If your going to spend money on new hoses why don't you just buy the drip components, whether it by 1/2" or 1/4" micro tubing, then add a filter and, if needed, a pressure reducer that you could screw your garden hose feed line too. Your going to get it anyways and the extra cost is pretty negligible. I have been slowly adding to my garden and lawn system for years starting out exactly as above. Most people forget that you don't have to have a controller to effectively use the better quality drip irrigation components.

Good luck

SCG

Not sure what problems you're trying to avoid. There is a soaker hose thread further down the page. I was at Walmart the other day, and saw that they are selling "bonus packs" of two 75' flat soaker hoses for $20. That is a bargain.

I attach half inch poly to sprinkler valves, using one of those $5 pressure regulators. I then run the poly to the beds and hoses, concealing it, where possible, sometimes burying it just under the ground. The rate of flow can be adjusted, where necessary, with flow disks.

Having just finished doing our garden, here is what I did and discovered.

Don't waste money on buying new soak hoses, put that money in to new drip parts.

That being said, I had picked up a bunch of free used but working weep style soaker hoses. I also had a collection of old hoses laying around the property. Fittings are pricey so I got a 12" section of 1/2" copper pipe and cut in to 1" sections. From Harbor Freight, I got a box of cheap band style pipe clamps. I would run a hose, digging a shallow trench so no one tripped on it and run my hose under ground to the area I wanted to water. From that point I would cut a section of soaker hose and use the copper tubing and a pair of the clamps to attach to the hose. If I had another plant or planter, I would do the same thing until I had all on the soaker hose system. Remember to just barely turn on the water so you do not blow the system apart, besides the soakers only want low pressure anyway. This is a good time to invest in the filter, pressure reducer and back flow preventer even if you can't afford the rest of the drip system.

I have removed all of that now and am on nothing but drip, even though it saved water, I needed to save even more and only water the plants I want..

Mulch is your friend, cover up all of the drip that you can, not only will it cool the soil and slow evaporation, it will protect the soaker from the sun light-they get very brittle.

I also created a manifold system using 1/2" pvc and quarter turn valves so that I could pick just how much water certain veggies/plants received vs others. The main hose runs to it and then all the various lines run off of it.

Hope that makes sense

If you have "hard water," as I do, filters will not prevent your emitters from clogging.

Great thoughts so far. I have found some 1/4" line at a steal of a price and am going to work with that. I have existing soaker hose that I will try to utilize as well to help save some costs. Next season I will add more actual drip line.