We have a different situation because our trees are scattered all over a rocky hillisde, but we have 12 drip stations, and everything does well on drip. 1 acre is completely covered, but 1/2 acre is just native growth and has no irrigation. Our system is probably 25 years old, and we moved in 8 months ago. It was really hard to figure out which drip went with which station, but with some little flags, it got sorted out. My husband is constantly fixing leaks, but it would be much harder to hand water. One little caution. Do not get a cheap battery one. We had that in our vineyard, and a few times the thing quit and we didn't know till the grapes showed stress. The one they have in this house is electrical and very dependable. It does have battery back up, but not so sure we remember to check those batteries.

With the plastic drip hoses you install emitters, either in the hose itself or at the end of small extensions of tubing connected to the hose. In either case, the orifices in the emitters are much larger so they don't lime up as quickly. You can also remove them from the line, turn them around, and blow them out with a stream of water to remove sediment or mineral deposits. The weeper hoses are more like moving water through a sponge and you seem to get plenty of evaporation which leaves all the mineral behind in the sponge. After a bit of time, the minerals plug all the pores until the water stops passing through. If your water is very low in minerals, they this would be less of a problem. My experience has been that the drip materials in the box stores are usually the same as found in other stores, and they have ample quality for the use. I mention the box stores because they are universal. Depending which town I'm in, I get my supplies from a farm supply store, but if I go to a large city, I will usually stop at a box store as they usually have a little wider selection. Garden centers would also be likely to carry the materials. I've not had any failures other than from getting plugged with sediment in the water, and cleaning that out is an easy fix. In addition, the dripper parts are fairly cheap so the odd replacement costs little. Currently I'm running a drip line to a row of bushes planted about 5 years ago. Each spring, I open the end of the drip line and flush it out, then a couple times a year I'll remove and reverse-flush any emitters that are too slow. I need to increase the size of the emitters to get more water on, however, because I don't think I'm getting enough water to the bushes. This last summer, I installed a drip line to about a dozen fruit trees that I've planted over the last few years. Hauling each tree 10-15 gallons of water a week was getting too time consuming and wasn't sufficient water as all the trees were suffering. With this line, I wanted to put a fairly high quantity of water on so I just connected the 1/4" extension tubing to the 1/2" main line and ran it to the basin around the trees. I'd turn the water on for anywhere from 20-45 minutes before the well would start running dry, but that would get 20 gal. or so on the trees and the increase showed itself in much happier trees than the past few years. I could just work on a few other things, then come back and turn the pump off and head for home. For your raised beds, you probably wouldn't want to use open extension tubes as that would probably be too much water too fast. Look up xeriscaping techniques for info on the drip lines, or look up Rainbird for some reading material. I've never spent more than a few days in a wet climate so the techniques and materials you need to use may differ from what I use.

I am not planting on the scale you are. Last year 1/2 acre and I guess be like 3/4 this year as broke more land to plant. I presume with all you planting that your seed is bulk. I buy from seed house. They do cut off some on larger amounts as I am market gardener. I grow my own plants as that is big savings. My main crop is tomatoes and then peppers and so on. The new land will go into melons mostly. I hand seed in beans, onion sets, corn, squash and peas and will melons. I did no thinning. I make a furrow for seed and put in fertilizer and drop the seed, and cover. I use an old push plow to make the seed rows and to cover. It has a small turning plow type blade on it. It is two wheels and as I said old bought back in the 30's. Bigger wheel in front and smaller behind and the blade between the wheels can be set higher or lower. I have a one wheel 3 HP cutilvator that I may replace it with if get it running. At this time I use a push plow. If I take longer with seeding I am not botherd with thinning. Today I am planting potatoes. I have no idea what those tubes are and have not used a jab seeder. I mark my rows and take the tiller in and make a furrow for the potatoes to go in. Book says fertilize will burn them so not get any on the seed potatoes. l0-l0-l0 will it said. I am debating this morning which way to do it. Last year side dressed but need it the the row now. I did the furrows last evening and I am couple weeks late plant due to wet weather. On the seed I put the irrigation ditch in and the the seed furrow on down side of it . I toss the dirt away from irrigation ditch for furrow and then come back and toss it in the furrow. This way my seeds are close to the irrigation. The potates I will go up one side and back the other and toss dirt over them from both sides to get enough. Then go back in and put in irrigation ditches. I have stakes up the potato rows so can ditch and till. I have learned to not cover the seeds too deep. I have hesitated to put on this answer as I doubt it would be a help. I do not have a push seeder. Here we irrigate to grow anything. I have valve and gated pipe and ditches in the garden to water. That pipe has saved a lot of work but I have about l2 # pressure. I sell here at the farmers' market. Just me to do it. I ditch and then set the plants on the down side of the ditches. I have been trying to come up with a faster way to get plants in. Or at least cut the planting time. I am sure faster ways to plant then I am doing. With what I have it is best I can do.

Where/what are you thinking of selling? I am always over-doing it with the tomato plants, but I usually just give them away.