New drip irrigation contraption

ralitaco wrote:
I also thought that if I did not glue them (perhaps used screws) I could remove sections if I was planting something that needed 2 squares (e.g. - Zucchini)

I don't use glue on mine at all; no need for it if you're not running any water through the pvc. It can sometimes be pretty difficult to get the pieces apart once they're pressed together, though, so I generally consider my grids to be permanently assembled. Unless I screwed something up.

ralitaco wrote:
I am concerned about running into the same issue. However, I did find some micro drill bits at Harbor Freight that I thought might work since it appears the holes need to be very small in order to get a good stream of water out. But also, there is no control over where the water will go.

I used 1/16" bits for mine, but I think my problem was that I made too many holes.

ralitaco wrote:
I had not ever messed with drip irrigation so I was quite uneducated (and still am) however, I really liked the 1/4" lines with the spray heads or other ends. It seems like there would be some flexibility with where to put the water and the type of end if depending on how many plants are in the square.

That is one aspect of this design that has worked out really well: configurability.  The sprayers are adjustable, and you can turn them off in squares that have nothing growing in them.  You can swap them out with bubblers or drippers, or add more tube/emitters to squares that need them.  You can adapt the configuration to the needs of each square.

ralitaco wrote:
I would like to use the drip system to make watering quick and efficient, but I don't know that I want a grid AND the 1/2" drip lines too. For me, especially in my 2x8's, I think it would look very crowded even before the plants come in.

The pvc grid doesn't take up much more space than a standard wooden grid, except around the perimeter.  There, you lose 2 inches total, and that loss of space gets distributed between the 4 squares to result in squares closer to 11"x11" in size.  But again, note that with a standard wooden grid, you don't get a full 12"x12" square, either.  Without the pipe around the perimeter, you'd gain about 1/2-inch per square.  I didn't think that was much of a trade-off to make.  So far, I don't think the plants have noticed.

On the other hand, as I typed this, it occurred to me that I could probably do this without the pipes going around the perimeter, and have the stem part of the 1/2-inch irrigation tubing run along the edge of the box.  That would get me back that little bit of lost space.  I may try that variation and see how it works out.

ralitaco wrote:
Here is one that I saw online:

It appears sturdy since all the sides are connected. This version has holes in 1/2" and no 1/4" lines coming off.

Yeah, it looks like it wouldn't have the same problem of staying put that I had with my first attempt with drip tubing.  Does whoever make this have any photos posted of it actually working, though?

ralitaco wrote:
I'm starting to think that string and the garden hose are going to be my answer

I hear ya.  I almost gave up on it, too.  There are so many different things that have to come together to make these things work for your particular situation.  I'll be interested in seeing what you finally decide on.

Well, I just went ahead and put in a 1/2" pvc grid and will worry about doing the irrigation at a later time. Thanks to everyone for their input.