Watering a Garden

Watering the garden seems like an easy chore, but there is a right way to water it. Your garden will grow better and produce more if you try a few simple ideas.

The most efficient way to water a garden is by drip irrigation. This method employs plastic tubing and fittings that you assemble and contour to fit your specific garden area. Emitters are positioned at each plant or every few inches along a row to deliver water slowly. The watering is done at ground level, directly at the plant. You can install a timer on a drip irrigation system, or manually turn it on if you monitor rainfall and need additional moisture in the soil.


A soaker hose is another method that delivers water at the base of the plant. It is a porous hose that allows water to seep through along its length. Place the hose along a garden row and turn on the water supply just enough so that it seeps through. This cuts evaporation, and the hose can be moved around the garden, unlike a drip irrigation system.

In many parts of the country, gardeners use overhead irrigation. Sprinklers and sprinkler systems, garden hoses, and watering cans fit this description. These methods do not require the exact placement of tubing and plants as with drip systems, but they have their cons as well. Any time water is sprayed onto plants in this fashion, there is a percentage of it that evaporates and is wasted. Wetting the foliage can cause and spread many diseases. You can take measures to avoid this by watering early enough in the day so that wet foliage has time to dry completely.