Conveniently run water underground to a garden

It's no fun to drag 30 metres (100 feet) of hose around the yard. Fortunately, there are several ways to make remote watering more convenient.

• The easiest is to extend the water supply with buried pipe. Keep in mind that the job requires some trenching and simple plumbing work.
• The buried water line is also not freeze-proof in northern climates so you'll have to drain or blow it clear before freezing temperatures arrive.
• To prevent contaminated water in the garden hose from being sucked back into the house's water supply, you'll need to install a backflow valve.
• You can use a pressure-type backflow valve that's commonly used with irrigation systems. Check with your building inspector for specific local requirements.
• Mount this valve on the house's exterior wall at least 30 centimetres (one foot) higher than the new garden spigot regardless of its distance from the house.
• To find a water source, tie into a 1.5 centimetre (0.75 inch) water line at a point before it runs through a water softener.
• Cutting a T-fitting into an existing outdoor spigot line is ideal. Include a shutoff and drain in the new line.
• Run this line through the wall and connect to the backflow valve.
• From the backflow valve, run a 1.5 centimetre (0.75 inch) CPVC pipe into the ground and along the trench.
• Bury it at least 30 centimetres (one foot) deep to protect it from shovels, tillers and other garden tools.
• At the other end, bury a post about 45 centimetres (18 inches) deep in the ground and run the pipe up the post to a hose spigot.
• One solution is to hollow out a cedar post to hide the pipe, but you could just run it on the surface of the post.
• If you have freezing winters, be sure to shut off the water and blow all the water out of the line. You are now ready to water remotely.

If you have a small yard, don't waste any precious real estate on a bulky hose reel.

• Pound an approximately one metre (three foot) length of galvanized steel pipe into the ground, coil up to 15 metres (50 feet) of hose around it and top the end with a nozzle that hooks into the pipe's end.
• This hose holder's narrow profile is both space-saving and practical.