Water … such a simple thing but without an ample supply, new plants can’t get established and established ones will fail to thrive or even wither away.

So how do you keep your garden well-watered?

This article is discussing in-ground plantings only. 

The rule of thumb is to provide 1-2 inches of watering per week.  One or two deep watering will work much better than a little bit each day.  The exception is newly-planted seed.  Seeds need to be kept constantly damp and if they aren’t properly mulched, they should be misted twice daily.

The time of day is also important.  It’s far better to water very early or late, or even over-night.  Wetting the leaves in full sunlight can cause the leaves to burn.  The water droplets act as a prism to intensify the light and burn the leaves, even though they are wet.

Many people choose to water using a hose.  This is great if you have a lot of time.  It takes a good while to provide that much water to each part of your garden.  Plus, you need to water slowly and gently.  If you provide too much water at once, it can wash away the soil on top and quite often, the water will just run across the ground.  Dirt needs to already be moist to absorb water efficiently so rotate where you water.

There are many downsides to using a hose aside from the time it takes.  You need to have hoses long enough to reach all parts of your garden and the strength to drag those hoses around.  You need to coil up the hoses when you’re done to avoid an ugly mess and a tripping hazard.  If you go on vacation, you need reliable plant-sitters to spend the needed time.