landscape staples to hold the drip line in place.
    
    
11.  Scissors to cut the drip tubing. I also find pliers are helpful when working with the ¼” couplers. 

Optional Supplies

• A battery-operated faucet timer to easily automate your raised bed drip irrigation system. In this particular project, we used a 2-outlet hose timer (what we already had on hand) that can be used to connect two drip lines to a single tap. Or, you can use a single outlet hose timer. They even make 3-outlet timers for systems with 3 zones. We’ve been using these timers for years and they still work perfectly! I haven’t even had to change batteries on some that have been running for two years.
  
  
• Shut-off valves for each bed. Install one of these simple on/off valves in the header or riser of each raised bed for the utmost control! That way, you can turn off the water to certain beds if some are in use while others are not. Or, turn the valve halfway to restrict/reduce water flow to beds that have less water demand than others (e.g. for drought tolerant crops like peppers). We skipped this option in this particular project, but did install individual valves on each raised bed in our main garden space.
  
  
• A hose splitter or Y-valve. With this, you can connect the drip irrigation system to a faucet (on one side of the splitter) while also still maintaining a free outlet to use a garden hose, fill watering cans, etc.

Drip Irrigation System Layout and Pressure 

It’s best to not surpass 100 to 200 feet of solid ½” irrigation tubing (the main line that runs from the tap and between beds). Otherwise, your raised bed drip irrigation system may not have adequate pressure towards the far end of the lines. 

For very large areas (where more than 200+ feet of line is needed), it’s best to split the system into separate zones or shorter lines that will run at different times if possible. For instance, from two different taps, or with two separate lines using a 2-outlet hose timer. This is also helpful if you have various beds/areas with different water needs.

Drip components are designed to operate under 20 to 30 PSI. It’s usually necessary to use a pressure regulator in drip irrigation systems because high pressure can “blow out” sensitive drip parts. Normal house water pressure can be as high as 80 PSI. 

Yet if pressure seems too low in your raised bed drip system (and your house/tap pressure isn’t crazy high), you could experiment with NOT using a pressure reducer at the tap. When in doubt, use a hose thread pressure gauge at the tap you’re connecting the system to to assess the pressure starting point. Then you can simply unscrew and remove the pressure reducer component from the 4-in-1 adapter if needed.

How far should I space drip lines in raised garden beds?

It’s best to space drip irrigation lines in raised garden beds every 6 to 12 inches – and no wider than 12” apart. 

For example, in our 4×8’ raised garden beds, we installed rows of dripline every 9 inches evenly across the bed – or four lines total per bed. With emitters every 6” along the lines, this provides a nice even distribution of water that saturates the entire bed, allowing us to plant along the drip lines or in between. This is especially helpful for closely-spaced plantings like root veggies.

After all, one of the many benefits of growing in raised beds is that you don’t have to follow rigid row planting, unlike traditional field row crops. Plus, the more damp soil there is around, the more the worms, nematodes, and beneficial microbes will thrive! Last but not least, watering in a wide swath around plants (as opposed to directly at their base only) encourages roots to explore, growing larger and wider. That leads to bigger, healthier plants! 

How to Install an Easy Raised Bed Drip Irrigation System

Step 1: Assemble Headers with Drip Lines

Each raised garden bed or planter needs a “header”. The headers are made with ½” solid tubing that sits inside one of the short ends of the bed, where the smaller dripline tubing connects to. 

If you’re installing drip irrigation in multiple raised garden beds of the same size, I find it’s easiest to make just one header in or near the garden bed to figure out the size and spacing. Take note of the measurements, and then use that header as a guide or prototype to pre-assemble the remaining headers in a clean work space. (Such as a concrete patio or large table.) That way, there is less risk of getting soil inside the parts as you work – which can clog your emitters! Assembling the headers first also makes the rest of the system install very quick and easy.

Header Assembly

• Measure and cut the solid 1/2″ solid tubing to fit inside one short end of your raised bed. If you’re using figure 8 end clamps to end the line, leave a couple extra inches to fold over.
  
