Drip Irrigation question

I'm new SQF gardening, and vegetable gardening in general. Not new to drip irrigation. However I have a quick question about drippers.

I have 2 boxes 8 x 4, with various types of vegetables growing in each square. Do I put drippers at each vegetable or have a certain count in each square with the correct GPH drippers for each type of vegetable?

Watering requirements are quite different in California than they are here in Ohio, but I use drip tubing with a drip emitter every 6". I run the drip tubes the full length of the bed, with the tubes spaced 10" apart. I also put a 20 psi pressure regulator on the feed water line so that the pressure is always constant on the emitters. I find that arrangement keeps the bed evenly watered.

Ok so for SQF I do not need to focus the drippers on each of the individual ant itself then correct?

HDNoviceGardener_CA wrote:Ok so for SQF I do not need to focus the drippers on each of the individual ant itself then correct?

The important thing is to have even moisture throughout the soil at the root zone, not wet spots next to plants. Evenly distributed water will work best for all types of plants. Almost all vegetables require 1" of water per week, with the exceptions being fruit-bearing plants like tomatoes and cucumbers which benefit from having 2" of water per week.

Ok thank you for that. The "wet spot" statement makes total sense

HDNovice,  Welcome to the Forum from Fresno.  

As OG, mentioned, it is important to focus on keeping all of the Mel's Mix moist, not just spots.  A square may have 1 plant, 4 plants, 9 plants or 16 plants so individual heads won't work.  Roots grow everywhere that there is moisture.  Plus, once Mel's Mix is moist, you do not want it to dry out as it is very difficult to remoisten a whole bed full.  In California, we have to water wise.  Top with mulch to reduce surface evaporation and keep the Mix and roots cool.  I like ready-to-use E-Z Straw with Tack from Tractor Supply.

Quarter inch drip lines with inline emitters every 6", spaced 6" apart provides a uniform coverage of each square.  Here are 3 photos showing the 1/4" driplines in place.  I order mine from Dripworks out of Willits. https://www.dripworks.com/soaker-dripline-6-spacing

From Texas:  He brings the solid 1/2" supply line up into the bed and then feeds off the 1/4" driplines with 6" spacing between emitters.


From my garden in Fresno:  I use 2 solid 1/4" lines up to the top of the table top beds with the 1/2" supply line staying on the ground.  You can barely see them but I like the Quick Disconnects from Dripworks.  That way I can disconnect the whole grid intact.  I need to do that when the beds are old and have to be replaced.  They also do not reduce flow at the fitting as the tubes slip inside.  https://www.dripworks.com/1-4-quick-disconnect-fittings



I forgot where this garden is but he is installing driplines for multiple beds.  He has valves so that only one run of beds is watered at a time.

Thank you all. I don't use Mel's Mix, way to expensive to create that for my 8 x 4 x 12 (2x). I used a 50/50 mix from my local nursery, mixed with vermiculite and chicken manure.
In regards to my plumbing setup, I have an underground 3/4 inch pvc running from my hose bib, to the first garden to riser to one corner of the first bed, with 1/2 tubing running length of box, 90degree to 2ft, then back down middle of box to other end then again the 90 degree to the other side of box and all the way to another riser. This riser drops back down and feeds to separate lines, one for our chicken lawn garden and the other to my north box and the tubing does the exact same as the first box.

I'm just now getting sprouting so I will wait a few weeks till they get bigger to lay the drippings down.
Should I run them length wise or width wise.