Get less lazy, do it the way you have been. That is most practical by far for such tiny areas. Water very deeply and infrequently once plants are established.

I prefer to use a water wand. The water flows out evenly and more gently than just using the hose and it is easy to spot water the rows and plants saving you water and time.

Get a bucket, fill it with water, slowly pour a good amount of water along each row or around each plant to everything gets a good root drench drink. Feed them the same way.

Watering at the base of the plants is much better than using sprinklers - healthier plants and less disease problems.

Dave

Doesn't sound like it takes much time anyway BUT if you are willing to waste time to save time, and especially if you are handy and perhaps have access to lots of garage sales or junk; get a 2 or 4 hose splitter and make two or four short hoses to connect 4 water wands or other bubbling ends. Spread them around your plot.

Go down to your local big-box home + garden store and pick up (6) 10 ft long 1/2" schedule 40 pvc pipes, along with a few select fittings, including a garden hose to pipe adapter (can provide a detailed list if you are so-inclined). Drill 1/16" holes into the bottom of each lateral pipe - at designated spacing. Then cut/assemble/glue all parts to create a two section, 3-pipe DIY drip irrigation system.

Simply attach a hose and when you want to water the plots, turn on the bibb, lay under a tree with a good book or mp3 player and let the system do the "work".

But then again, if you have no creativity and are too lazy to hold a garden hose for several minutes at a stretch, then I just wasted my time. ;-)

well, technically i'm not so much lazy as usually there with my two-year old who wants to go play on the playground forty feet away :)

i hadn't considered a pvc system. i'll go price that stuff out and see if it makes sense. i didn't know there was a hose to pipe adapter available off the shelf.

i actually don't mind spending the time making something because i can do it in the evening when the kiddo is asleep and the wife is watching TV

thanks to everyone who replied. my mind is moving again...i think

For such a small area....Use the hose and put your thumb across the end to break the flow up some and water the base of the plant.

Google this:

Orbit 1/2 in. Slip x 3/4 in. MHT PVC Fitting

You'll find them selling for under 2.00. I just completed the design and installation of the first phase of a hybrid system for our fenced-in 24 x 48 vegetable garden - (6) 3'-6 x 16' bermed beds + (2) 4' x 12' wood frame raised beds completed. (1) 3' x 48' bed and the onion patch, still need to be done. May get around to it later this year - but the wife and I still need to hose-water the flower beds, so no big deal.

The 3/4" main line is buried between house and garden - with most of the above ground 3/4" lines and all 1/2" laterals removable by use of unions at each bed connection. (10) 3/4" ball valves provide pressure regulation for each leg. A battery powered electronic timer valve enables very versatile operation - don't even need to be there . . . works great so far!

I will make a new post shortly, with photos taken during and after installation. Total cost of the system

Or, instead of building a system for $$$. Go to the big box store, get some soaker hose for about $10. Turn it on and enjoy 15-20 minutes at the playground with you child 1-2x per week.
I used these on my tomatoes, cause they get less water than the other beds and they worked like a charm! Nancy

Nancy - the last soaker hose i bought tended to squirt water out of one area while the rest of it barely worked. So one section of the soil took 80% of the water. Have you had this problem?

My experience with soaker hoses is that I needed to attach a pressure regulator between the water source and the soaker hose so the water doesn't blow the cap off the end and defeat the purpose. Maybe I just have particularly strong water pressure?

If it were for a home garden I'd suggest a hose Y, battery operated programmable timer and 50' soaker hose/drip tape setup (relatively simple and inexpensive). Best to use some kind of pressure regulator or a slightly opened hose valve, or some of the soaker hoses I've seen come with a plastic washer with a single small hole. I think they do tend to water more near the inlet or especially more at the lower side if there is any slope due to gravity so you may have to get creative but overall they're pretty simple and quick to use.

You can also get a bunch of containers like gallon jugs and poke 1 or 2 holes in the bottom with a nail. Set these in between plants in the garden and fill them with the hose. For a 4'x10' garden you may need at least 20 filled once or twice per week, but water requirements can vary a lot depending on mulch, soil type, weather, and plants.

All reasonable recommendations - but IMO, if you are handy with basic tools, desire a relatively maintenance-free, durable and cost-effective drip system that's good for at least 10 years, consider the DIY PVC route.

I have learned from other gardeners that drip tape and soaker hoses fail from UV degradation and need replacing after 1 to 2 seasons - a deal breaker for me.

The original poster has a small area to water. Now if all the more mechanical systems are used on larger areas, they might be practical. I find for myself with 3 different areas that I would rather not go to a lot of bother setting up all that.

Even better for quick hand watering with a hose --cut off the bottoms of milk, apple juice, & 2 liter bottles & insert with the neck down into the soil.

The wide open top which was the bottom of the jugs is easier to fill especially when the plants have grown large.

Especially works well for larger plants like zucchini, cucumber, & tomato plants.

Fill all of them once & go back around 2-3 times so that it waters enough. You might have to experiment with the location and quantity of jugs to effectively water the entire plot.

Early on when you have seedlings a watering wand still works to fill jugs & broadcast light spray around the small plants.

You might get your child to enjoy the watering if you put some little toy fish or similar floating toys inside the jugs. They help you water to make the fish swim in the water as you fill it up. Your child can move the fish to the next jug for you to fill. Make it a game to water the garden and the playground will be the reward when the garden is watered or play 1st then water for a break and play again.