  
• Cap one end of the header line with a figure 8 clamp or other end cap.
  
  
• The other end of the header will receive water from the main supply line and riser. The design of your header connection will vary depending on your system layout. We added an elbow (90°) PermaLoc adapter to one end of our header, which connects to a riser that runs up the outside of the bed. See photos below.
  
  
• Measure and cut ¼” drip tubing lines. Make them long enough to run the length of the bed and connect into the header.
  
  
• Measure and/or mark where you want each row of drip tubing to attach to the ½” header, spaced evenly across the bed (between 6 to 12 inches apart).
  
  
• Use a punch tool to create holes in the main header tubing. Be sure the holes are all facing the same direction so the drip tubing will lay flat on the soil surface.
  
  
• Attach drip tubing to the header. Insert a ¼” barbed coupler into one end of the ¼” drip tubing. Then push the other end of the barb into the header tubing.
  
  
• Finally, cap/end each ¼” drip tubing line with a goof plug. 

Step 2: Connect Drip Line to Tap

• Optional: To easily automate the raised bed drip irrigation system, add a simple faucet timer to the tap first. You can also add a hose splitter before the timer, leaving one side of the tap free for other things.
  
  
• Next, screw on the 4-in-1 faucet to drip adapter.
  
  
• Connect the ½” drip tubing to the coupler at the end of the adapter.
  

Step 3: Run Drip Line Between Beds

• Run the ½” main line from the hose tap or faucet to the raised garden beds. Use tees, elbows or other couplers to create rows between beds as needed.
  
  
• Each bed will need a point of connection and riser. Cut into the main line near the bed, insert a tee or elbow (depending on the layout of your lines), and add another piece of ½” tubing up the side of the raised bed. Another option is to hide the riser by running it under and inside the garden bed.
  
  
• Optional: Add a shut-off valve for each bed, explained in the supplies section above. The valve can be installed along the riser, or as part of your header.
  
  
• It is okay to cover or bury the ½” mainline drip tubing in several inches of mulch, bark, soil, gravel, or other cover.
  
  
• Leave the very ends of the lines open for now (not capped) so you can flush the lines before adding the drip components. 

Step 4: Install and Connect Headers

Before adding the headers to your raised beds, flush the main lines to remove any potential debris that could clog emitters. Simply turn the water on and let it run freely out of the end of the lines for a minute or so. 

After flushing the lines, connect the headers to the risers you’ve added to each raised bed. Tuck the header inside the short end of the bed and attach it to the riser. Secure it in place with landscape staples or pins. Next, position the drip tubing lines evenly down the length of the bed and pin them in place too. 

Using the System

When you’re ready to use your new raised bed drip irrigation system, simply turn on the tap! If you’re using a hose timer, leave the main faucet ON at all times, set the timer, and it will let water into the lines per the schedule you specify. 

Once the system is set up, it’s easy to calculate water use and flow rate! Count the number of emitters per bed, then multiply that by the emitter flow rate. For example, each grow bag shown in this example has 28 emitters, and each emitter is rated for ½ gallon per hour. That means each grow bag would receive 14 gallons of water per hour the system runs. 

How long should I run my raised bed drip irrigation system?

It depends! Every garden has different water demands based on the unique climate, soil, season, temperatures and rainfall patterns. It also depends on your mulching practices, and how thirsty your plants are. Larger, mature plants generally “drink” more water than smaller ones. Soil protected with a nice 2 to 4″ layer of mulch will stay damp much longer than bare soil, greatly reducing water needs.

In general, it’s best to provide less frequent, deep, long watering as opposed to short shallow bouts of water every day. This will encourage deep healthy roots and stronger, more resilient plants. Try to water enough to keep the soil evenly moist at all times, but allow it to dry out ever-so-slightly between watering. Of course, you never want the soil to be totally dry! But remember that plants breathe through their roots – so the soil shouldn’t be constantly sopping wet either.

In our climate, we typically run our raised bed drip irrigation system for about 45 minutes, twice per week. The time you run your system will also vary depending on the type of emitters used. For instance, if we were using drip tubing with 0.25 gallon per hour emitters (instead of 0.5 GPH), we would run the system for twice as long.

