Water, Water, Everywhere
Making the greenhouse shipshape with interior siding and a sprinkler system
About 18 months ago, I built a new greenhouse. “The greenhouse was done,” I claimed. In truth, though, it wasn’t actually finished. I simply had gotten it to a point where it was good enough for now.
That was then. In the year-plus since, two issues have been gnawing at me. One is that the walls under the benches are super ugly thanks to the pink and yellow insulation foam I had put in place. The other is the lack of a good watering system.
To fix the first problem, I considered a few options — plywood, vinyl panels, sheathing — before realizing shiplap was the correct answer. Handsome, easy to install, and relatively cheap, I was able to cover the insulation within a couple of hours and vastly improve the look of the space.
With that finished, it was time to solve the other ongoing issue: watering.
Although I had a hose in the greenhouse — and look, I realize what I’m about to tell you reveals my unabashed laziness, but bear with me — I didn’t always remember to go to the greenhouse to water the plants inside. This was especially the case, ironically enough, when it was raining outside. That’s because if it was raining, I didn’t really want to venture outside. But of course, the plants still needed watering because it wasn’t raining in the greenhouse itself.
Also, on hot, sunny days, I might need to water the plants several times. What a pain!
So, I decided I needed a sprinkler system. For this, I bought two things: a Meross smart two-zone sprinkler controller and a set of drip-irrigation kit.
Once both arrived, I connected them all together and sure enough, the system worked — sort of. It turned on and off and sprayed water through the nozzles. That was all fine. But finding a way to route the hoses and direct the nozzles was not at all obvious. How would I attach, support, and aim them?
I tried different options — staking nozzles in plants; holding them down with weights; tying them with string and wire — and nothing was working. Water was spraying everywhere and also nowhere I wanted it to go.
Then I hit on an idea: I’d make wooden brackets, or arms, that I’d screw into the framing of the greenhouse. Each arm would have a small hole in the end that the hose would run through. This would give the system plenty of support. Each nozzle could be fine-tuned to drip or spray or be closed off entirely. Success!
Now I can quickly and easily water my plants from anywhere I have an internet connection, just as nature intended.
And now, finally, the greenhouse is done.
At least until I think of something else.1
Like a heating system.