I have found the most efficient way to irrigate my garden is with drip irrigation.  It is efficient and easy to assemble.

To get started, you will need to select a supplier.  Not all parts are interchangeable, so make sure you pick someone that you intend to stick with for a long time.  It is pretty frustrating when you get all set up, only to find that when you need repair parts you can’t find ones that fit.  I prefer the barbed fittings, as they fit inside the tubing and can be wired for a secure fit.

Here is a list of supplies you will need:

Polyethylene tubing-1/2”

Elbows

T’s

Straight Connectors (also known as menders)

4 gallon per hour emitters

Tubing cutter

Hole punch

In-line valve

Flush valve

Heavy wire

Pliers

Battery Operated Timer (optional)

Gated Y hose bib (optional)

Above are some of the parts you will need. From lower left to right: hole punch, connector, elbow, T, tubing cutter. Top: 1/2" polyethylene tubing, 4 gallon per hour emitter, gated Y.

A digital timer is quite handy so you can water in the early morning hours.

The quantities of everything you will need are based on how big of an area you are irrigating.  Lay the plan out on paper so you have a pretty good idea of how much tubing, fittings, and emitters you will need. 

Assembling the system is quite easy.  If your garden is fairly large, you will want to have each planting bed on a separate system, or at least install an in-line valve so you can turn one off while watering another.  The system can lie on the ground as the polyethylene tubing is unaffected by sunlight.  I use a gated Y at the faucet, too, to separate beds.  Design your system so you have a flush valve at each bed to clean out calcium buildup.  I also made mine so that each area was set up in such a way that I can fold back the entire layout when I need to till.

I always wire all connections together to make sure they do not come apart.  If you opt for the battery operated timer, you can run your irrigation in the very early morning hours, which reduces the changes of the fittings coming apart.  Early morning is the best time to water as it reduces loss to evaporation and decreases the chance for the fittings to come apart since they expand in the heat of the day.

Space emitters 1 to 2 feet apart.  You will be planting at each emitter, and not along the whole length of the line.

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