When direct-sowing seeds, plan to provide additional overhead or hand-watering during the first few weeks. That will help keep the top of the soil nice and damp during germination and early root development.

Winterizing raised bed drip irrigation systems

As with all types of irrigation, it’s best to winterize your raised bed drip irrigation system before freezing conditions arrive. At minimum, thoroughly drain the system and protect it with a nice deep layer of mulch. Leaving standing water in pipes or valves can cause them to crack when the water freezes and expands. Or, to further reduce the risk of damage, folks in extremely cold climates may want to remove the drip irrigation components completely. Store your supplies in a protected location over winter, such as in a garage or similar.

Thanks for irrigating with me!

After reading this, I hope you feel empowered and prepared to go install an easy raised bed drip irrigation system of your own. Once you understand the basics of irrigation, the options are endless! You should be able to adjust and tweak things to create an ideal irrigation system for your garden or project. Please consider pinning or sharing this post if it was useful. Also feel free to ask any questions in the comments below. Thank you so much for tuning in today, and enjoy!

You may also enjoy:

• How to Build a Raised Garden Bed (video included)
• All About Calendula: How to Grow, Harvest, and Use Calendula Flowers
• How to Install Drip Tape Irrigation in Raised Garden Beds
• 17 Ways to Save Water in the Garden and Landscape
• Rainwater Harvesting 101: How to Set up a Rainwater Collection System
• Companion Planting 101 and Printable Chart
• How to Remove or Kill Grass (and Grow Food, Not Lawns!)

The post Easy Raised Bed Drip Irrigation (from Faucet or Spigot) appeared first on Homestead and Chill.

This post will show you how to make the best DIY tomato trellis ever (IMHO) along with tips on how to prune and train tomato plants during the growing season. I also made a video tutorial to walk you through the entire simple process – but don’t miss the photos and details below!

If you need more tomato tips, be sure to check out our Organic Tomato Grow Guide.

The Training Method

This tomato trellis works best for vining or indeterminate tomato varieties. On the other hand, bush or determinate tomatoes are best not pruned and grown in cages – like these sturdy DIY tomato cages. The training style we’ll use on this tomato trellis is a hybrid between the Florida weave and single leader methods. 

In a single leader method (sometimes known as single stake or single string method), tomato plants are heavily pruned to remove ALL “suckers” or side branches. Heavy pruning significantly reduces the number of fruit each plant produces. However, the fruit is higher quality in flavor, texture and size. Plants are spaced as close together as 12 inches apart, and the one remaining leader stem is trained up a stake or string. It takes a lot of diligence and pruning, and single-leader plants can reach unruly heights. 

With a Florida Weave, tomato plants are minimally pruned and spaced 24 to 36 inches apart. A stake is placed between each plant, where they’re tucked or sandwiched between horizontal rows of string or twine for support. Without pruning, the Florida weave will create a wall of tomatoes that can be quite dense and heavy.

Our stake-weave tomato trellis and training system harnesses the best aspects of both methods, explained below. 

Tomato Trellis Benefits

• Spacing tomato plants 18 to 24 inches apart and training them into a slender vertical wall maximizes space in the garden or compact spaces. It also allows plenty of room along the base of the tomatoes to grow companion plants such as basil, marigolds, peppers, bush beans, or other flowers and herbs.
  
  
• Moderate pruning keeps the plants manageable, the fruit quality at its best and easy to harvest – but it’s also more carefree and forgiving than the single-leader method.
  
  
• Less foliage means better airflow, and therefore reduced disease and pest pressure. Yet leaving several side branches per plant also offers enough foliage to protect most fruit from sunburn or sunscald.
  
  
• This tomato trellis design is really versatile. It’s easy to adapt to raised beds, in-ground gardens, or along a wall. It can also be made with a variety of materials.
  
  
• We chose not to permanently install our tomato trellis in the garden. Yet the design is easy to take down, store, and reassemble each season.
  

