Water Solutions

The hot July sun beams down from overhead, and down here on Earth our gardens are feeling the heat. Wouldn’t it be nice if gentle rains fell reliably each night? Unfortunately, the reality is that if you want your plants to stay hydrated and healthy, you’ll need to provide some supplemental watering on a regular basis throughout the growing season.

But that doesn’t mean it has to be difficult to water your plants. Let’s look at some easy ways to keep your garden refreshed through the dog days of summer.

Hand Watering

Hand watering can be time consuming (although some find it cathartic), but it’s one of the most effective ways to ensure that each and every plant receives tailored and targeted watering. It’s usually accomplished using a hose with a sprayer attachment or with a watering can. Some gardeners dislike hand watering, but if you have a small amount of plants or just want to ensure the overall success of your garden, it’s a great way to give individualized attention to your entire landscape.

Sprinklers

If you’re focused on watering a lawn, a sprinkler system can be an effective and economical way to keep it damp. Gardens, however, are an entirely different story. It’s generally better to water plants at the base rather than from overhead in order to avoid potential disease. Additionally, the intensity of the sprinkler system is often too much for tender plants. Some smaller sprinkler systems are specifically designed for vegetable gardens and provide a gentle, more targeted spray, so this can be a good option in some cases.

Soaker Hoses

Next up: soaker hoses. These look like regular hoses, but they have porous exteriors that slowly emit water. By placing a soaker hose alongside your plants or in your garden bed you can provide a slow supply of water to a specific place. Soaker hoses are fairly easy to move around the garden and aren’t too expensive. They’re not the most effective option for providing water exactly where you want it, so the results are less targeted than with hand watering or drip irrigation.

Drip Irrigation

Similar to soaker hoses, drip irrigation systems provide water at the ground level, which is healthier than watering plants from above. Drip irrigation systems consist of tubes with tiny holes that you place throughout your garden and all around your plants. The flexibility of the system allows you to configure the tubing to reach exactly where you want in each part of the garden, offering more precise control than soaker hoses.

Drip irrigation systems are also considered more efficient than soaker hoses with less wasted water. As you might expect, drip irrigation systems are more expensive, but the results might be worth it. Like sprinkler systems and soaker hoses, drip irrigation systems can be set to a timer to automate the watering process.

Water Tank

To water plants or crops located far from a water source, consider using a large — such as 35-gallon — horizontal leg tank fitted with a hose attachment. You can then haul the tank with a lawn tractor and cart to wherever you need water. The gravity-fed system operates slowly, making it a time-consuming method, but adding a water pump can speed up the process. Overall, it’s an affordable and effective way to water plants that are far from your main source.

However you choose to water your plants, remember this: the effort you invest now will pay off at harvest time. You’ll enjoy the fruits of your labor in the form of fresh vegetables, herbs, fruit and vibrant flowers.