Another battery operated timer that is currently being tested by the Passionate Gardeners is the Orbit single station timer. It was a little cheaper than the Dig/Galcon. It’s also a totally different shape which was the original reason for trying this timer out – it had to fit into a tight space between a balcony and a wall. The Galcon was just too wide.
The timer has plenty of reviews on Amazon, the majority of them positive and it sells for as low as $30. It has a really large, easy to turn dial and is so simple to program that I did not refer to the instruction sheet even once. The dial’s requests were, for example, ‘how long’, ‘how often’, ‘what day’ and so on. Pretty much self explanatory. The only thing it does not offer are multiple start times but so far it’s been a very reliable timer.
It was also fairly straight forward to attach it to the hose bib (add your teflon tape first) and then add on a filter/pressure reducer before connecting the necessary irrigation tubing that goes to the plants. In this case, we were just watering one planter, so used an attachment that lets you directly connect 1/4″ tubing.
You’ll still need to adjust the watering schedule as the season changes and replace the (2 AA) batteries as needed. It’s also a good idea to remove the batteries when the timer is not in use. If you are in a colder part of the country, you can extend the life of the timer by disconnecting it and storing it inside when it drops below freezing.
I’ve included my Amazon link for the timer. You can also find filters, pressure reducers and drip irrigation kits. Let us know if you have had a good experience with either the Orbit or Dig/Galcon timer (or something else) – we’d love to hear about it.
Happy Gardening,
Judy
The Orbit singles station timer sells for as low as $29.74. You can also choose a 2 or 3 valve timer if needed. NOTE: Just make sure you are choosing 3 programmable ports or valves as some of Orbit’s 3 valve timers only offer 2 programmable ports and one port for a hose connection.