Supplies Needed

• A sturdy frame with a horizontal top support that’s at least 6 feet tall off the ground or soil level. We created an A-frame tomato trellis using 8 ft redwood 2×2 boards, though you can use other materials or designs to create yours (e.g. metal conduit pipe, PVC, a straight T-trellis, etc). See more details about our frame below. 
  

• 8 foot tall garden stakes (we use these ones) – or stakes tall enough to extend at least 18 inches into the ground and also reach the top of the trellis frame. Use 1 stake per tomato plant, plus two – one extra at the end of each row or bed. You could also use rebar, wood stakes, fence T-posts, or other long sturdy materials that you’re able to drive or dig into the ground. 
  

• Garden twine (mid-weight jute or hemp) for the horizontal weave portion, as well as to secure the stakes to the frame.
  
  
• Soft garden wire or tomato clips, to tie the main leader stem up the stake
  

Our tomato trellis frame

Using 8-foot 2×2″ redwood boards (true measurement 1 3/8″ x 1 3/8″), we created an “A frame” on each end of the bed. We cut the legs at a slight angle so they’d sit flush on the 4×4 corners inside the raised bed, and also at the top where they meet the horizontal support. Screws hold the boards together at the top, plus a metal brace to help further secure them. We also added a short horizontal piece of wood across each pair of legs (to make the “A”) for stability. 

I designed our tomato trellis to be plenty sturdy (especially once the stakes are connected to it), but not directly attached to our raised beds. I didn’t want to drill holes into the raised beds. We also like to take it down at the end of the season while we grow winter crops instead. Plus, we try our best to practice crop rotation so we aren’t necessarily growing tomatoes in the same bed next season! However, feel free to add additional support if needed – such as with T-posts, or by screwing the trellis to your garden bed.

Tomato Trellis Assembly and Use

• Space stakes and plants every 18 to 24 inches. In a 4×8 foot bed, we plant four tomatoes spaced about 22 inches apart.
  
  
• Add an additional stake at the end of each row of plants. This stake can be slightly closer (12-18”) if needed, since side branches from only one tomato plant will grow in that section of the weave. See photo below.
  
  
• Using twine, firmly tie the top of each stake to the horizontal support or frame. I wrap the twine around many times to make it tight and secure.
  
  
• Next, add horizontal rows of twine, spaced 1 foot apart up the entire length of the stakes. Use two layers of twine per row so you can tuck branches between them. Also try to keep the twine as tight as possible (it will naturally stretch out a little with time). You can add just a few rows at first, then add more as the plants grow too. 
  
  
• Plant one tomato plant at the base of each stake. We usually prune off the lowest 2-3 branches and plant our tomatoes deep, burying several inches of the stem.
  

Pruning and Training Tomatoes Up the Trellis

• As plants grow, continue to secure the main central leader to the stake using reusable soft garden wire or tomato clips.
  
  
• Remove at least half of the “suckers” or side branches. Keep one central leader and 4 to 6 side branches on each plant. To remove suckers, simply pinch them off when they’re still small. See photos below. It’s best to remove the lowest 2 to 3 suckers, favoring those higher up the plant instead. Keep a couple on each side of the plant. Remember that sucker stems eventually grow their own suckers too!
  

• While they’re still small and pliable, gently tuck the side branches between the layers of twine or string on either side of the plant. Don’t force it! If you miss a row and the branch has grown too long to weave without breaking it, simply skip the row and tuck it up into the next one.
  
  
• Check the plants about once per week during the growing season to tuck, tie, or trim branches as needed. Continue to prune and remove most of the suckers as the plants grow. Judge and adjust pruning based on how crowded things become.
  
  
• By the end of the season, the plants will reach the top of the trellis and may start to flop over. That’s okay! We just let ‘em hang.
  
  
• Don’t prune or top the central leader – that signals the plant to stop growing. At the very end of the growing season, we gave our tomato trellises a “haircut” and pruned all the branches along the top frame. This forces the plants energy into ripening the remaining fruit rather than growing larger.
  
