How Do I Install My Garden Master Bucket Garden? 1. On the arrival of your Bucket Garden open the bucket and remove the 4 screws from the outside of the bucket rim and pull the 2 buckets apart. Check the packing sheet included with the contents of the bucket to ensure you have received everything marked on the packing sheet. 2. Remove the black commercial ground cover from your bucket, unroll it and center it over your garden area. You may pin the corners and edges down with the 16 penny galvanize nails. You are now ready to start installing your bags. If ground squirrels or gophers are a challenge in your yard it would be wise to install a ¼ hardware cloth (heavy metal mesh) on the ground prior to laying down your ground cover to prevent damage to your garden by these unruly creatures. 3. Take the bucket with the bottom removed and slip one bag over the bottom of it. Pull the bag fully onto the bucket with the bottom of the bag tight against the bottom of the bucket and the top of the bag as far up to the top of the bucket as possible. 4. Take note of the seam in the bottom of the bag. The bottom of the bag is rectangular with the seam running the length of the rectangle. With a Free Standing Standard Bucket Garden System set the bucket down on the ground cover 1 from the end of the ground cover and to the left of the center line printed on the ground cover, with the seam of the bag running perpendicular to the length of your ground cover. With a Box Conversion Bucket Garden System set the bucket down on the ground cover 1 from the end of the ground cover and to the left of the center line printed on the ground cover, with the seam of the bag running parallel to the length of your ground cover and box.
5. Now fill your other bucket with bedding sand within 3 inches of the top and dump it into the bucket with the bag on it (bag bucket). Have a family member or friend hold the bag bucket while you dump the sand into it. Now carefully pull the bag bucket vertical and free of the bag. Now you have a free standing bag of bedding sand. Using your hands shape the bag, by pressing on the bag from both sides, into a rectangle reflecting the shape of the bottom of the bag. The shape will not be perfect but will conform to the general shape of a rectangle. Each bag must be filled to within 1 of the top of the bag. 6. Now repeat the process to the right of the center line and then to the left and right of the two center bags, each time shaping the bags into a rectangle shape. You will be installing 4 bags wide in a Free Standing Standard System and 5 bags wide in a Box Conversion Garden System. As you start your second row of bags repeat the process starting in the center and working outward. Be sure to push the bags tight against each other while at the same time maintaining a perfect vertical bag posture to ensure maximum space utilization. Complete this process until all bags are installed. You should have 2 extra bags. Fill these bags and set them on the end of your garden to be used later as topper for seeds. 7. Now that your garden bed is complete it is time to cut the 1/16 spaghetti line and assemble the irrigation spray stake system. Take the 1/16 spaghetti line and cut it into 18 lengths. After cutting to 18 take the spaghetti lines and insert them firmly into the top of the spray stakes. If and when you were to shut a spray stake off you would pull the spaghetti line from the top of the spray stake and firmly insert into the port in the back of the spray stake. You should have one extra spray stake. 8. With a helping hand take the ½ blue strip poly pipe (header) and install on one end the compression threaded end cap. Determine
which end of your garden bed is the water supply end or head end and which end is the tail end. Have one helper hold the end of the header with the compression threaded end cap over the center of the growing bed and 6 past the tail end of the growing bed. Have another helper hold the open end of the header over the center of the growing bed at the head end. Now using a black marker and starting at the outside edge of the first bag at the tail end of the growing bed place a black mark on the blue line on the header. Now place a black mark on the blue line at the edge of each bag down the length of the growing bed and stop with the last mark at the inside edge of the last bag. There should not be a mark on the blue line on the outside edge of the last bag at the head end of the growing bed, only on the inside edge. 9. Using the yellow hole punching tool provide in you Bucket Garden Kit punch 4 holes in the blue line on the header at each mark with the mark being the center of the 4 hole pattern. Punch 1 hole ½ to the right of the mark on the blue line and 1 hole ½ to the left of the mark on the blue line. Now punch 1 hole 1 to the right of the first hole and 1 hole 1 to the left of the second hole. You now have 4 holes spaced 1 apart. If you have a Box Conversion Bucket Garden Kit you will punch one additional hole in the blue line 1 to the right of the third hole. Continue this process until you have punched 4 holes, 5 holes for the Box Conversion Bucket Garden Kit, spaced 1 apart on the blue line at each black mark the full length of the header. This is easiest done if you keep the poly line as cool as possible, so keep it out of the sun. 10. Using the yellow hole punch, re-punch the previously punched holes one at a time and quickly and carefully insert the spaghetti line end of the spray stake spaghetti line assembly ¼ into the punched hole. Continue this process until you have installed all of the spaghetti stake assemblies.
