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Learning how to water your garden may seem like one of the easier tasks right? Well, it’s true, but like most things, it’s easy to get it very wrong too.
I love watering my vegetable garden. We just got it planted up about a week ago, and things are already growing in my raised beds – all thanks to water! (And of course, sunlight hehe). It’s amazing what water does, every living thing needs it to survive. The time of day when you water your garden will become your quiet time, and time to check up on the garden and look for pests, disease, and growth.
I encourage you to make it part of your routine, it’s something you’ll start to look forward too – I promise! Let’s get right into it.
Best Spot to Water Your Plant
- Water at the base of the plant – this way you’re wasting less water, and in turn, the plant’s roots get it all. If you water from above the plant’s leaves may cast a shadow on the base and water might not get to it at all!
- When watering the base, water around the plant at least 1′ (depending on the size of the plant) to make sure you’re watering the growing roots as well.
Best Time to Water Your Garden
- Try to water in the morning or early evening. You want there to be enough time left in the day so the excess water can be soaked up.
- Leftover water during the night can lead to disease, fungus, or attract insects – which we don’t want!!!
Best Sprinkler to Use to Water Your Garden
- Soaker hoses are best (or something with a heavier flow), for seedlings and established plants, versus something lighter like a sprinkler or mist flow. But make sure they are leaf free and drinking water safe!
- Soaker options will concentrate the water to the base of the plant, whereas a mist option will get the whole plant wet, and a lot will be lost to evaporation, and you will get it on the plant’s leaves which is generally a no-no. Some plants can tolerate it more like kale, but others like tomatoes and cucumbers will not.
- Another option is to use a really good hose nozzle that had different setting on it. I like the rain fall setting!
- UPDATE: As of my garden 2020… I started using a gardening wand that attaches to you hose. It is life changing!! Not only does it keep you from bending, but it just gets exactly where you need it to (at the base of the plant!).
How Much to Water to Use While Watering Your Vegetable Garden
- On average plants need about 1″ of water each week. It might be hard to keep track, so you can try using a rain gauge to count. But in general, if the weather is crazy hot and sunny, I water my vegetable garden once a day.
- When you water you should do a good solid watering. It’s better to water less often with more water, than more often with less water. That way the water will get to the roots.
How to Know When to Water Your Garden
- If you’ve been away for the weekend
- If you stick your finger into the soil and it’s dry all the way down to your knuckles
- The soil is super dry and the plants look limp
Signs You’re Overwatering Your Garden
- Leaves start to turn yellow
- Root rot
- No new growth
- Algae on top of the soil
- Droopy leaves even though soil is wet
I think that’s all I got for learning how to water your vegetable garden! Let me know if you guys have any other tips or tricks, I would love to hear in the comments! Want more gardening advice?
-Abbagail
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