Funny that the mulch didn't soak up all the water! But I guess you saturated that and still had runoff!
I used to water each bed a little, then go back and start over, to avoid puddling or runoff.
That got old fast, especially dragging and re-dragging one long hose.
The slowest way to water is "drippers" or dripline or drip tape, and I think that is what they meant by micro-irrigation. Those drippers tend to be 1/2 GPH or 1 GPH, and usually you deploy them in a row with one dripper every 12" (or 9" or 18"). Generally people run those for hours.
You can water pretty slowly using a micro-sprayer, say down to 7 GPH. You could rig one sprayer to cover a 6-12 foot diameter circle, and run it for 30 minutes, or whatever was needed.
There are smaller sprayers called "Spot Sitters" that go as low as 3 GPH, but they are intended for small spots or big pots, like a 6-8" pot for the lowest flow rate, or up to 15 GPH for a 36" diameter
http://primerusproducts.com/pr...
Or you can set up sprayers or spinners that throw a lot of water fast - but only run them for 10 minutes at a time. Repeat as needed after allowing soak-in time.
Irrigation sounds expensive, but only if you get into timers and filters. Tubing, fittings and even pressure regulators can be had pretty cheap.
I mention Dripworks because it's an easy site to find things on, has lots of pictures, and it's what I'm familiar with.
1/2" mainline tubing - 100 feet for $16
http://www.dripworks.com/produ...
spigot adapter "1/2" Easy Loc Female Hose Start - ELFH"
http://www.dripworks.com/categ...
Long, straight beds are easiest to water evenly and efficiently with:
1/4" "soaker dripline" 100 feet for $15 e.g.
http://www.dripworks.com/produ...
If your beds are irregular or small and scattered, sprayers may be easier to space out than dripline:
1/4" micro tubing
http://www.dripworks.com/produ...
1/4" barb fittings to connect 1/4" tubing to 1/2" mainline:
http://www.dripworks.com/categ...
misc sprayers, spinners, drippers, "shrubblers" and other whizzy gadgets are at Home Depot, Lowes, etc:
http://www.dripworks.com/categ...
You can't buy direct from Antelco, but their catalogs list EVERYthing:
http://www.antelco.com/usa/spr...
My city water supply is 45 PSI, and many irrigation parts work better at lower pressure. I decided I needed a pressure regulator when I tried to use 10/32" screw-fittings with vinyl microtubing. Vinyl is pretty wimpy, and it stretches, and the 10/32" threads don't have as much "grab" as the barbed fittings. It took a few minutes under pressure, but 45 PSI blew that threaded fitting right out of the 1/4" microtubing.
So I got a 30 PSI regulator for $8 , and found that all my sprayers worked a lot better. The higher pressure was blasting out a
mist that tended to blow away in a breeze, and didn't carry very far in still air. The lower pressure put out bigger droplets that traveled farther.
http://www.dripworks.com/categ...
(Google "drip irrigation supplies")
I went crazy with my mainline, branching it hither and yon into way more zones than I need.
I like gadgets!
http://garden.org/ideas/view/R...
P.S. If you have no timer, leave at least ONE sprayer in the system. The "PSSSSS" noise may keep you from forgetting it's on ... but it also tells your neighbors that you irrigate.
P.P.S. If water is very slow to leave your mulch and enter your soil, next year try scratching a little of the mulch into the top 1" of soil. Then lay down the rest of the mulch. If the transition zone is gradual, capillary attraction works better, and the soil can "suck from" the mulch better.
Or maybe use SUCH coarse mulch that it holds little water.