  
• When tomato season is over, simply cut the plants out and leave the roots in place (no-till style). Remove and compost the twine, and store the trellis frame and stakes away for next season!

Have a fantastic tomato season!

That wraps up this lesson on how to make the best tomato trellis ever. I say “best” in jest, but I really do love it – and hope you do too! If you give this tomato training system a try, let us know in the comments below. Or feel free to ask any questions you may have. Otherwise, we wish you a wonderful growing seasoning ahead. Enjoy!

Don’t miss these related posts:

• Organic Tomato Grow Guide
• Tomato Blossom End Rot: Myths, Prevention and Treatment
• Simple & Delicious Roasted Tomato Sauce Recipe (Freezer Friendly)
• 6 Ways to Train and Support Tomato Plants
• DIY Tomato Cage Tutorial: Sturdy and Cheap!
• How to Build Raised Garden Beds: Step-by-Step Guide
• How to Freeze Tomatoes (plus defrost and use)
• Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup (vegan)

The post How to Make the Best DIY Tomato Trellis (Stake Weave Hybrid) appeared first on Homestead and Chill.

I’ve broken this article down into a complete list of all gopher resistant plants, as well as separate lists of gopher resistant California native plants and fruit trees/shrubs for easy reference. But first, let’s briefly familiarize ourselves with gophers, a few disclaimers, and non-toxic gopher control methods like gopher cages.

About Gophers

Gophers, also known as pocket gophers, are burrowing rodents native to North and Central America. There are over 30 different gopher species, and are mostly found in the western half of the United States as well as Florida. 

Gophers are known for their uncanny ability to destroy gardens, farms, and ornamental landscaping. They create vast networks of subterranean tunnels, and leave telltale mounds and holes at the soil surface. Gophers primarily eat plant roots, tubers, and bulbs, which can easily stunt or kill plants. They often pull entire plants underground! Our veggies wouldn’t stand a chance if they weren’t planted in raised garden beds with hardware cloth below. Learn how to build gopher-proof raised garden beds here.

Gophers are much larger than voles and moles, and significantly more destructive. Voles also eat some vegetation but less ravenously, and moles prefer non-plant food (e.g. insects, grubs, and worms).

What plants do gophers avoid?

Gophers tend to avoid plants with a strong scent, bitter flavor, toxic sap, or similar irritating traits that make the roots, leaves, or stems less appealing to snack on. Rosemary, eucalyptus, oleander, and gopher purge are prime examples. In many cases, gopher resistant plants are also undesirable to voles, deer, rabbits, or other rodents. On the other hand, some plants are simply irresistible to gophers. In our garden, gophers are drawn to fig trees, verbena, and artichoke plants like potato chips! 

Disclaimer and Gopher Cages

Gophers aren’t usually attracted to the “gopher resistant” plants listed below and should leave them alone for the most part. Meaning, these plants certainly won’t be their first choice when other food sources are available. However, gophers may eat just about any plant if they’re hungry enough! Young plants (of any type) are especially vulnerable to gopher damage. 

So, even if a plant is considered gopher resistant, it may be prudent to plant young or valuable plants (e.g. expensive trees) in gopher cages – particularly if you’re dealing with a very active gopher population. Cages may not be necessary with just a couple of gophers around. It’s also important to note that the gopher resistance can vary depending on the variety or cultivar of these plants. 

For example, we’re currently planting dozens of native gopher resistant plants – rock roses, catmint, yarrow, and sea daisies – but are still using flexible (moderately protective) gopher cages to offer the plants some level of protection while they get established. Roll-on mesh “speed baskets” (available in one gallon or 5-gallon sizes) are cheaper and much easier to work with than sturdier firm wire cages or DIY hardware cloth baskets, but they’ll degrade with time and gophers do occasionally chew through them. I would NOT use them for gopher-susceptible plants, but they’re perfect for this instance!    

When in doubt, use a gopher cage to protect your plants. 

