
Rose & Flower Gardening
Watering Your Garden
How you do it can make all the difference
Different Needs for Different Plants
What you grow will also determine how much water you need. Root depths vary greatly. Tomato roots can reach 2 feet deep after a good season, while lettuce roots may be only be 1 foot deep. Other plants grow even shorter roots. If possible, try to take note of how deep the roots are of your different plants. Plants with deeper roots are usually more capable of finding water in the soil.
Watch the Weather
You also have to remember the rate of evaporation. Hot, dry, windy days suck up moisture out the soil much faster than still, humid days.
It's in the Details
Whether the soil surface appears wet or dry, you can't always tell what's going on at the root level. To see if you've watered enough, take a long screwdriver and stick it into your garden soil. If it goes in easily, you've probably watered enough. You can also purchase a moisture meter at your local garden center to measure how dry your soil is. When watering, it's always best to opt for periodic deep soakings - the period varying according to weather and how well your soil retains moisture - instead of frequent, light sprinklings.