Water is one of the essential elements for plant growth.  Many people tend to overcomplicate watering with unnecessary details.  Sure, every plant is different, but let’s simplify things and look at the basics of moisture management.

It is important to consider the location of your garden, soil type, and your garden style.  If you have a traditional, victory-style garden, it won’t need to be watered as often as something like a container garden.  Likewise, if you’re using a method like straw bale gardening or a mulch-intensive no-till method, watering might not be needed too often.  If you’re growing directly in the ground how well does your soil drain?  A sandy soil will need more water than a slow draining clay soil.

Plants will need 1 to 2 inches of water per week.  Container gardens will need water every day, but most gardens grow best with a couple deep waterings per week instead of frequent, shallow waterings.  You might be tempted to quickly hit your garden with the hose every day, but this prevents water from soaking in deeply.  This results in plants with a shallow, weak root system.

The types of plants dictate how much water they will need too.  Newly planted and large plants will require the most water.  Also, when the weather heats up, most bedding plants will require more water.  Container plants might even require watering multiple times on the most scorching days.

Generally, you want to focus your watering at the base of the plants.  Getting the leaves wet, like with a lawn sprinkler, can promote fungal growth and other diseases.  Hand watering with either a watering can or a hose gives you the best control.  However, if using a hose, be sure to use a watering head designed for plants.  Blasting them with water from a spray nozzle isn’t exactly helping them.  Of course, one of the best systems for larger gardens, raised beds, and even large container gardens is drip irrigation and soaker hoses.  If you’re upping your garden game, I suggest researching these types of systems.

MULCH!  Mulch is one of the best tools gardeners can use.  It helps keep weeds at bay, regulates temperature, and it also holds in soil moisture by acting as a barrier against evaporation.  Whether it is wood mulch, leaf mold, or even grass clippings, mulch makes a huge difference.

Finally, I recommend collecting rainwater.  It’s 100% free water that you can utilize for your garden.  Rainwater collection systems can range from a simple barrel at your downspout to a huge storage tank for your entire property.  That can be a whole quarantine project in itself.  The way 2020 is going, you might need water to fight the fire tsunamis coming in June.

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