Non-Toxic Gopher Control

Whatever you do, please do NOT use gopher bait or poison to control gophers. It puts ALL animals at risk of secondary poisoning and death – including domestic pets and wildlife! All too often, curious canines, cats, birds of prey, opossums, or other predators eat poisoned gophers (or rats) and become poisoned themselves. Learn about alternative non-toxic gopher control methods here, including pre-made gopher cages, DIY cages, raised bed protection, gopher repellents, natural predators, traps, and more.

Gopher Resistant Plants: Complete List

Here is a list of over 50 plants that gophers are not attracted to. An asterisk* denotes plants I have direct experience with and can personally confirm are not bothered by gophers – at least in our garden! And we’ve been gardening where gophers are rampant for well over a decade.

• Alliums (especially ornamental alliums) – gophers may eat garlic, onions or leeks but usually avoid them
• Amaryllis Belladonna
• Anemones
• Artemisia – including wormwood, mugwort and sagebrush
• Bearberry (groundcover manzanita)
• Bottlebrush*
• Breath of Heaven
• California Buckwheat (Eriogonum)*
• California Fuchsia (Epilobium)*
• Catmint*
• Ceanothus (California lilac)*
• Citrus trees* (once established, I would cage young trees)
• Coffeeberry (California buckthorn)*
• Columbine
• Coyote bush
• Currants (Ribes)
• Daffodils
• Day lillies
• Elderberry*
• Euphorbia species – cacti and succulents in this family, along with “gopher purge” (Euphorbia lathyris)
• Eucalyptus*
• Ferns*
• Fescue
• Fountain grass and deer grass
• Foxglove
• Grevillea*
• Hellebores 
• Indian Hawthorn 
• Lantana*
• Lavender*

continued below…

Gopher resistant plant list (continued)

• Manzanita*
• Marigolds*
• Monkeyflower (Mimulus)* 
• Mint family* – including culinary mint or perennial shrubs like Coyote mint
• Monterey Cypress trees
• Mullein (Verbascum)*
• Myoporum (ground cover)
• Nandina (Heavenly bamboo)
• Oleander
• Palm trees
• Pomegranate* (supposedly, with ‘Wonderful’ variety being the most gopher resistant)
• Penstemon* (to varying degrees)
• Pine trees and redwoods
• Pineapple guava (feijoa)*
• Rock Rose (Cistus)*
• Rosemary*
• Salvias and sage* – especially native perennial salvias and Mexican sage
• Sea Thrift (Armeria)
• Seaside Daisy (Erigeron)*
• Society Garlic
• Strawberry Tree* (Arbutus unedo, marina, and menziesii)
• Thyme*
• Toyon
• Wild Ginger (Asarum caudatum)
• Yarrow (Achillea)*
• Yerba Mansa
• Willowherb (Epilobium)

Gopher Resistant Fruit Trees or Shrubs

If us humans like to eat something, gophers probably do too! Unfortunately, that means there are very few gopher resistant edible plants:

• Elderberries
• Citrus, once established
• Pineapple guava (feijoa)
• Pomegranate (supposedly with ‘Wonderful’ variety being the most gopher resistant)

It’s also been reported that gophers don’t like to eat mulberry trees, avocado trees, apricots or plum trees, but we’ve had a mulberry and avocado killed by gophers! In fact, they chewed right through the basket and ate all the roots down to a nub. To be safe, I suggest putting all edibles and fruit trees in gopher baskets where gophers are a known menace. 

Gopher Resistant California Native Plants

Landscaping with native plants packs a punch of benefits. Native plants support local biodiversity, wildlife and pollinators, are generally less maintenance, require no fertilizer, and here in California, have to be drought-tolerant. Even better, many California native plants are also gopher resistant! The ones that could survive constant gopher pressure here are the ones that have persisted and thrived.

