Drip Irrigation Index
Drip irrigation for raised beds

Raised bed drip irrigation planner

Measure your bed and choose a spacing between lines. See the layout and get a cut list for your dripline.

Total dripline to cut

32 ft
8 × 4 ftOne bed · top view

6 in. from each side to the nearest line

Cut list
4 × 8 ft
Start fittings
4
End closures
4
Calculate flow for these lines

Shopping list for this layout

The quantities follow the layout above. Each kit is checked against it, with the price read on the seller's page.

What the layout needs

  • 32 ft of dripline, cut into 4 lines of 8 ft
  • 4 start fittings, one per line, to join each line to the header
  • 4 end closures, one per line
  • Header tubing: about 4 ft across the bed, plus the run from the faucet
  • At the faucet, in this order: the backflow protection your water supply requires, a filter, a pressure regulator and an adapter to the header tubing

Buying part by part instead of a kit: Drip Depot and DripWorks sell each of these parts separately. Match the fittings to the tubing you choose.

Kits checked against this layout

Rain Bird Raised Bed Garden Kit

Rain Bird · GARDENKIT

$53.49 read on

Enough line for this layout: 35 ft in the box, 32 ft drawn.

Sold for: one bed up to 4 × 8 ft.

  • 35 ft of 1/4 in. emitter tubing
  • 25 ft of 1/4 in. distribution tubing
  • 10 barbed fittings, 10 elbows, 10 plugs and 10 stakes, all 1/4 in.
  • Faucet adapter, 25 psi pressure regulator and filter washer

The listing gives no emitter spacing and names no backflow preventer or timer.

See the kit at Rain Bird

DripWorks Garden Bed Irrigation Kit, Small

DripWorks · KGB1

$98.75 read on

Enough line for this layout: 100 ft in the box, 32 ft drawn.

Sold for: three beds of about 4 × 8 ft each.

  • 100 ft of 1/4 in. soaker dripline, one emitter every 12 in.
  • 50 ft of 1/2 in. poly mainline and 50 ft of 1/4 in. micro tubing
  • 20 transfer barbs, 20 elbows and 20 plugs, all 1/4 in.
  • Hose-thread start, tee, coupler and two figure-8 ends for the mainline
  • Filter, 30 psi pressure regulator, punch and hold-downs

This price is for the kit without a timer. The parts list names no backflow preventer.

See the kit at DripWorks

The check counts the straight lines drawn above. A line bent back and forth across the bed uses more tubing. Both kits use 1/4 in. emitter tubing, which suits a bed this size. For long rows, compare tapes in the drip tape index.

How the layout is measured

Each line runs the full length of the bed. The planner fits one line per full spacing interval across the width, centers the lines, and draws a single centered line for a bed narrower than the selected spacing.

The cut list assumes one straight line from a header to one end closure. Measure your header, supply tubing and any extra length to route around obstacles separately. Match the fittings to the tubing you choose.

See the Utah State University Extension guide to inline emitters and soil wetting. If the beds run on separate valves, use the flow for one valve at a time.

Calculate how long to run a zone once you know its flow.