water Talk to me about PVC drip irrigation

[rjacobs]

Is it as simple as the youtube videos make it look?
 
Hose connector, on off ball valve, elbows, t's and caps?
 
Build your manifold, cap the ends, drill holes?
 
 
Im thinking this is the way to go with my raised beds I am building this year.  I will run a hose from my spigot on my house out and have to split it off 4 directions, then into the various PVC manifolds. 
 
Ive currently only got 1 timer, but I could buy a second or whatever I need.  2 of the beds will be hot peppers, 1 will be bell peppers/cucumbers/pole beans, and the 4th bed will be tomato/bush beans/cucumber so everything has a slightly different watering schedule.  I travel 3-4 days a week so having the system automated is important for me, but having at least 2 different watering schedules(hot peppers vs. vegetables) complicates things on the timer. 
 
Im thinking I can get away with watering the hot's manually every 3-4 days(or longer) by just turning on the ball valves.  The bell peppers may be the same way(never grown bell peppers before).  Im thinking for the rest I will have them on the timer and give them water either every day or every other day.
 
So I would essentially have 5 manifolds(2x hot beds, 1x bell peppers, 1x beans and cucumber, 1x beans/cucumber/tomato).
 
Anybody got thoughts on that confusing mess of a post?
 
Any cheap places to buy PVC stuff?  Homedepot/lowes seems pricey for all the bits and pieces, but buying the lengths of PVC is probably easiest from them.
 
 

 

[rickster]

i just use soaker hose's under the mulch

 

[alkhall]

I bought a Rainbird kit, $30 at HomeDepot. Bought different risers and umbrella heads, another $30. Set up in about a half-hour.
 
Covers my 4-foot by 32-foot raised bed perfectly.
 
I probably will get the timer this year.

 

[rjacobs]

I bought a Rainbird kit, $30 at HomeDepot. Bought different risers and umbrella heads, another $30. Set up in about a half-hour.
 
Covers my 4-foot by 32-foot raised bed perfectly.
 
I probably will get the timer this year.

I bought a kit similar to that last year, but not as big as I was only doing 4 potted plants.  It worked ok, just seemed like it would get pricey for doing a larger area.  My beds are separate so I would basically have to have 4 separate systems.  I can build a manifold that will feed all 4 beds and be run from a single hose with PVC.