• Artemisia – including wormwood, mugwort and sagebrush
• Bearberry (groundcover manzanita)
• California Buckwheat (Eriogonum)
• California Fuchsia (Epilobium)
• California grape
• California goldenrod 
• Ceanothus (California lilac)
• Coffeeberry (California buckthorn)
• Coyote Bush
• Fescue (California and blue)
• Indian Hawthorn 
• Manzanita
• Monkeyflower (Mimulus) 
• Penstemon (Penstemon clevelandii, spectabilis and more)
• Pine trees and redwoods
• Salvias and sage (e.g. Salvia clevelandii, Black sage, hummingbird sage and others)
• Strawberry Tree (Arbutus menziesii) aka Pacific Madrone
• Wild Ginger (Asarum caudatum)
• Yarrow
• Yerba Mansa

Sources: Personal experience, California Native Plant Society, Mostly Natives, Tasty Landscape, SF Gate

And that concludes this lesson on gopher resistant plants.

If you too struggle with gophers in your garden, I hope this gave you some great insight on plants to consider growing! Let me know if you have any questions or insight to share in the comments below. Also please consider pinning or sharing this post if you found it useful. Thank you so much for tuning in today, and happy plant shopping!

You may also enjoy:

• Non-Toxic Gopher Control: How to Gopher-Proof Your Garden
• How to Make a Homemade Gopher Basket for Trees
• 17 Ways to Save Water in the Garden and Landscape
• How to Build a Raised Garden Bed: Step-by-Step Guide
• How to Connect Drip Irrigation to a Hose Bibb (Spigot or Faucet)

The post 50+ Great Gopher Resistant Plants for California & Beyond appeared first on Homestead and Chill.

This post will serve as a nice little recap and photo dump, including some fun drone shots and updated before-and-after photos. (I can’t believe it’s been exactly one year since we started creating the new garden space!) I filmed a new fall garden tour video to share with you too. I’ll also briefly talk about how we transition our garden from summer to fall crops, since that is something that folks ask about quite often.

Gardening aside, we have had a few fun developments on the business side of Homestead and Chill. In addition to the organic sourdough starter, handmade salves, lip balms, bath salts, and other goodies we always offer in our shop, we just recently released pollinator-themed recycled greeting cards with some of my favorite photos. I had so much fun creating them to share with you, and hope you love them too!

Fall Garden Tour Video

Wrapping Up Summer

This summer, our most prolific crops were tomatoes, eggplant (sooo many eggplant!), cucumber, basil, onions, peas, and squash. We had so much to enjoy and preserve! For whatever reason, our beans and peppers just did so-so this year. In the orchard, the mature apricot tree and grape vine blessed us with loads of fresh fruit. We also had a great harvest of homegrown potatoes, and quite a few nice melons!

Transition to Fall

The swap from summer crops to fall is always a bit of coordinated dance – but after many years, we’ve found our groove! Here in zone 9, we start our fall seedlings in the grow room in late August, transplant them out in the first week of October, and amend the garden beds with fresh compost, mulch and slow release organic fertilizer in between. Use your Homestead and Chill planting calendars to figure out the best timing for your zone.

Admittedly, it does require us to remove some of the summer crops that are still producing in order to get the fall crops planted on time. For instance, the tomatoes were still pumping out fruit when we cut them out in early October – but we’d already had PLENTY to eat and preserve by then. To us, it’s worth sacrificing the tail end of the summer season to give the fall garden a strong start. If we wait too late to plant fall seedlings, they easily get stunted by the colder and shorter days of late fall. 

The Fall Garden

Before-and-After Photos: October 2021 vs October 2022

I love fall gardening in general, but this year is extra special – it’s the first fall garden in our new space! I can’t believe it’s been a year since we first “broke ground” out here. In October 2021, we were just starting to level and define the new garden area with borders. In November, we added the ground cover and gravel. We built and sealed the raised beds in December/January, and got them in place, filled and drip irrigation installed by February of this year. For more details, I shared the whole build-out process in these posts: Starting the New Garden and the New Garden Final Reveal.

And that’s what is going on in the fall garden right now! I can’t wait to see how the beds continue to fill in as the plants mature over the next couple of months. I will definitely do another tour video and update then – once the cabbages, cauliflower, and broccoli are all heading up! Thank you so much for exploring the garden with me today. Please let me know if you have any questions, or just say hello in the comments below!

The post Homestead Update: Fall Garden Tour ’22 (Video and Photos) appeared first on Homestead and Chill.