General Watering Tips

The Almanac Farmer's guide to watering covers a lot of great information regarding watering, but I thought I'd just touch on the basics.

Water at the Roots. A lot of new gardeners might water by spraying the water back and forth over plants, but the best way to do it is to hold the hose down at the base of the plant. This mitigates water loss from evaporation, encourages healthy root growth, and prevents foliar disease.

Use Mulch. I wrote a few posts about mulch which elaborate on this, but basically, it will conserve water, regulate temperature, and protect the microbiome of the soil.

Water in the Morning. This is very important. When you water in middle of the day, the water can heat up in the soil and stress the plant. When the plant is enduring heat already, an influx of water may intensify their response to stress.

Finger Test. Feel the soil! Water if it's dry! Works for shallow rooted plants, but not reliable for deeper roots. This method may lead to cracking on tomatoes.