Free ebookIrrigation Basics: Watering Systems for Gardens and Small Farms

Course Description

Irrigation Basics: Watering Systems for Gardens and Small Farms is a practical professional course in farming that helps you water plants efficiently, protect soil health, and improve yields with the right irrigation choices. If you manage garden beds, a market garden, or a small farm, this ebook course guides you from understanding plant water needs to building a workable irrigation plan you can implement on real sites.

You will learn how soil type, infiltration, and root-zone moisture affect watering success, so you can avoid common problems like runoff, dry spots, and water stress. The course explains water budgeting and simple ways to measure how much you apply, helping you make informed decisions when water supply, time, and budget are limited. As you progress, you will connect irrigation goals and constraints to everyday decisions such as selecting drip irrigation, soaker hoses, sprinklers, or overhead watering for the crops and bed designs you actually use.

For hands-on design, the course walks you through irrigation system components and layout thinking for drip lines, emitters, filters, and basic pressure considerations, while also covering practical setup, limitations, and best uses of soaker hoses. You will also explore sprinkler coverage, uniformity, and drift control, plus gravity-fed irrigation options using rain barrels or tanks for low-pressure scenarios. Scheduling is treated as an on-farm skill, with guidance on timing, frequency, and seasonal adjustments that match crop type, plant spacing, and changing weather.

To keep systems reliable, you will learn straightforward maintenance and repair habits that reduce clogging, leaks, and uneven watering. Finally, you will bring everything together by building a small-farm irrigation plan, including materials selection, costing mindset, and a step-by-step path from assessment to installation and refinement.

Start this course today and build a simple, efficient watering system that fits your land, your crops, and your resources.