10 Smart Watering Tips for Your Vegetable Garden

Getting smart with how you water your garden will save a lot of time and money.

Reader Contribution by Benedict Vanheems
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by zlikovec

1. Water Selectively: Only water if your plants really need it. Dig a small hole with a trowel (or just poke your finger in) to check for soil moisture at root level.

2. Time Your Watering: Water early in the morning to give crops time to absorb the moisture before it evaporates in the heat of the day. This also allows any water that gets on the foliage time to dry off before nightfall, helping to minimize problems with slugs and fungal diseases. Watering heavily now and then will encourage a more extensive root system than watering little and often.

3. Take Careful Aim: When watering by hand, aim at the base of plants where it’s needed. This will also keep foliage dry.

4. Trap Water: Sink plastic pots or upturned bottles with the cap removed and the bottom cut off up to the rim next to thirsty plants such as squash. Water into the pot; the water will reach the roots instead of running off the soil surface.

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