Is watering the garden fun or purely a chore!?! I suppose it depends on who you ask, right!?! Here are some Tips for Watering a Vegetable Garden. Plants need sufficient water when they are forming roots or fruiting! Not enough water and the roots won’t develop, the plants will wilt, and eventually not survive. Too much water can drown the root. And when the temperature is triple digits for weeks on in…extra water becomes totally critical! My sweet B’s like to help me care for the garden, especially now that our garden is filled with 10+ growing watermelons, we are SUPER EXCITED about harvesting them!
1. Nearly any bottle or carton can be used to create a watering can, this is especially good when caring for seedlings. We have done this and my sweet B’s love it! Turns watering the garden into a backyard water fight! You can create a watering can by poking holes in a milk gallon cap. Lots of milk caps are pop-off, but Braums and Sprouts both have milk jugs with a screw on cap.
2. A hose or a hose attachment is inexpensive, but a requires lots of manual labor, a 10×10 area would require an hour of watering to sufficiently soak the roots. A galvanized bucket makes the perfect hose storage and even has a place for your hose attachment! Attach by drilling three holes into a bucket and secure it to a fence or wall.
3. Watering with a sprinkler offers a rainfall affect for plants, and if the sprinkler is set on a timer it’s definitely convenient, but like the water hose, requires an hour of watering to reach the vegetable plant roots. A bamboo pole attached to a sprinkler helps raise the water stream above the garden so plants gets consistent amounts of moisture.
4. Soaker hoses have small pin – sized holes throughout that allows water to seep out and moisten the soil. Soaker hoses gradually add water to the soil, causing the plants to receive a thorough watering. Watering with a soaker hose can allow the roots to be reached within 15 minutes time. Moving a soaker hose around is totally a drag, so you’ll want enough hose length to be able to leave it in place. You can buy these at any store or if you have a leaky hose, poke more holes and you have a diy soaker hose!
Early morning watering is the best because less water will evaporate and the risk for mold and slug moisture issues minimal. Personally, I’m thankful that my sweet B’s see watering the garden as super fun because when it gets this hot, it seems more like a chore to me. This Fall I hope to add the soaker hoses as pictured above and I’ll let you know how that goes! Anything lending itself towards efficient sits well with me!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned in some of my posts in the hope that I would give it a good review on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe my readers will enjoy. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Great post Aimee! Love the idea of poking holes into the lid to make it a squirting water bottle! My son has watered before with his supersoaker — he also had the idea of watering the entire lawn that way but quickly gave up LOL Now he is older & wiser and we lucked out buying a home with an irrigation system … so watering is definitely no longer a chore :~)
What a beautiful picture of you and sweet B! As always great tips!
Aimee-
I feel like the summer is flying by! I can’t believe you manage to homeschool your kids and stay so on top of your blog, my kids are home (from preschool!) and my ability to comment goes totally out the window:)
Thankfully our veggie patch is pretty small, but i would love to have those soaker hoses so I didn’t have to nag/remind my husband and kiddos everyday:)
Jessica
stayathomeista.com
That homemade watering can just made my day! Mine is limping along with duct tape, only because I just can’t justify the expense…and don’t want to add to plastic that can’t be recycled, but an empty carton I can get behind that! Very cool and resourceful…will be back for photos- cheers!
Turning the bottle/carton into a watering jug is genius! Now, if only I could find some way to remember to water my garden. I’d love it if you stopped by my link party. http://acraftycook.blogspot.com/2012/07/1-month-of-fun-july-link-party.html
Second year of a vegetable garden in our lives. Very clever to make a plastic jug into a watering can.
I love this idea. I wonder if you could hook up the system to your shower drainage and use that water for your garden…that seems like it would be the perfect amount of morning watering (depending on how many people take a shower each morning).
Watering cans are so expensive! I love the milk jug idea. I’m hosting a linky party “One Creative Weekend” at OneCreativeMommy.com. I’d love for you to visit and link up this idea and/or anything else you’d like to share.
Those are some great tips! Love the soaker hose plan!
Great idea about the milk jug. I sometimes take a jug and put a couple of tiny holes in the bottom…fill…and sit out next to a newly planted plant. I really like your idea…and will make one as soon as my husband finished off the milk.
Thanks for sharing
Lynn
Thanks for the tips… Our vegie growing season starts in October and I have been planning a new raised bed for my tomatoes. I just use the raised or soaker methods you show…maybe both. Thanks
What a creative way to pour slowly, with the pin holes! I’d never have thought of that. Great idea! We’ve got 110 or over all week!
Brenda
These are good tips. I like to water my plant right at the roots unless the foliage is dirty from dust. I’m not sure if it’s right, but somewhere I got the idea that watering the foliage might cause blight to set it? No idea if that’s true. I think that gardens all over the country have needed more attention to watering this summer. Good luck with your soaker hoses. I’m going out to hunt for a bucket. That’s a great hose storage idea!
It’s a good post.
Hi! I came here via Tweak it Tuesday (CLH)
…I’ve done some creative things for watering. This year we’ve been able to capture rain water. And currently, I’m planning a way to capture the run off from back washing our pool(of course It will have to let the chemicals evaporate out first). I figure I could water our trees and garden instead of the back field!
I like the milk jug idea…and have done similar. But what I’m most appreciative of in your post, was the diagram for the soaker hose! So simple. I’ve seen people make these elaborate (rigid) watering contraptions with PVC…but I think I can manage a couple of hose ends! Thanks! Pat
Great post. I found you via the Tuesday Talent Show from Chef in Training
I have linked a pizza I did with leftover roast chicken. Have a good week.
I just made a water jug like that today with the kids! Stopping by from WFMW. I would love for you to stop by True Aim! Thanks for sharing.
I like the bottle turned into a watering can, and the bucket as a hose holder–very clever indeed!
Thanks for the tips. Never thought of file in the lip of milk jug.