11. Have your two assistants now hold the header with installed spray stake assemblies over the center of the growing bed with the end cap at the tail end and the open end at the head end. Now set the header down on the bags and carefully, starting at the tail end and with your hand on the outside of the center bag, pull the top edge of the bag back towards you and carefully push the header down 3 to 4 between the center bags the full length of the growing bed, while pushing the sand in the bags back over the top of the header behind you as you go. Continue this process until you have reached the head end of the growing bed. 12. Starting at the tail end of your growing bed take each spray stake and stick it in the center of the tail side of the bag 1 above the soil surface with the sprayer facing the head end of the growing bed. 13. Using your PVC cutting pliers cut the header off 1 past the head end of the bags. Save this piece you will use it later. Take one compression 90 elbow and install it on the open end of the header. Measure from the inside of the previously installed 90 elbow down to ½ above the ground and cut a piece of this length from the left over blue line poly pipe. Install a 90 elbow to one end of this short piece. Install the other end of the short piece into the elbow at the head end of the header. If you are connecting your growing bed header to the irrigation computer using poly line purchased at your local hardware, plumbing or lawn and garden store, you will install one end of that poly pipe into the elbow at the ground on the head end of your growing bed and the other end to the manifold of the irrigation computer at your water source. If you are connecting your growing bed header to the irrigation computer with a garden hose you will use the garden hose conversion kit you purchased from the Garden Master Store. Cut a 6 piece from the left over blue line poly pipe and install one end into the elbow on the header at the ground. Install the compression female hose swivel from your garden hose conversion kit onto the open end of the 6 piece
of blue line poly pipe. You are now ready to build the irrigation computer manifold. 14. Utilizing the left over blue line poly pipe cut 3 pieces 3 long and 1 piece 6 long. Install the compression female hose swivel to one end of a 3 pieces and then install a compression elbow to the other end of this same 3 piece. Now install the 6 piece into the elbow connected to the hose swivel. Install one end of the top of a compression T to the other end of the 6 piece. Install a 3 piece into the leg of compression T and a compression elbow on to the other end of the 3 piece. Install the 3 rd 3 piece into the compression elbow attached to the leg of the compression T and now install the compression back flow prevention drain valve to the other end of the 3 rd 3 piece. Your irrigation computer manifold is now complete. See attached picture for visual guidance. 15. Using the Teflon tape provided in your bucket kit wrap the pipe thread ends of the two fittings, included with your irrigation computer, with five complete turns of Teflon tape. Hold the fitting in your left hand with the pipe threads pointed towards your right hand. Start the tape on the underside of the pipe threads holding it against the bottom of the pipe with a finger of your left hand while holding the roll of Teflon tape in your right hand. Now wrap the tape up and over the threads towards your left hand five times. Tear off the tape by stretching it until it breaks, then press the tape into the threads of the pipe by turning the pipe between your thumb and fingers several times. Install the pipe thread end of the hose swivel to the inlet side of the irrigation computer. Install the pipe thread end of the male hose thread nipple into the outlet side of the irrigation computer. Remove the blue hose washer with screen from the hose swivel and replace it with a flat hose washer. Do not use the o-ring type of hose washer in this hose swivel. Attach a metal Y hose valve with the largest water flow path as possible
to your water source. Do not use a plastic Y hose valve. Attach the irrigation computer to one side of the metal Y hose valve. Now attach your irrigation computer manifold to the outlet side of your irrigation computer. You are now ready to make your connection to your growing bed. It is always better where possible to hard pipe your irrigation computer to the water source with a ball valve between the water source and the computer. 16. If you are making your connection from the irrigation computer to your growing bed with poly line you have purchased locally, then measure the distance from the inside of the compression T to ½ above the ground and cut a piece of blue line poly pipe to this length. Install a compression elbow to one end of the blue line poly pipe you have just measured and cut. Install the other end of the compression elbow to the blue line poly pipe to your growing bed. Now install the open end of the blue line poly pipe into the open end of the compression T. You are now ready to test your irrigation system. 17. If you are making your connection from your irrigation computer to your growing bed with a garden hose then measure the distance from the inside of the compression T to ½ above the ground and cut a piece of blue line poly pipe to this length. Then cut a second piece of poly pipe to 6. Install a compression elbow to one end of the blue line poly pipe you have just measured and cut for the T. Install the 6 piece of poly pipe to the other end of the elbow. Now install the compression male hose thread to the open end of the 6 piece of poly pipe. Now install the open end of the poly pipe cut for the T into the T. You are now ready to test your irrigation system. 18. Turn your water source on full open. Turn to full open the irrigation computer side of the Y hose valve. Check for leaks and tighten any fittings that are leaking. Install a 9 volt battery in
the computer and set the time. Set the irrigation computer to water every day for 1 minute. Set the start times for 6:00 am, 12:00 noon, 2:00 pm & 4:00 pm. The start times will remain the same throughout the year. However you will adjust the duration of each cycle as the weather and plant needs dictate. Verify all of your settings are correct. Remove the end cap from the tail end of your irrigation header. Locate the orange lever on the irrigation computer and turn it full on and allow your irrigation system to flush for several minutes. Then turn it off and replace the threaded end cap on the tail end of the irrigation header. The orange lever is a mechanical override to the computer. It should only be used to test or flush the system. Turn the orange lever on and adjust water flow using the Y hose valve to the computer if necessary. The spray stakes should spray out a light even spray over the top of the soil in the bag. If the spray volume is too high adjust it with the Y hose valve only. While irrigating you will need to make final adjustments to the spray stakes to ensure even correct coverage of the soil in each bag. Now turn the orange lever off. You will see a manual button on the computer. This will manually turn the computer irrigation cycle on and it will run for the duration set on the computer and then turn off. This is the best way to adjust your irrigation or provide an additional cycle of water to the garden. If you are distracted it will automatically turn off at the end of the time set where as the orange lever will not. You could come back to a flooded garden area! 19. Allow your irrigation system to run its set cycle for two days before you start planting. This will allow the bedding sand to settle and flush. At the end of two days, pull up the corners of each bag. This will stretch the bags to their proper height as well as remove the bag wrinkling which shortens the bag life. Thank you for your interest in the Garden Master Bucket Garden System! The Garden Master
Building Family Sustainability One Garden At A Time HORIZONTAL IRRIGATION COMPUTER MANIFOLD
VERTICAL IRRIGATION COMPUTER MANIFOLD
HORIZONTAL INSTALLATION VERTICAL INSTALLATION
IRRIGATION COMPUTER