Rick, I didn't actually mean drippers when I talked about micro-irrigation. My system uses micro-sprinklers with adjustable heads that sit very low to the ground but can spray up to an 8ft. diameter. Or you can get 1/4 circle and 1/2 circle sprayers for corners and against walls or fences. The key is that they are adjustable and movable - sprinklers are on the ends of micro-tubing - making the whole system extremely flexible.
You're right, though. Drippers are the most efficient. I just find it hard to make them cover evenly. IF the soil is well draining - we have sand here - you'll get a 1ft. circle of wet soil and the rest is dry. I can only use them for pots.
We're watering a whole veggie garden at the local elementary school with micro sprinklers that the teacher and I installed ourselves. Eight raised beds, one timer on one hose ($30 for the timer plus batteries) no water wasted on the mulched paths in between. Of course water conservation is one thing we always teach the kids when they come out to the garden.
