simy1 wrote:
all good advice. I have very sandy soil, so I don't ever need to till.
At any rate, if I need to lift the lines, I have hooks on the trellis
in the back of the beds precisely to hang the lines high while I work
the soil. I dump compost directly on the bed, so the lines are mostly
buried most of the time (this may extend the life of the lines, no UV
damage). I only need to see one or two drip holes to be sure it works
properly. I installed it myself, because there was a page from Mary
Tiefert that explained exactly how, but that page no longer exists. But
one needs quality instructions, so before you embark in it, get some. I
found it a fairly easy project. And I have a slight depression in the
ground between faucet and garden, and there I installed my drain. It
works like a charm and the lines are emptied in october with a simple
twist. If faucet and garden are far from each other, renting a trencher
may make sense.

The sprinklers, however, may be bad advice in some cases. My tomatoes
would get blight, and my squash would be mildewed beyond recognition.
The beans and peppers would get sick too. Only the cool weather
vegetables would take that wetting without dying, and not even all of
them.

You must plant very delicate vegetables if they would so so poorly if
they got wet. Do you shelter them when it rains? We grow tomatoes,
asparagus, strawberries, two or three varieties of beans, two varieties
of squash, green peppers, carrots, beets, and corn, and all prosper with
the sprinkler.

Further, the farmers around here and in Michigan who irrigate use
sprinklers, without apparent adverse affect.