If you are new to gardening you may wonder how you should be watering your garden. The truth is, there isn’t any one way that is correct. You can get the job done with a sprinkler, hose, irrigation, etc. But there are some methods that may make your life a lot easier.
If you have a large garden area, it may be easiest for you to use irrigation. This is done by creating furrow rows that run alongside your plants. Usually gardeners using this method have a garden that is on a slight slant, allowing water to flow from one side of the area to another.
The furrows then allow a steady stream of water to flow through your garden. For this method you will need a starting source of water, some cities offer irrigation water during specific time slots for a reasonable rate.
If you are working with a smaller area, you may enjoy a drip system. A drip system can be easily adapted to your preferred garden plan/planting layout by adjusting where the drip pipe is placed and connected. Additionally, a drip system allows you to set a timer for your watering schedule.
This means you don’t have to think about turning on the water every day. If you have a busy schedule but want to reap the benefits of having fresh produce from your own garden, this is the best method for you. It is also the best method if you live in a high heat area.
Drip watering allows you to get the water directly to your plants root systems with minimal water loss. As drought conditions are becoming more common in many areas, you may want to consider switching from a traditional hose or sprinkler to this more conservative approach.
2 comments
Hi Ashleigh, we are in the mountains east of Albuquerque, and we live on rainwater. As in totally, no other water inputs. In the high desert! We have made, so far, 7 sub-irrigated planters. They are essentially 3′ × 8′ each, Talk about water-wise gardening. The only water they use is the water the plants use. They have been incredibly successful. We grow, in organic potting mix, a lot more than we have ever been able to grow in our clay soil! Just thinking about using your minute soil plus in a new SIP this summer. We are going to shade it with solexx, which blocks 20% of the sun, to see if we can have some success with greeens outdoors in the summer. Without shade, they just bolt.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I have two raised beds for vegetables (another set aside for flowering plants/bulbs). I use the drip system and an irrigation timer (one of three zones for different plantings in my yard). One main pipe with long, flexible 1/4" lines spaced along it, with emitters to set around the roots of plants.