Watering

Back to those "basic needs" again! You already know that garden plants require water throughout the growing season. How much water do they need, and other than standing in the garden with a hose, what are some other ways of providing water?

The general rule of thumb is that garden plants need about an inch of water per week. Whether this water comes from one long, gentle rain or from the end of your hose doesn’t matter to the plants. Early in the season, new seedlings and transplants need more frequent watering than established plants, so even if rainfall measurements seem adequate, plants may need supplemental watering. And in hot, dry climates plants may need more than an inch of water per week.

How do you know if your garden has received that inch of water? Many gardeners follow weather reports, and keep an eye on statistics such as rainfall amounts. And with experience you’ll be able to tell when there’s been enough rain. But new gardeners can benefit by actually measuring rainfall. You can purchase fancy rain gauges. Or you can set a tin can outdoors and see how much rain falls in it. In fact, if you set that can in the garden, you can get an idea of how much water you are applying with your sprinkler or hose.

Watering with sprinklers or with a hand-held hose are common methods, but they aren’t the best way to water the garden. Overhead watering wets foliage, which can encourage disease problems. And lots of water is lost to evaporation. This is a critical factor in arid regions; however, wastefulness should be a concern to us all. The best method is to apply water directly to the soil near the roots of the plants, and the easiest way to do this is to install a system of drip irrigation or soaker hoses. Since you can't measure water applied in this manner with the "tin can" gauge, you'll need to dig a hole and see how far down the water has penetrated. You want to soak the plants' entire root zone. For smaller plants such as lettuce, spinach, or beets, apply water until the soil is moist to a depth of about 6 inches. For larger plants such as tomatoes, apply enough water to moisten the soil to a depth of at least a foot.