Gardening - Watering

Water is now a worldwide problem. There is a definite lack of drinkable water and it is getting worse rapidly. Homeowners are paying more and more for water.  However, this should not deter the wise gardener.

It would be ideal if you have a well and can pump water from the ground for your plants. If you can afford this and don't live in a subdivision that monitors your every move, do it. If you must depend on your municipal water system, don't despair. When you select the type of plants you want, look for the type that are native to your area. This is called xeriscaping and you can apply this to food plants as well as ornamentals. Whatever you plant, be aware that plants have different water preferences; some like to be very wet, some like little water. Group plants by their preference.

There are many ways to get water to your plants. If you already have a sprinkler system for your yard, great. Use it. But, you may have to adjust the heads a bit to get proper coverage. Just be careful when you put in the garden, especially if you use a roto tiller, or you will be spending a lot of time repairing pipes.

I spent many years working on sprinkler systems and I don't like them. If I didn't already have one, I would not spend the money to put one in. There are cheaper ways that take a lot less maintenance. The cheapest and simplest - get a hose and an old fashioned rotating sprinkler head, hook it up, stick it in the ground, and turn on the water. It works just fine.

The best system is drip irrigation, using microtubes. This is an easy system to install and it will save you a lot of water. Also, it delivers water only to the roots which is just where you want it. The problem is that, well, there is always a problem. Something is always breaking or getting plugged and they just take too much maintenance. Next best are soaker hoses. They also reduce your water usage and they are durable. However, you will likely find yourself having to move them around a lot to insure that everything gets soaked. The old way, using that rotating head hooked to a hose is the cheapest and the easiest.

However you do it, you need to know when enough is enough. That is easy. Of course you adjust according to what the plants need, but most like a good soaking. Then, they would rather you wait until the soil is almost dry before you re-water. To find that out, stick your finger in the ground. If the tip is dry or just slightly damp, water. If it is wet, don't. It is that simple. Do not over water. Overwatering will kill plants far faster than under watering.

Technically, it is best to water in the hours just before sunrise or just after. Well, that is best and if you don't get up that early,  you can put a valve between your water source and the pipes or hose carrying it to your garden then add a timer They are easy to install, just follow the instructions. However, this can lead to overwatering. Say, your system is set to go off and you have a heavy rain that night. You will be wasting water and possibly damaging your garden. Or suppose you water thoroughly and you have several overcast days, leading to less evaporation. You can manually over ride your timer, or shut it off, or wire in a rain gauge, but, now you have added work. Let me tell you a secret. You can water in the daytime, you just have to water a little more to comp for evaporation. Just try not to water right before dark; plants really don't like that. With daylight saving time most folks can get home, water, and the plants have time to dry off before dark, and late spring, summer, and early fall is when most of you will be gardening, so, no problem.

Watering is something you have to play around with until you get a feel for it. Fortunately, most plants are pretty hardy and can abide our mistakes fairly well. Of course, if you are an apartment dweller and are gardening indoors or on your patio, no problem; you just port water around the plants when you see the need.

One final word. From time to time, droughts happen and water restrictions and even rationing are imposed. Don't violate these rules. Officials are telling you the truth; there really is a problem, so follow their orders. If the drought is severe, skip that growing season. Work on improving your soil so you are ready for the next year.