Though Mother Nature’s way of watering already does a pretty good job of keeping your fruits and vegetables healthy and thriving, there are a few little tips you can pick up to make your manual watering more effective for your garden.
When watering your plants, you want to keep the water down at the soil level as much as possible. Waving a hose over all your plants is going to soak the leaves and potentially leave your soil dry.
Not only does it mean your plants’ roots aren’t getting the water they need, you’re creating a damp atmosphere among all your foliage. Yes, that’s what happens when it rains anyway, but there is no need to make it worse on purpose. Wet leaves can lead to mildew, and you don’t want that. Soaking the leaves also washes away any insecticide treatments you may have used, meaning you’ll just have to go out and reapply later.
Point your hose nozzle low and near the ground if you can, or get one of those handy long attachments to help save your back. When watering by hand, get a watering can with a long spout for the same reason. Get under the leaves and pour directly to the soil.
Rain water is the best for your plants, so a water barrel or two can help you keep a supply of that on hand. Rural tap water is also fine but if you have a chlorinated municipal water supply, then you might want to take an extra step to keep the chemicals out of your soil.
With a large garden, this may not be practical though and that would be OK too. It’s a step you can take as long as it works for you.
