Water Your Dogs While Watering Your Garden

I have a small garden and my son & his family have two dogs that share my back yard with the garden. In the South East, if you don't water your garden regularly you simply won't have a garden. Unlike places like Southern California we have plenty of water, it's just in the wrong place, it's not in my garden! But the dogs need water too - as often if not more than my garden.

So, today while started my sprinkler I looked and their water bucket was about empty. Contemplating disconnecting the sprinkler and dragging the hose over to their bucket I thought "there has to be a better way......". And of course, there always is a better way.

The answer was simple! And I already had everything laying around.

Here's what you need to set-up your own.

• 1 Water Bucket - I used the one the dogs were already drinking out of.
• 1 Hose splitter with individual cut offs - I had one of those too. You can buy one from LOWE'S for less than $10.00.
  

  http://www.lowes.com/pd_228717-30775-8819_1z0wg6w_...

• The faucet end of a garden hose - I had an old hose laying around that I cut the end off. If you don't have one, buy a cheap hose from The Dollar Store or some other discount store.

Set-up is easy.

• Unscrew the hose from the faucet and attach the splitter to the faucet. I unscrewed the hose from the hose feeding my hose reel - works the same.
• Attach the existing hose to one splitter outlet, attach the donor hose to the other splitter outlet.
• Cut the donor hose to the length you need.
• Cut a hole in the TOP side of the bucket. Make sure the hole is small enough so that you have to force the hose end through and into the bucket. This way it won't fall out later.
  It's important that the hole is at the top & not the bottom of the bucket. If you cut the hole in the bottom of the bucket all the water will run out when you turn off the faucet!
  
• To adjust your water flow start with both splitter shutoffs all the way on.
• Then turn on your water.
• Then adjust the splitter feeding the water bucket until the water is barely running.
• I adjusted mine so that the dog's bucket fills in about 15 minutes and I water my garden for about 2 hours every other day except when it rains. This way the bucket fills and all the old water in the bucket flushes out every time I water my garden.

And BTW, this should work as well for bird feeders and water fountains!!!!