Winterizing drip irrigation system and still be able to use it in early winter

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

I have a drip irrigation system that I run from a 3/4 garden hose down to my field. I run about 13-15 125' rows of drip tape. 6 of those rows are blackberry rows. The rest are garden rows. Usually in late fall I stop using it and pack it up for the winter not to bring it out again until late April or so. I'm planning on planting some strawberry plants this fall for a spring harvest. 500 ish plants. I would like to water/fertigate through out the winter. Our winters in central NC are not the winters you read about where there are deep snows and long cold blasts. We usually only get down to the teens 1/2 a dozen nights a year with an occasional arctic blast in the single digits lasting a couple of days. Mid 20's are fairly common though.

Anyone have any suggestions on winterizing the drip irrigation so I can easily water in a drier not freezing temps period.

Currently my garden hose run of about 250' is above ground down there to the field. I could trench it and bury it a few inches not sure how much protection that would provde from freezing. The drip tapes are above ground as well or under a layer of mulch. Garden drip is usually above ground as I rotate our veggies when needed. When I winterize it now I pull the end plugs and drain everything and remove the filter.

OR... Setup a tank drip irrigation system I could fill up a couple of IBC totes and use those in winder time. I'd have to fill up the totes from the same garden hose as the irrigation is on.

Ideas/thoughts?

 

[dieselscout80]

I have a drip irrigation system that I run from a 3/4 garden hose down to my field. I run about 13-15 125' rows of drip tape. 6 of those rows are blackberry rows. The rest are garden rows. Usually in late fall I stop using it and pack it up for the winter not to bring it out again until late April or so. I'm planning on planting some strawberry plants this fall for a spring harvest. 500 ish plants. I would like to water/fertigate through out the winter. Our winters in central NC are not the winters you read about where there are deep snows and long cold blasts. We usually only get down to the teens 1/2 a dozen nights a year with an occasional arctic blast in the single digits lasting a couple of days. Mid 20's are fairly common though.

Anyone have any suggestions on winterizing the drip irrigation so I can easily water in a drier not freezing temps period.

Currently my garden hose run of about 250' is above ground down there to the field. I could trench it and bury it a few inches not sure how much protection that would provde from freezing. The drip tapes are above ground as well or under a layer of mulch. Garden drip is usually above ground as I rotate our veggies when needed. When I winterize it now I pull the end plugs and drain everything and remove the filter.

OR... Setup a tank drip irrigation system I could fill up a couple of IBC totes and use those in winder time. I'd have to fill up the totes from the same garden hose as the irrigation is on.

Ideas/thoughts?

I placed these underneath all of our raised bed’s and I have not had any freeze issues in the other Carolina.

I forgot to add the link.
Auto drain valve https://www.lowes.com/pd/Orbit-irrigation-Auto-Drain-Valve/999930392

Our lines (water, phone and electrical) are just a few inches under ground.

This is amazing to me because I grew up in Montana and everything was buried 6’ down.

 

[MossRoad]

I have a drip system for all of our flowers around the house, hanging baskets, planters, and a black poly pipe that runs 150' out to our garden/greenhouse area. Fortunately, it is all uphill from the spigot. So I put in a small pit underground full of gravel right below the spigot and wrapped it in filter cloth and put a self-draining valve in the black poly pipe in that pit.

Every time I shut it off, the system slowly drains back to the low point, which is this pit. I've had the pipe in the ground for 10-15 years at least. The only time it ever broke was when I hit it with a shovel or tractor forks while prying out other bushes, forgetting the pipe was down there.

You can put them in the low spots. They automatically open when pressure is released. Close when pressure is applied.

I only have it on the main feed out to the garden with the buried pipe. Not sure if it would work on low pressure side. But they are cheap enough to buy one and test it out.

Similar to these...

Automatic Drain Sprinkler Valve

For protecting irrigation pipes against freezing in colder climates Pressure-activated seal closes when water is on and opens when water is off Mesh filter allows water to discharge and prevents dirt from entering the sprinkler line ABS construction with threads available in 1/2-in. and 3/4-in...

www.orbitonline.com

https://www.dripdepot.com/auto-drain-valve?srsltid=AfmBOorNnXdkv-wq8Glea_3N-naEOKSJ2STGHZBbMgnwRoqhgJtjTAVc

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

Never heard of such a thing, thanks Ya'll. Gonna check it out.

 

[ponytug]

If you bury the water line, I would do four things. One make it pipe rather than hose, second, add a couple of inches of foam on top, or bury it deep enough not to freeze, third, use a frost proof hydrant with a vacuum breaker down by your plants, and fourth, use automatic drains as @MossRoad suggested.

All the best,

Peter

 

[bigtiller]

I never knew anyone with an irrigation system so I have a dumb question...
Wouldn't compressed air blow it out? A quick-connect air to water coupler would make the switch easy.

 

[MossRoad]

I never knew anyone with an irrigation system so I have a dumb question...
Wouldn't compressed air blow it out? A quick-connect air to water coupler would make the switch easy.

Kinda, sorta. A home air compressor usually does not have the CFM needed to do a good job. It'll leave puddles in the dips and valleys of the pipes. That's why you see commercial irrigation companies with large towable compressors winterizing peoples' home sprinkler systems.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

All of my drip is downhill from the spigot so it drains fine.

 

[Paddy]

I'm in Southern Indiana. We have a patio system and one that runs in our garden. I have never done anything to the system in the winter other that disconnect the house supplied water. The one in our garden is 1/2 inch pex

 

[bigtiller]

Kinda, sorta. A home air compressor usually does not have the CFM needed to do a good job. It'll leave puddles in the dips and valleys of the pipes. That's why you see commercial irrigation companies with large towable compressors winterizing peoples' home sprinkler systems.

That makes sense. I've had my 5hp Quincy so long I forget it isn't really a "home owners" model.